Issue 170 | June 11, 2020
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LAST CHANCE
Order your 2020-2021 Presbyterian Planning Calendar
Calendar orders must be received to the Presbytery by tomorrow - Friday, June 12 - either through this order form or by emailing office@wvpresbytery.org. PC(USA) has raised the price for the calendars, which run from September through next December, so our cost will also increase, making calendars $11 each this year. This cost is for pickup at the Presbytery office; mailed orders will incur an additional postage fee, calculated according to shipment size.
George Floyd died on May 25. Protests erupted almost immediately. I paid attention at first but to be honest I really didn’t give it much thought. It was simply another in a long line of black men killed, or perhaps murdered, by white police officers. This one was particularly appalling, though, because of the brutal fashion in which it happened. A white police officer kneeled on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. Three other white police officers stood around watching but did nothing to help him or stop this assault even while Floyd was saying, “I can’t breathe.” After his death, colleagues issued statements. Colleges and universities issued statements. Businesses issued statements. Some of them were very eloquent and moving. I could have issued a statement, but I didn’t. That’s my fault, and I apologize for the failure to act. It was a missed opportunity, one that probably unfortunately falls under the category of white privilege.
Festival of Faith will be a VIRTUAL event this year, held on August 29. Rather than meeting in person with the uncertainty that goes with it in this time, we will be meeting by Zoom, which gives us the opportunity to see and interact with each other, whether by video or phone. We will follow the original schedule as much as possible, although now you don’t have to travel to Charleston, and you can join in your pajamas, workout clothes or whatever you like. And you don’t have to worry about whether you’ll like lunch or not, as you’ll be fixing your own. Please click the title link for more changes.  
Click anywhere on image for registration link
We invite you to print and include this newsletter in your bulletins or church newsletters, share it with your members and distribute it widely in your community. Click for the  JUNE newsletter in  color or  grayscale.
  • BOP information
  • PPP loan forgiveness
  • CARES Act
  • Restarting church operations
  • PDA COVID-19 relief
  • 2020 Special Offerings
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News from PWV's
VIDEO STATEMENT: PC(USA) Stated Clerk says don’t rush to get back into a church building for worship
The church is called to ‘dismantle structures that put people in poverty and pain’
By Mike Ferguson, Pres. News Service
In a very real sense during the colossal challenges of coronavirus and civil protest, God is calling the church out, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II said during a recent  Vital Congregations  webinar.
By Mike Ferguson, Pres. News Service
“Racial Justice Resources,” what is for now a one-page list of resources to help bring about racial justice in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the wider world, is now available. Click here  to view what’s currently offered, which includes downloadable videos, statements, articles, and worship resources. The list of resources will grow as more resources are developed.
Alice Monschke
Alice Monschke, 74, passed away on April 30. No additional information is available at this time. An honorably retired minister member of the Presbytery living in Virginia, she served as the interim pastor of Fairmont First Presbyterian Church in 2008.

Georgiana Williams
Georgiana Williams, 70, passed away at her home in Huntington on May 29. A former pastor of Huntington's Spring Valley Presbyterian Church, she was a member of Scioto Valley Presbytery. No services will be held at this time.
By Sarah Specht, Bluestone Program Director
As many of you could have guessed, we had to make the hard choice to cancel summer camp this year. We had many Zoom meetings to try to figure out a way to do camp the way we always have, but it was just not a reality that could happen due to COVID-19. Now, Bluestone must find a new way to reach youth.Two of the ways we want to reach out this summer are by building a kid-friendly summer camp website and increasing our social media presence. We want to use this summer to really learn how to use audio-visual equipment, social media platforms, and new ways of communicating, so we can reach campers of every generation. We are pretty good at the in-person side of camp, but we need to get a lot better at the virtual” side.
Enslow Park Presbyterian Church, Huntington

Enslow Park is searching for a part-time Music Director to play the organ or piano for Sunday worship. The preference is for an organist, but pianists will be considered. If interested, the Music Director may also conduct the Chancel Choir on a regular basis or perhaps only on special occasions. For more information, contact Harry Faulk at hfaulk1@yahoo.com or 304 894-4838.
Rescheduled Healthy Boundary Training
9 a.m. to noon Monday, Aug. 24 at the PWV office
All pastoral leaders – Ministers of Word and Sacrament (including Honorably Retired ministers serving congregations), Certified Christian Educators, Commissioned Pastors, ministers of other denominations serving our congregations, lay pastors, and those on the Pulpit Supply list – are required to complete a Healthy Boundary Training Workshop every five years. The one scheduled for March 31 that was cancelled due to the governor's stay-at-home orders has been rescheduled for Monday, August 24. Currently, it is planned to be held at the PWV office, but if that is not possible, it will be held online.

Anyone who has not completed a Healthy Boundary Training workshop after 2015 needs to attend. The workshop will be led by Kanawha Pastoral Counseling Center Executive Director Sky Kershner. There is no cost to participate. Register by emailing Maureen Wright at statedclerk@wvpresbytery.org.
GA224 bulletin inserts available
The 224th General Assembly meeting in June 2020 is being held virtually for the first time in GA history. Inform your congregation with summaries from the Presbyterian Outlook that give concise, level-headed analysis of what's coming up and what happened after votes have been taken. This year's special prices are $20 for congregations smaller than 200 members and $30 for congregations larger, which includes both pre- and post-GA inserts in full-color, easy-to-read PDFs that you can easily email to all your church members. Preorder here. Pre-GA inserts will be available tomorrow (June 12), and post-GA inserts will be available late evening June 27.
By The Millennial Pastor (Rev. Erik Parker)
It’s been months of isolation, months of mostly staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19. But active cases are going down (or maybe not), and politicians and business leaders are worried about the economic impact of social distancing. And so, for a few weeks now, things have been opening up. Things seem to be going well enough, so the government announces the next phase of opening, which includes increased gathering sizes. 
By Matthew J. Skolnik for The Presbyterian Outlook
Whether your congregation is about to return to your church building with attentive safety measures or your elders have decided that now is not the time to open your doors, it is important to stop and carefully consider the meaning of the now ubiquitous phrase, the new normal. As people of faith, when we consider what it means to have a new normal, we are not just talking about public health and personal safety practices. Neither are we solely focused on COVID-19 and its effects on systems far and near. Rather, as we recall long-past eras when God was unfolding a new normal – such as the European Reformation, the Babylonian Exile and the life of Jesus – we remember that God does not  do something new  in a vacuum.
By John C.B. Webster for the Presbyterian Historical Society blog
These guidelines, which I hope will help others working on congregation histories, are offered after completing three very different projects: two Baptist congregation histories and one Presbyterian congregation history. These experiences have shown me that while there is no one easy formula that applies to all such histories, there are certain guidelines worth following.
2020 Small Church Conference
Saturday, Sept. 12 at Clarksburg First Presbyterian
While the COVID-19 pandemic has had us all focused in many other directions these past several weeks, the Small Church Conference planning team has made some progress on this year’s event. This includes choosing the conference theme – “Encouraging and Equipping” – as well as the keynote speaker – Rev. Dr. Judi Slater (pictured, the pastor of Duquesne (PA) First Presbyterian Church and a member of the Shared Ministry Team for Lincoln Place Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. In addition to her keynote presentation, she will also lead a workshop.

QUICK LINKS
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Presbytery office is closed. Staff is working remotely and available to help. Contact information is below.

Ed Thompson, General Presbyter

Maureen Wright, Stated Clerk/Associate for Congregational Ministry

Rocky Poole, Treasurer/Financial Administrator
treasurer@wvpresbytery.org or 304-481-7239

Barbara Chalfant, Associate for Mission
missions@wvpresbytery.org or 434-944-0137

Susan Sharp Campbell, Associate for Educational Ministry

Amy Robinson, Office Manager/Communications Director
office@wvpresbytery.org or 304-206-6173

Nellie Howard, Resource Center Director

Mark Miller, Bluestone Facilities Director
mark@bluestonecamp.com or 304-466-0660

Sarah Specht, Bluestone Program Director
sarah@bluestonecamp.com or 304-690-6667
Editor's Note: In order to keep PWV News fresh, articles will generally run for two consecutive issues. If you would like a piece to run longer, please update (with refreshed content, new wording and/or a different photo) and resubmit.