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November 8, 2018 Issue 134
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Use the QUICK LINKS at the bottom of this column to be directed to additional news.
Email Presbytery staff using the directory below.
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Ed Thompson
General Presbyter
Maureen Wright
Stated Clerk, Associate for
Congregational Support
Rocky Poole
Financial Administration/Treasurer
Barbara Chalfant
Associate Presbyter for Mission
Susan Sharp Campbell
Associate for Educational Ministry
Nellie Howard
Resource Center Director
Mark Miller
Bluestone Facilities Director
Sarah Specht
Bluestone Program Director
Amy Robinson
Office Administrator/Communications
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Prayer List for Churches
Week 45 - November 11
First Presbyterian Church, Williamson
First Presbyterian Church, Dunbar
In Kenya: Wand Presbyterian Church
Week 46 - November 18
Bream Memorial Pres., Charleston
Church of the Covenant, Grafton
In Kenya: Githakwa (Git-AH'kwah)
Presbyterian Church
Week 47 - November 25
First Presbyterian Church, Hinton
Kuhn Memorial Pres., Barboursville
In Kenya:
Kagio-ini (Kahg-ee-oh-EE'nay) Presbyterian Church
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Nurturing Faith Ideas
Nurturing Faith Ideas are weekly suggestions and activities from the Presbytery's Nurture Committee to link worship and home and to nurture faith development in the family. They are intended for all ages and family types. Add one to your bulletin each week or put them in your monthly newsletter. They could also be sent via email or added to a Facebook page. Ideas for the entire year can be found
here.
In Mark 12:38-44, Jesus points out to his disciples a poor widow who has put two small copper coins (worth about a penny) into the church's offering. Jesus says she has put in more money than those people who put in much because she gave all that she had. As Thanksgiving gets closer, it's important to remember those who are less fortunate than we are. At the grocery store this week, pick up a few extra cans of food and take them to a food pantry. Maybe a family will have a happier Thanksgiving with your help.
Thanksgiving Week is a special opportunity to consider how God has blessed us with so much and how we have much to be thankful for. As you gather with family and friends this week for dinner on Thanksgiving Day, go around the table and share blessings in your life. Encourage everyone to share the things they are thankful for this year.
Christ the King Sunday is the end of the Christian/church year, when we celebrate Christ as King of All. We don't have kings in the United States, so it may be hard to think of Jesus as a king. What do you know about kings? What would it mean if Jesus was a king?
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(Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster)
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On our Home page
You will find located on the Home page of the website (scroll down past the banner, introduction and grant buttons) direct links to recent newsletters, the Pray For church list and Nurturing Faith Ideas for the year and more. Please let us know how we can improve the website and whenever you encounter any problem with it. Thank you.
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Click on an underlined title to go to the full article
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 Ed Thompson
One hundred years ago this coming Sunday, World War I ended. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 the fighting stopped. For many of our churches in 2018 that's the time when their worship services will start.
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From the Presbytery's Treasurer
Deadline for 2018 benevolences
As year-end approaches, I want to encourage our church treasurers to remit any amount remaining in your church's Shared Mission pledge, Per Capita, or other benevolence payments for 2018. The General Assembly is allowing us a little extra time to submit payments for this fiscal year, so please forward all remaining 2018 contributions to the presbytery office by Tuesday, January 15, 2019 and those contributions will be included in 2018 records.
Annual enrollment is the chance for employees to review and elect benefits coverage for 2019. Encourage them to visit
pensions.org/annualenrollment for information and resources to help them make their choices.
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 The 2019 Festival of Faith, to be held Saturday, April 6, at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, will feature Brian McLaren (pictured) as the keynote presenter. At this time, the Festival of Faith Planning Team is accepting workshop applications from presbytery committees and leaders. The submission deadline for applications is next
Thursday, November 15.
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 In 2019, there will be several new Expanding Your Ministry Toolbox courses; the daylong programs are designed to provide continuing education opportunities for pastors, educators, elders, and other interested persons. Information on each course will appear in subsequent newsletters, but this full schedule is being shared with the hope that those interested will get the courses on their calendars and make plans to attend early.
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Jan. 11-12 at Village Chapel, Charleston
 Participants in this Expanding Your Ministry Toolbox course will explore the Revised Common Lectionary Texts for Lent in Year C with Christine Chakoian of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary on Friday evening (7-9 p.m.) and on Saturday (9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) consider how they might use those texts in preaching, music and/or visual arts. All who plan and lead worship are encouraged to participate. Registration deadline is Dec. 20.
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This article is reprinted with permission from the Insurance Board's newsletter.
The bottom line? "Anything that has been created by another person or organization and exists in writing is copyrighted. For example, this content that Insurance Board is presenting is copyrighted. You must get permission if you wish to share or reprint copyrighted information."
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Need a PC(USA) planning calendar?
The presbytery has come into possession of four extra PC(USA) 2018-2019 planning calendars that we will sell to any person or church in need. The cost is $10 per calendar, plus shipping, which varies depending on order size, starting at $3 for a single calendar.
If you are interested, please contact Amy Robinson at 304-744-7634 or [email protected]
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By Ethel Hornbeck
At a recent gathering of Connections @ SU, the Presbyterian campus ministry at Shepherd University, students reflected together on the question: what is hope? Among the answers I heard that day: hope is enduring love (double meaning intended); hope is made of compassion, gratefulness and persistence; and hope is very hard and very vulnerable work.
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Mountain Mission benefit with Mark Lowry
6 p.m. Sunday at Charleston Civic Center
The Faith=Love=Action Celebration, featuring Christian singer/comedian Mark Lowry, is a fundraiser to help Mountain Mission purchase food for its 1,100 families. Tickets are $29 general admission, $39 artist circle seating, $59 VIP with pre-show Q&A and $24 each for groups of 15 or more;
call
800-745-3000 or click here. For more on Mountain Mission, call 304-344-3407 and ask for Jay Humphreys or John Roberts.
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10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday in Buckhannon
One in seven West Virginians and 1 in 5 West Virginia children struggle with hunger. Food for All is a one-day summit for those fighting against hunger in West Virginia. This summit is an opportunity to make a difference and work towards five bold ideas to secure food access and equity for our communities.
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By Donna Frischknecht Jackson | Presbyterians Today
Churches address food deserts and food insecurity in part two of a three-part series
Fresh out of seminary, a pastor listens intently as the chair of the nominating committee drives around the countryside, narrating the history of a rural community that has seen better days. As she listens, she takes note of the sagging porches with faded and torn upholstered furniture. They pass sheep grazing behind a dilapidated barn, and the pastor silently reminds God that this was not what she had in mind when she said "yes" to tending the flock.
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Nov. 15-18, 23-25 and Nov. 29-Dec. 2
 This fair trade boutique features handcrafted items from around the world. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. First Presbyterian Church is located at 16 Leon Sullivan Way in downtown Charleston, with off-street parking. Cash or check only, please. For more information, call
304-343-8961.
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Nov. 17 at Village Chapel, Charleston
 Come by and take what you need for free at this event at Village Chapel Presbyterian Church, 3818 Venable Ave (on the corner of 38th Street). All the church asks is that you pay this act of kindness forward to someone else. For more information, call 304-925-7265.
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Light Up the Levee in Charleston
5:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at Haddad Riverfront Park
 First Presbyterian Church of Charleston hosts this free community-wide Christmas caroling event for all ages, now in its fifth year. It will feature the First Presby Worship Team, a lighted boat parade, a visit from Santa, hot chocolate, candy canes, and more. Guests are
encouraged to bring donations of cereal, peanut butter, canned chicken or tuna, canned fruit and/or spaghetti noodles/canned sauce for the Covenant House Food Pantry.
For more information, contact Sandy Campbell at 304-543-6553.
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Union Presbyterian Seminary is pleased to announce the Rev. Dr. Dean K. Thompson as its 2019 Distinguished Alum. He will be recognized at a reception held on the Richmond campus during the annual Sprunt Lectures, May 6-8, 2019.
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The Ministry Committee's church professional care team is gathering continuing education and peer group information to start a database of ideas to share with members of the presbytery. You can help by completing this quick survey.
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Noon Tuesday
Congregational leaders, pastors, elders and members who wish to learn more about the Christmas Joy Offering can participate in this webinar from the Presbyterian Mission Agency, which will be recorded and posted online for those who can't participate live. Additionally, c
ongregations with standing orders for promotional materials should expect them in mid-November, with digital copies of this year's resources already online.
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By Robyn Davis Sekula | Presbyterian Foundation
Giving Tuesday is a way for Presbyterians to hit the reset button, says Rev. Aimee Moiso of the Presbyterian Foundation. Churches can use this day to highlight special ministries and invite members to generously share all that they have.
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Feb. 6-9, 2019 in Galveston, TX
 If you would like to learn more about educational ministry, the APCE Annual Event is a good place to do so!
The 2019 Annual Event will be in Galveston, TX, Feb. 6-9. The presbytery has two spots for anyone interested in attending without becoming a member, as well as funding assistance.
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Registration information has been sent to church leaders and is on the website.
The next
Presbyterian Youth Triennium, Here's My Heart,
will be
July 16-20, 2019
at Purdue University. Cost is $450 per person, which includes all programming, food (minus meals while traveling), lodging, transportation and two t-shirts.
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 Rev. Chris Bailey is now well into his second year as the Presbyterian Campus Minister for
Marshall UKIRK, which m
eets weekly on Tuesdays during the academic year for dinner, worship, and Bible study in the Marshall University Campus Christian Center
. The group also hosts several other regular activities.
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 Stuffed animals bring comfort and joy, and First Presbyterian Church of Dunbar is taking that comfort seriously with its Love Buddy ministry, which gifts donated animals, tagged with a special message, to those who need some extra love and attention, including flood victims and hospital patients.
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Dec. 1 at Blessed Sacrament, South Charleston
Focused on substance use disorder, this year's conference has a theme of Faith, Hope Love - Creating Connections for Healing. The keynote speaker is Rev. Dr. Barry Steiner Ball. It runs 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is free. The conference will also be held March 9 in Wheeling and May 18 in Morgantown with keynote speakers TBA.
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Background check consent form updated
The provider we use for background checks updated their
consent form and reporting in September due to updated federal and state requirements. Telephone number, which was not previously requested, is now required. Our consent form, located in the Documents section of the website, has been updated. Please download a copy, or let us know if you'd like it mailed to you.
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Editor's Note:
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In order to keep the PWV Newsletter
fresh,
articles sent
for publication will generally run for two consecutive issues.
If you wish for a piece to continue to run, please update (with fresh content, new wording and/or a new or different photo) and resubmit,
so that news stays
fresh and interesting.
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Presbytery of West Virginia,
520 Second Avenue,
South Charleston, WV 25303
Phone (304) 744-7634, Fax (304) 744-7649,
Office Hours: Monday -Thursday 8:30AM-5:30PM
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