Issue 150 | July 25, 2019
Click on an underlined title to go to the full article
Jessica Lilly (pictured) will be with us at our August 24 Presbytery meeting. She serves as the host and co-producer of  Inside Appalachia , which is broadcast on West Virginia Public Radio on Sundays at 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. (You can also listen to it as a podcast, which you can find by searching for West Virginia Public Broadcasting or Inside Appalachia.)
From the Stated Clerk
In the past year, I have spent more time in Boundary Training than at any other time in my career. This has led me to think about the evolution of Boundary Training. Even the current title of the events, Healthy Boundary Training, reflects the changes. These events used to be called Sexual Misconduct Prevention Workshops. The focus was on preventing sexual misconduct, so the content was often presented in lecture form with careful sharing of definitions, specifics on what to do and not do, and often included shadowy video from the 1980s or earlier. Sometimes, as an afterthought, a few minutes at the end might be spent on a wider question of boundaries. Over the past six to eight years, these workshops have evolved.
From the Associate for Educational Ministry
On the evening of July 15, the 8 youth and 3 adults in the Presbytery of WV delegation to  PYT 2019 gathered at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, along with youth from Shenandoah Presbytery, Presbytery of the Peaks and Presbytery of the James, who shared the bus with our delegation, for a time of community building and rest before boarding the bus for Purdue University and PYT early on July 16.

From my perspective as the lead adult and from interaction with our youth, PYT 2019 was an awesome week for meeting new people, reconnecting with friends from a lot of places and times, growing in faith, being touched by the leading of the Spirit, and getting reenergized in our faith journeys. 
WVMAW mission groups visit the county
By Erin (Perkins) Johnson, Pt. Pleasant Register
Despite the days when temperatures hit the 90’s and days when the rain pours, a group of individuals do not waiver from their work to help those in need. So far this summer, visiting mission groups from the West Virginia Ministry of Advocacy and Workcamps, Inc. (WVMAW) have completed approximately 14 volunteer projects around Mason County.
Community Presbyterian holds quilt show
In conjunction with Arthurdale's annual New Deal Festival, a quilt show was again held in the Community Presbyterian Church sanctuary on July 13. Every pew was covered by beautiful quilts with some dated as long ago as 1901. Of the 47 on display, 45 were hand-quilted. A big thank you goes to CPC members Mike and Kathy George for organizing the event, including arranging helpers and flowers. We are very grateful to all the people who allowed their quilts to be displayed. The show was a great success!
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 24 at Village Chapel Presbyterian
Soul Shop provides both inspirational and practical tools to help congregational leaders form safe organizations for those who are impacted by suicidal depression. Hosted by Soul Shop Director Michelle Snyder, this workshop will address some of the primary obstacles to dealing with suicidal desperation, statistics/facts about suicide, and how ministries can create a supportive environment while fundamentally altering the way people deal with this subject and one another. Cost is $50, which includes lunch and materials; you can now pay by Paypal on our website . Register by Oct. 11.

  • Selecting 2020 benefits

  • Summertime church giving

  • PC(USA) Special Offering calendar
We invite you to print and include this newsletter in your bulletins or newsletters, share it with your congregation and distribute widely. We hope it is helpful for your congregation and community. Click for the AUGUST newsletter in the format of your choice: two-sided color, two-sided black-and-white, color booklet or black-and-white booklet.
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at First Presbyterian, Charleston
This course is designed to teach participants how to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. They will use an evidence-based curriculum to learn how to identify, understand and respond to signs of addiction and mental illness. It will be held in the dining room of the church's Activities Building. Cost is $35 and includes materials, workbook and lunch. Register by Aug. 5.
The PCUSA Parent Loan program was designed to serve PC(USA) members seeking assistance with the expenses of dependents attending college in the United States. To be eligible, a parent must be an active member of a PC(USA) church, a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident and the full-time parent or guardian of a dependent who is enrolled at least half-time and making satisfactory academic progress at an accredited US college or university; he or she must demonstrate educational cost in excess of awarded monies and give satisfactory evidence of financial reliability. Loans are for $10,000/year up to a $75,000 lifetime cap; there is a 6 percent interest rate with repayment 60 days after final loan disbursement. The application deadline is September 1.  
  • Huntington-Charleston Solar Co-op
  • Trees of Life tree planting campaign
Condolences
Kenneth A. Atkins, an Honorably Retired Minister of Word & Sacrament member of Presbytery, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Fairlawn, VA on July 21. In addition to serving as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Oak Hill, and Summerlee Presbyterian Church from 2008-2011, he served on the Presbytery's Congregational Development Committee. He also served as an active duty Navy chaplain, hospital chaplain and at several churches in Virginia; he retired in 2012. Visitation is on Sunday night, July 28, with the service on Monday, both in Blacksburg, VA. Please keep Ken's family in your prayers.

Derek Almen Rogillo, son of Chris Rogillio, a Ruling Elder at Rock Lake Presbyterian and former Christian educator at several churches in the Presbytery who has served on the Friends of Bluestone board, passed away July 12 in Washington, D.C., after a short hospitalization. He was 47. Click here to read his obituary. A memorial for Derek will be held at a later date in Charleston; memorial gifts can be sent to The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675. Please keep Chris and the rest of Derek's family in your prayers.
Oct. 23-25 at Princeton Theological Seminary
"Leadership in a Time of Division and Fear" is the theme for this conference open to both clergy and lay leaders. Keynote speakers are Dr. Emilie M. Townes, the dean and Carpenter Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Divinity School; Dr. Cynthia Rigby, a professor at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and co-chair of the Reformed Theology and History Unit of the American Academy of Religion; and Mihee Kim-Kort, a PhD student in religious studies at Indiana University in Bloomington and an ordained Presbyterian minister. Cost, not including lodging: $175 through Aug. 1, $195 after.
Please send donations to the Presbytery office no later than Monday, August 5.
By Jonathan Weaver
The Bridgeport News
Bridgeport Presbyterian Church will be represented, along with other Presbyterians from across the state, as well as a pastor from Pennsylvania, when they embark for Nyeri, Kenya, this August to build a church. Church Pastor Robin Ray is coordinating the team with Dr. Bob McCutcheon from Elkins for the Aug. 21-Sept. 2 Discipleship Safari. The Presbytery of West Virginia has had a relationship with the group in Kenya for 20 years.
Application deadline: Sept. 23
The General Assembly will meet June 20-27, 2020 in Baltimore, and the Nominating Committee is  now accepting applications for Minister of Word and Sacrament and Ruling Elder Commissioners, as well as Young Adult Advisory Delegates (YAADs). Ruling Elder and YAAD applications require a Session endorsement. Click here for an application, which is also included in the headline link.
Here’s what you’ve been waiting for! Read part 3 in the Resource Center’s 
series on adult study choices.
Click for part 2 and part 1.
Congratulations to First Dunbar, the first Matthew 25 church in WV
First Presbyterian, Dunbar is the first congregation in both the Presbytery of West Virginia and the entire state to accept the PC(USA) Matthew 25 invitation, which calls us to bring about "radical and fearless discipleship" by engaging in three targeted missions: building congregational vitality, dismantling systemic poverty and eradicating structural racism. Click here to become a Matthew 25 church!
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Peter Vial's ordination
On July 6-7, Davis Memorial Presbyterian in Elkins celebrated the 40th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Peter Vial's ordination. Festivities began with a church potluck picnic at Elkins City Park on Saturday and continued with a special worship recognition at the 11 a.m. service on Sunday.
LEFT: Rev. Dr. John Harris, who preached the sermon at Sunday's service; Rev. Dr. Peter Vial and Rev. Dr. Ed Thompson.

ABOVE: Vial (third from left) with Mavis Grant-Lilley, George Lilley, John Bolt, Harris and Margaret Bolt.
Photos courtesy of John Harris.
On June 28-29, Kanawha United hosted a Pew Quilt Show during Charleston's annual FestivALL celebration, showcasing nearly 90 quilts, ranging from family heirlooms to contemporary creations. More than 200 visitors experienced the artistry on display. Click on the title link to see more photos.
Free webinars this September
All are done through Zoom and are one hour, beginning at 7 p.m. Presented by Practical Resources for Churches.
Thursday, Sept. 5. Leader: Mark Jefferson.
 
Tuesday, Sept. 10. Leader: Richard Gentzler.

Tuesday, Sept. 17. Leader: Sarah Lund.
Thursday, Sept. 19. Leader: Debbie Kolacki.
 
Thursday, Sept. 26. Leader: Karen Ware Jackson.
QUICK LINKS
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.