Part of me thinks that the women heading to the tomb on that first Easter morning are pathetic. I want to say to them, “He’s dead. Get over it. You’re wasting your time.” Not that they would be hanging out at Starbucks or taking a Pilates class at the Y if they weren’t heading over to the cemetery that day. I’m sure they would have found other chores to keep them busy. Sometimes I think I would probably scream at them in frustration. Other times I imagine taking a more pastoral, almost wistful approach because I do feel sorry for them. I know they’re still grieving. Still I can’t escape the sense that they’re just going through the motions. Gil Rendle says several times in his book Quietly Courageous, “When we don’t know what to do, we do what we know.” That fits the women on their way to the tomb. (...) They were doing what they knew how to do. In disheartening ways, that sounds too much like the church. We keep doing what we know how to do. 

As we are continuing to move forward out of the pandemic of the past two years, things have changed in our lives, our communities, and our churches, and we are still, and may be for a time, trying to figure out what’s next. Rev. Victoria Curtiss, author of “Guidelines for Communal Discernment,” will teach a discernment process and prayerful approach for congregational leaders to assist their churches in discovering who God calls them to be and do in the present and into the future. Registration deadline is April 25.

The Presbytery, through its Nurture Committee, has $1,000 loans available for those seeking post-secondary education; there are also some grant monies in amounts that vary each year available. You will find an informational flyer and the application form on the Youth Ministries & Events page of the Presbytery website. Please share this information with those in your church, especially high school seniors and parents, although these are not limited to those graduating this year. The deadline is April 30; this is both for new applications (including the return of reference letters) and renewal requests.

With grateful hearts, we celebrate the recent retirement of Nellie Howard and her work staffing the Resource Center, particularly the connections she made serving our churches across the Presbytery, assisting and guiding in every area of ministry. As we enter this new season, the Nurture Committee, recognizing what a valuable service the Resource Center provides to pastors, educators, and Sunday school teachers throughout the Presbytery, wants you to know that the Resource Center is still here to assist you. It is open whenever the building is open (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday) and currently staffed by volunteers 3-5 p.m. Mondays and 4-5 p.m. Wednesdays. And remember, the online catalog is available 24/7. We are looking for other volunteers to help; if you are interested in serving the Presbytery in this way, please contact Nurture Committee Chair Claire Butler at revcbutlerwv@outlook.com.

Have an office supply store print an outline of a map of the Ukraine on a poster size piece of paper. Using paint, markers, or even construction paper, color the top half of the paper (outside the borders of the country) blue and the bottom half yellow to represent the flag of the Ukraine. You can then ask people to bring in pictures of the people of Ukraine to place on the paper within the borders of the country. This will be a visual reminder of what the people of the Ukraine are experiencing. You might place this in a church hallway or perhaps on an easel outside of or just inside the sanctuary. Seeing it will serve as a reminder of that situation and a reminder to pray for peace and for the people of the Ukraine.

One of the lessons the COVID-19 pandemic has taught churches is this: For many Presbyterians, receiving communion is a powerful, precious part of worship, something they don’t want to give up. So, congregations have learned to improvise how they offer communion — buying single serve cups to use for socially distanced, in-person worship, reminding folks to get their juice and donuts ready for virtual worship at home. Another innovation in recent years: some congregations and presbyteries are training elders to celebrate communion...