The 2021 Festival of Faith, a day of learning, worship, and fellowship, will be Saturday, March 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Zoom. Diana Butler Bass, an award-winning author and internationally-known public speaker and thought leader on issues of spirituality, religion, culture, and politics, will be our keynote presenter. In addition to her keynote, "Telling Stories of Jesus," and workshop, "Deeper Dive with Diana Butler Bass," there will be a number of other workshops offered. Register by March 11 to make sure you receive your top workshop choices. Cost is $20/person or $30/household.

The Festival of Faith Planning Team will offer a 4-week book discussion in February on the keynote presenter's Grounded: Finding God in the World - A Spiritual Revolution to introduce people to her work and provide an opportunity for community with others across the presbytery. Weekly discussions will be offered 10-11 a.m. Mondays and 4-5 p.m. Sundays on Zoom. Register today by emailing susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com with your name and whether you plan to participate on Mondays or Sundays.

Presbytery staff will continue to record one worship service per month for congregations to use for worship at least through the first seven months of 2021. These are intended as a way for pastors to have time off when worship is online and/or it is not easy to find pulpit supply, or whenever else a session wants to use them. With the exception of the Sunday after Easter, they are non-lectionary/church year-based. Videos and the accompanying worship bulletins will be sent to pastors and clerks of session on the following dates: February 1, March 1, March 26 (for the/a Sunday after Easter), May 1, June 1, June 24.

Rabbi Victor Ureki of B’nai Jacob Synagogue in Charleston will be the presenter for this retreat, which will be held on Zoom. Complete information on this event was sent in mid-December to those for whom it is planned. The registration deadline is Monday, Feb. 8.

SAVE THE DATE: Healthy Boundary Training

All pastoral leaders – Ministers of Word and Sacrament (including those who are Honorably Retired ministers serving congregations), Certified Christian Educators, Commissioned Pastors, ministers of other denominations serving our congregations, lay pastors, and persons on the Pulpit Supply list – are required to complete a Healthy Boundary Training workshop every five years. All pastoral leaders who have not completed a Healthy Boundary Training workshop in or after 2016 need to attend. There is no cost. Register by emailing Maureen Wright at statedclerk@wvpresbytery.org.

In a world of disaster, hunger, and oppression, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity. The three programs supported by One Great Hour of Sharing - Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People - all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope. Please join us in receiving this offering. If you haven't received a standing order of materials, you can order them now.

Edgewood Presbyterian now has a Blessing Box, located in the east parking lot of the church on Harper and Brush roads, north of Lewisburg. Sponsored by the Presbyterian Women, the box is stocked with non-perishable food items. It is in memory of Dorothy Napier, who was instrumental in the operation of Edgewood's food pantry for may years, and Betty Arbaugh, who was a faithful volunteer with Gwen’s Meals. Upon Betty’s death, contributions were made in her memory to create the initial funding for the purchase of food for the box. An official dedication will be made at a later date.

Over the past few months, emails falsely claiming to be from General Presbyter Ed Thompson have increased in frequency. These emails, called spoofs, are a favorite trick of scammers since they appear to come from someone you know and trust. They will show some variation of Ed's name as the sender, but the attached email address is not his official wvpresbytery.org one. If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from Ed (or, really, anyone from the Presbytery), do not respond. If you are concerned, you can forward it to the alleged sender, and they can reply to verify the request's authenticity.

As the Presbytery is preparing the 2021 directory, we still have approximately two dozen hard copies of the 2020 directory at the office. If you or your church would like a copy before the 2021 directory is printed this spring (perhaps you've lost your copy or you need fresher information than the directory you have on hand), contact Office Administrator Amy Robinson at office@wvpresbytery.org or 304-744-7634.

Synod of the Trinity Communications Coordinator Mike Givler recently shared some helpful information on the Zoom video conferencing platform‘s latest update. As Zoom continues to make adjustments to its program, which many of us have been relying on to host meetings and worship during the pandemic, Mike noted a few things to be aware of.