Healthy Boundary Training for pastoral leaders on Friday

If you have not signed up for this event, please do so by 6 p.m. today. Remember, all pastoral leaders who are new to the Presbytery and those who have not completed a Healthy Boundary Training workshop after 2019 need to attend. The event will be held via Zoom from 9 a.m. to noon Friday. It will be led by Sky Kershner, retired director of KPCC Counseling, Charleston, and Assistant Professor, WVU School of Medicine. There is no cost to attend. Call 304-744-7634 or email office@wvpresbytery.org to register.

Loss, Grief, and Nostalgia in Congregational Life online course

Saturday, 9:30-4:30 (including breaks and a time for lunch), on Zoom

If you forgot to register for this course, you may do so by Friday at noon. The cost per person is $40. The focus will be how we might work through our grief, mourn the “used-to-be’s,” and embrace the future to which God is calling us by “remembering forward.” Register and pay online here or complete this form and mail with a check to Presbytery of WV, PO Box 11720, Charleston, WV 25339.

A Season of Discernment: An Invitation

Thank you to those who completed a Landscape Survey. Holy Cow! Consulting received nearly 500 responses from the Presbytery of West Virginia community! The Leadership Team has heard a report from our consultant, Emily Swanson, about the data submitted. The data provides the foundational step in the Presbytery’s Season of Discernment. The second step begins with opportunities to hear about, respond to, and expand on the data received as the Presbytery explores what God is calling us to be and do. The Leadership Team wants to hear from all who want to participate in five sessions that will take place in person throughout the Presbytery. The details of each session are below. Please note that while members of the Leadership Team will be present at each session, the staff will not be present so that all are comfortable sharing freely. Please contact Leadership Team chair Randy Fife, Moderator David Lee, Moderator Elect Dawn Adamy, or Transitional General Presbyter and Stated Clerk Maureen Wright with questions or concerns.

• Sunday – Open, in-person discussion with members of Leadership Team from 4 to 6 PM at Clifton Presbyterian Church, Maxwelton.
• Sunday – Open, in-person discussion with members of Leadership Team from 4 to 6 PM at Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church, Barboursville.
• November 2 – Open, in-person discussion with members of Leadership Team from 6 to 8 PM at First Presbyterian Church, South Charleston.
• November 5 – Open, in-person discussion with members of Leadership Team from 4 to 6 PM at Fleming Memorial Presbyterian Church, Fairmont.
• November 5 – Open, in-person discussion with members of Leadership Team from 4 to 6 PM at First Presbyterian Church, Williamstown.

Festival of Faith workshop applications sought

The 2024 Festival of Faith will be Saturday, April 6. The Festival of Faith Planning Team is currently seeking workshop applications from presbytery committees and staff, as well as individuals within the presbytery. If you have a particular interest or topic that you would like to offer a workshop on, please complete the Workshop Application. The deadline for submitting applications is Nov. 17. Please be aware that workshop slots are limited.  

News from the Presbytery's Treasurer

• 2024 Pastor Minimum Compensation
• 2024 Open Enrollment for Board of Pensions
• 2024 Per Capita
• 2024 Shared Mission Pledge Request
• 2024 PWV Budget

• Board of Pensions: New Medicare Advantage plan
• Church Financial Leadership Grants
• 2023 Special Offerings

Church officer training

Nov. 12 and 19, 2-5 p.m., on Zoom

Are you a newly elected ruling elder or deacon? Are you currently on the session or re-elected to serve on the session or as a deacon? Would you like to know more about the polity (government) of the church, the theology that guides our work, the responsibilities of elders and deacons? Then join us for Officer Training. These two sessions will build on and connect with each other, so participants are strongly encouraged to participate in both. There is no cost to attend, but you do need to register in order to receive the Zoom link and advance assignment. All participants will need a copy of the 2023-2025 PCUSA Book of Order. Participants may register as individuals, or whole sessions may register and participate together. The registration deadline is Nov. 2, with the advance assignment sent out Nov. 3 and the Zoom link and handouts to be used during the training shared on Nov. 8. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Sharp Campbell at 304-667-9428 or susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com.

Fall Youth Retreat: Unfrozen, Unstuck, Unfazed

Nov. 10-12 at Bluestone Camp & Retreat

Anxiety and stress can weigh us down and cause us to feel stuck and fearful. God did not create us or call us to be frozen in fear. Our faith in the God who says over and over “Fear Not” can help us keep from getting stuck and stay unfazed when stuff happens. During this retreat, Anne Russ will guide youth in grades 6-12 and their adult advisors in exploring ways to practice their faith so that they are enabled to withstand the pain and pressures of those times when life is hard. If you have youth in your church who might participate in this retreat, please share this information with them. This information was also sent in an email to pastors, clerks of session, Christian educators, and youth ministry contacts on Sept. 8; if you have not yet shared it with youth in your church, please do so soon. The registration deadline is Oct. 30. Contact Susan Sharp Campbell at 304-667-9428 or susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com with questions.

Could God be calling you to the next Authorized Lay Preacher/Commissioned Pastor Preparation Program?

Plans are underway to begin another cycle of our Authorized Lay Preacher/Commissioned Pastor Preparation Program in January 2024. As it seems like more and more of our churches struggle to find pastoral leadership, this program prepares ruling elders to be commissioned for pastoral leadership in our congregations. Could God be calling you to be part of this 2 ¾ year program? The first year of this program is Presby Prep (see article below) in 2024. Levels 2 and 3, the second and third years, consist of 9 courses in Level 2 and 6 courses in Level 3 that will meet on a Friday night and all day Saturday once a month from January-June and September-November (Level 2 only). There are advance assignments for all courses. While this program takes a significant time commitment, many who have completed it have found it to be a valuable experience as they serve as pastors in some of our congregations or serve as pulpit supply as needed. Could God be calling you to this program and ministry? 

Presby Prep 2024

Presby Prep is an opportunity to become more knowledgeable about what it means to be Presbyterian and part of the Reformed family of churches. It's also the first year of the presbytery’s Authorized Lay Preacher/Commissioned Pastor Preparation Program. Presby Prep consists of 8 courses, one a month from January – May and September – November, all on Zoom. Each course is 3 hours long and offered on Thursday evenings or Saturday mornings, so you can choose the most convenient time to attend each month. Each course also has an assignment to be completed in advance. The registration deadline to participate in all 8 courses is Nov. 30. Note that in order for Presby Prep to take place in 2024, there must be at least 8 people registered by Nov. 30; otherwise, it will take place in 2025. Questions? Contact Susan Sharp Campbell at 304-667-9428 or susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com.

Getting to know our newer pastors: Rev. Marietta Macy

Rev. Marietta Macy was recently ordained and installed as the Associate Pastor for Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church in Charleston. She graduated from Louisville Seminary in 2014 and served 2nd Presbyterian Church in Louisville as an interim for Youth and Young Adults, then she served as a Christian educator for seven years in Columbus, Indiana. Marietta has also served the wider church with her participation on the Steering Committee of the Israel-Palestine Mission Network of the PC(USA).

Marietta grew up on a working farm in a rural community in southern Indiana. She attended Hanover College where she received a degree in theater. She worked with Theatre West Virginia before she felt the call to ministry. Her experiences here led to a love of West Virginia, and she is so thrilled to be back in the Mountain State. She is looking forward to her work with all ages in new educational opportunities at First, Charleston.

Birth announcement

Congratulations to Kanawha United pastor Rev. Patterson Lyles and his wife, Terri, on the Oct. 8 birth of their grandson, Shotwell Zachary Lyles.

D.D. Meighen, former Interim Pastor at Fairmont First and WVU UKirk, honored by the WV Council of Churches

By Esteban Fernandez, Times West Virginian

Many Fairmont residents can attest that Rev. D.D. Meighen has been a fixture in the community and through his manifestation of faith, has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the people who live here. That’s one of many reasons that, on Oct. 30, Meighen will travel to Charleston to accept the The West Virginia Council of Churches’ Mary Virginia De Roo Award. The award will be presented during the Council’s 142nd Annual Assembly at the St. John XXIII Pastoral Center in Charleston.

The Spirit of God calls out to us…

… in our wandering and wondering

… in our weariness and wanting

… in our waiting and worry

The Spirit calls out to us…“Come, all who are thirsty.”

“Let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” Revelation 22:17

Sometimes our lives and ministry leave us parched and thirsting for a deeper experience of the water of life. The APCE Annual Event will be a time of renewal and reflection as through keynote, worship, workshops, and more, leaders will address how God is able to renew us as we thirst for justice, thirst for life, thirst for kindness and joy. The event is designed for all in educational ministry – pastors, educators, volunteers, and others. It will take place in the newly renovated Union Station Hotel and Amusement Complex, and for those unable to be in St. Louis, there will also be an online option on Zoom. Complete information, including registration, can be found here. Early registration, which offers the lowest cost, ends Nov. 30. Speaking of costs, the Presbytery's Nurture Committee is able to offer financial assistance for this event for Christian educators and lay persons. The deadline for applying for a PEPS scholarship is Nov. 13. For more information, contact Susan Sharp Campbell at susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com or 304-667-9428.

Final push for Call to Health

Help erase medical debt of neighbors living in the Synod

Bower Hill Community Church in the Pittsburgh Presbytery is inviting other churches in the Synod of the Trinity to join in a crowd-funding campaign to eliminate medical debt for our neighbors living in the synod's geographic area (all of PA, southeastern Ohio and most of WV). It is estimated that one in five families in the US is struggling with medical debt, which is one of the major factors in bankruptcy in this country and bankruptcy is a factor in homelessness. Bower Hill is working with RIP Medical Debt, a four-star, 100-percent Charity Navigator nonprofit organization that buys portfolios of medical debt for a reduced price and works to eliminate them. The goal for Bower Hill's campaign is $500,000, which could abolish nearly $50 million of medical debt. If you or your church is interested in participating, you can share these flyers with more information (this one is for those who have internet access, this one is for those who don't). For more on the campaign, click here. Email miewaldmac@gmail.com with any questions.

Plan for Advent with the PCUSA Store

This 7-page interactive guide offers a variety of resources for Advent 2023. There are books for group study, individual devotion, preaching, and worship, as well as options for children, youth, and all-ages education.

PCUSA job opportunities

Nearly 20 jobs are available in more than a half dozen PCUSA offices at the national level.