is a comprehensive and useful guide for helping churches understand and reach out to people in poverty. It is packed with relevant resources and eye-opening insights to support your efforts to live out your calling. The Presbytery Leadership Team read and discussed this book.

Ask any member of that team to share their

thoughts with you.

The DVDs from the January 2014 Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators (APCE) annual event "connectED" are available for checkout.

Keynote speakers were Brian McLaren and Bruce Reyes Chow with worship led by Rev. Barbara Essex. Educator of the Year Debbie Hough, Christian Educator at Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey, PA, speaks on one of the DVDs. These videos all speak to the theme of the conference - in an ever-changing world, connect and empower the faith community to

tell the story.

QUICK LINKS

If you have information to share in a newsletter, please submit it to the office no later than the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month. The newsletter is published on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. Please plan your article accordingly if the information is timely. We hope you will share this newsletter with your congregations.

Many blessings,

PWV Communications

A Note From Our Moderator

Connections! Connections are one of the best parts of being Presbyterian. In our geographically challenging state we struggle with distances, and sometimes we feel alone way out there in our hollers. Yet our faith and our calling in the Presbyterian Church connect us.

Presbytery Meetings are one of those ways we can connect. We get to meet pastors and elders of churches similar in membership to our own and share the challenges and the joys so that we can lift one another. We get to meet with pastors and elders of churches different from our own, and learn from one another. We get to hear about mission stories both near and far, learn about ministries and outreach, and check out resources that can help us with ideas and plans and studies. We can have lunch with old friends we haven't seen in a while, or meet some new people we will hope to see again next time. And we get to enjoy worship together. Often worship leaders don't get the chance to sit in the pews and just focus on being present.

When you are not there, we miss you. You are part of this body that makes up the entire Presbytery. Please join us in Gilbert on May 3. It is a great opportunity to see a part of Southern WV where God is doing amazing things.

Joan Stewart

Moderator, Presbytery of West Virginia

REGISTER NOW!

WVMAW Spring Report

WVMAW season began with college spring break teams in March. God is doing amazing things and we are just getting started.

Click here to view the WVMAW Spring Report

Guest Speaker at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston

The Reverend Doctor Thomas Tewell will be in Charleston at First Presbyterian Church, on May 3 and 4. An ordained Presbyterian Minister for over 35 years, Dr. Tewell has served churches, large and small in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, and New York, leading the 5100 member Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX to become a "dollar for dollar" church. That means that for every dollar they spent on their own ministry, they gave a dollar away to ministry and service outside their church...

Dr. Tewell will be speaking at First Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of Leon Sullivan Way and Virginia Street (16 Leon Sullivan Way) on Saturday morning, May 3 from 9:00 - 12:00, in the Church Dining Room. Dr. Tewell will lead an Adult Education hour there on Sunday morning, May 4 beginning at 9:15; and preach at Worship which begins at 10:30. All are welcome.

Longtime Church Musician Retiring

Kathleen Reel, prominent Mid Ohio Valley musician,

The Marrietta Times

is retiring after a lifetime of serving churches in the area. On Easter Sunday, she will retire after almost 70 years of music ministry. Currently she serves as the organist at The First Presbyterian Church in Williamstown.

Reel began playing in church at the age of 4 at Baptist Temple in Parkersburg where her parents were charter members. Gifted with the ability to play by ear, she would amaze the congregation with her ability to play hymns in worship. After extensive piano and organ training she began serving as organist in local churches, including St. Paul, Stout Memorial and First Methodist churches and was organist/choir master for over 30 years at First Presbyterian Church in Parkersburg...

Older Adult Award Nominations

Older Adult Nomination Forms are still being accepted! We will be accepting them at the Presbytery office through the end of this week!

Click here for a nomination form!

Theocademy.com - A New Resource

A new online resource now available (even though it is still in the process of being developed) can be found at http://www.theocademy.com. Theocademy is a way for Presbyterians to form their faith anytime, anywhere. This website is a project of the Synod of Mid-America and its partners... Below is the introduction to this new website. Check it out - it is awesome!!

"Drawing on the vast gifts of our denomination, Theocademy wants to provide members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) with the finest theological education they can get short of attending one of our 10 seminaries. Currently, we are working on two sets of video lessons, one for use in New Member classes and a second for helping Ruling Elders and Deacons better understand the ministry they have been called to.

Future plans include: A series for training Commissioned Ruling Elders; A Bible Content Exam prep course; In-depth biblical studies; Introductions to important theologians and theological movements..."

For more information, please visit the site at the link above!

Presbyterian Women Spring Gathering

WW PW 2014 Spring Gathering

April 12, 2014

First Presbyterian Church, Morgantown

Forty-seven PW representing eight churches gathered on a warm "spring" day at the First Presbyterian Church in Morgantown for the Annual Spring Gathering of the WV Presbyterian Women.

Highlights of the morning included:

An overview of our Horizon's Bible Study by Dana Marzolf, Spiritual Enrichment Leader led us Across the Red Sea with a "guided meditation."

Joanne Yingling, from the WV PW in recognition of her retirement as Resource Director of our Presbytery.

Mertie Woolcock, V.M of the Synod, encouraged all to attend the Synod Gathering "Hope in Bloom" at Waynesburg University on June 19-21...

Festival of Faith Keynote Address - Neal Presa

Rev. Neal Presa, Moderator of the General Assembly delivered the keynote address at the 2014 Festival of Faith on April 5. His address "Trust: A Post-Pentecost Church and World in the Ascension" can be listened to on the First Presby facebook page, found at the link below.

(Note: you do not have to have a facebook account to download this audio file, it is open to the public.)

https://www.facebook.com/FirstPresbyCharleston

10th Anniversary of CARLA

The Presbytery office hosted the 10th anniversary meeting of CARLA - Charleston Area Religious Leaders Association. Click the link below to read the news article which appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Bob Wojcieszak Daily Mail

Click here to view the article.

Community Dialogue - WV Council of Churches

This spring the WV Council of Churches, with the WV Center for Civic Life and other organizations, will host a series of community dialogues on the future of West Virginia's economy.

As part of this effort, West Virginia Public Broadcasting has produced a website called "What's Next for West Virginia". On this site, people are asked to state their vision for West Virginia's future in six words. You can share your thoughts through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, tumblr, or email using the tag #WVNextIn6.

Would your congregation be interested in hosting a community dialogue on West Virginia's economic future?

2014 - 2015 Planning Calendars

*If you have already requested calendars please make sure you have sent in your payment to the presbytery office.*

Reserve you calendars now by contacting the Presbytery office at (304) 744-7634.

Cost per calendar will be $10. Payment is expected at time of order (please mail checks to the presbytery office).

An announcement will be made when the calendars arrive, so that you may pick them up at the Presbytery office. The office will hold calendars for pick-up until May 27th. Following that date all remaining calendar orders will be mailed to you with an invoice for shipping costs.

The deadline to place you order is May 1st!

With Sympathy

Charles Landrum Jr.: Retired Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister, died April 4, 2014. He served in pastorates for 43 years before retirement to Peachtree City, GA, in 1996. His pastorates were in Citronelle, AL; Dothan, AL; Atlanta, GA; Suffolk, VA; and in the Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church in Elkins, WV, where he served 24 years.

A memorial service was conducted at First Presbyterian Church of Peachtree City on Sunday, April 6. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Charles Logan Landrum, Ill Memorial Fund at Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church, Elkins, WV, 26241, or to First Presbyterian Church of Peachtree City, 206 Willowbend Road, Peachtree City, GA, 30269.

Click here for the full obituary.

Presbytery of West Virginia

520 Second Avenue Phone (304) 744-7634

South Charleston, WV 25303 Fax (304) 744-7649

www.wvpresbytery.org Office@wvpresbytery.org

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm