Thanks be to God for the gift of new life!

Laurel Anne Starcher arrived on October 6th at 4:21 pm.  She was 19.5 inches and 6lbs 4oz. The family is all doing well. Laurel is the daughter of Kevin and Chrissy Starcher. Kevin is the Associate Pastor at Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church in Elkins. This is the second child for Chrissy and Kevin; big brother Levi will be moon-walking when he hears the news!

There will be a service of celebration for the ministry of Buckeye chapel on Sunday, October 12th at 3:00 p.m at the chapel. The Buckeye Chapel is located on Steven Hole Run Road, 1/4 mile off Rt. 219 in Buckeye It will be a simple celebration, just the service with the Lord's Supper and a time of remembrance. 

The Swago Presbyterian Church of Buckeye was organized on September 23, 1923 to meet in a Protestant Methodist Church. In 1929 the Swago Church was dissolved by the Presbytery upon request and the members transferred to Marlinton Presbyterian Church and has been Buckeye Presbyterian Chapel since.

Maybe it is just me, but when I was a student at Louisville Seminary I don't remember anyone trying to teach me about Evangelism.  (The same goes for Stewardship, but that's another story.)  It seems as if that were a forbidden subject.  I am writing to ask for your help.  The Ministry Committee has set up a short-term task group to look into what the Presbytery of West Virginia can do to help congregations, teaching elders, Commissioned Ruling Elders, and Sessions deal with the questions of how do we make disciples, welcome guests, and help people make commitments to join our congregations.

If you have any ideas for the task group, please let us know.  We are working with a very quick window.  The task group will be reporting back to the Ministry Committee on Oct. 28th.  If you or any member of your congregation has a special interest or training in evangelism, church hospitality, or other similar areas, or if you have good ideas on how the Presbytery of West Virginia can support our congregations in their efforts for the kingdom of God, please let us know.  The task group is John Holland, Kellan Sarles, and Mike Burton.  Send your experience, learnings, and/or ideas to Craig Butler (craig.butler@wvpresbytery.org) and copy it to Kellan Sarles (ksarles@access.k12.wv.us).

First Impressions Article Resource - Click here

This annual packet of worship, advocacy, and awareness resources for Observing Domestic Violence Awareness, developed by PHEWA's Presbyterians Against Domestic Violence Network (PADVN), includes resources that faith communities might find useful in worship, in your own work with victims and survivors of domestic violence, and in educating congregational members on how to be effective agents of hope, that may empower others toward restoration (and in doing so, be restored, themselves).

The packet can be downloaded by clicking here.

The 2014 Midterm elections on November 4 are just one month away! Are you registered to vote? You can still register to vote in 25 states. What is your plan-- are you voting early or voting on election day? Are you encouraging your friends, neighbors, and members of your church to vote? If you are outside of the state in which you are registered to vote, make sure to request an absentee ballot in time (this is different for every state). For those who aren't eligible to vote, use your voice to encourage other people to vote! Voting is both one of our fundamental rights as citizens and is a vital way we speak to the values of the kingdom of God in the political realm.

Click here to take a pledge to vote today.

As a member of a congregation, how is your congregation getting out the vote? You might assume churches can't be involved in elections because of their non-partisan 501(c)(3) status, but there are many ways that you can. 

Click here for some do's and don'ts of congregation and clergy involvement in political action.