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Following a wonderfully received Small Church Conference last year, I urge you to consider attending or sending representatives from your church to the Presbytery's 2015 Small Church Conference, Saturday, April 18 at the Fayetteville Presbyterian Church.  The registration form is listed below.  Please sign up by April 13 so that the host church will know how many will attend!  Our own Joan Stewart will be speaking!  Please read below what she has written in advance of this conference. I have registered!  Please attend!

Forrest Palmer, Interim Executive Presbyter

It seems that there are so many conferences out there for the big churches. One of the most interesting things being taught in those conferences is how to take the mega church and scale it down to small church proportions in order to build relationships! Who knew we had so much to teach the big boys? 

There are only a handful of churches in the Presbytery of WV that are considered large churches. The rest is SMALL CHURCH. Don't be embarrassed. Be proud! Most of all be blessed that we don't have to do this alone. We get to have our own conference: Small Church. 

Come for encouragement, stories, ideas, fellowship, laughter, and food! It's what Small Church does best. Let us listen together to God's call for us in the world.  

Joan Stewart, Executive Director, WVMAW

New  for Fall 2015, there will be new denominational curriculum for children ages 3 through 10, "Growing in Grace and Gratitude."   "Rooted in the foundation of Presbyterian identity where God's grace and our gratitude are the heartbeat of our faith, life and worship," Growing in Grace and Gratitude"extends and invitation to discipleship that inspires children to learn and practice hospitality, generosity, and love."  With resources for children and families to use at home, the curriculum "reaches beyond Sunday morning, encouraging children to live their lives as an expression of God's grace."

READ MORE 

Saturday, April 18th at First Presbyterian

Church, St. Albans

We have been spring cleaning since the winter weather broke, and some of us participated in the 40 Bags for 40 Days movement during Lent.  We have treasures galore for the church's spring rummage sale! The sale is Saturday, April 18 from 8:00 am till noon, at 201 Kanawha Terrace in St. Albans. All proceeds go to Bluestone's "Send A Kid to Camp" program. directions can be found on our website: www.firstpresbychurch.com

The Spring 2015 Newsletter from WVMAW is here!

Spring Break Groups Arrive!
Ronceverte, Webster Springs and Hampden welcome alternative spring break students
Spring 2015. They could have gone to sunny Florida - and after the winter we had who could have blamed them? Instead, students from Cabrini College, Notre Dame University, George Washington University, Penn State University, and the College of Wooster chose to come to West Virginia for an alternative spring break...

READ HERE!

First Presbyterian Church in Fairmont will have a free concert to celebrate 200 years of ministry in the Fairmont community on April 19 at 3pm. Friends, family, and community members are welcome to join church members in our sanctuary for an afternoon of music.  The Chancel Choir and Cambridge Handbell Choir will perform.  We will also have performances by the WV Brass Quintet, the Fairmont State University Choir (directed by Dr. Sam Spears) and solo performances from Jonathan Schooley and John Morrison (Music Director of First Presbyterian Church.

A reception will follow the concert.  Please contact the church office with any questions (no tickets required). (304) 366-2628; office@fairmontfirst.net

It was my great pleasure to spend Palm Sunday with Highlawn Presbyterian Church in Huntington.  Worship began with the children parading up and down the aisles with palms waving.  It was a delight to watch the parents and grandparents smile, wave and point out their cherished children.  It was clear that this congregation loves well.  It was evident in the prayers, the expressions of joys and concerns, in the openness to the movement of children and the rapidly expanding time of "passing of the Peace...

Easter Sunday I was blessed to worship with Summersville Presbyterian. The children passed out bells to all as they spread the good news of Jesus' resurrection and the choir led us well in the hymn and special music. What was most noticeable was the laughter, the easy comfortable way the congregation tried new things and celebrated together... 

Both Sundays I was struck by the conversations around me. People checking in with one another about the more serious things in their lives... About job insecurity, community struggles, health of young ones and the changes they see in older ones. There was joy expressed as well. They shared stories about their week, funny things that happened, joyful occurrences and prayers answered. Both of these communities expressed healthy love and care for each other, for their community and for their world.  It was clear, worship was a homecoming event, a time to be with family, to express their love for each other and for the God who makes it possible for them to be together...

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The Guys' Weekend is only weeks away, and you can still register for what's been unofficially slated as "the best darn men's retreat for guys in the Presbytery of WV". It's all happening April 24-26, 2015 at Bluestone Camp & Retreat. The Rev. John Hartman, pastor of the Fellowship Presbyterian Church at Greensboro, NC and sports aficionado , will be our speaker. As always, we make it easy for you, all the registration necessaries can be found at  http://bluestonecamp.com/guys-weekend/.

The Mission Committee of the Presbytery of West Virginia is pleased to announce an opportunity for adults and older youth to be the hands, heart and living presence of Christ to our brothers and sisters in New Jersey who were effected by Super Storm Sandy.

Edgewood Presbyterian shares their experience 

of the Centsability Offering...

Send us pictures of yours!

You are making a huge difference!  

Click here for more pictures!

Twelve participants in "Pastoral 

Crises Intervention" on March 13 and 14.  Led by Mike Jarrett of Teays Valley Presbyterian Church, the participants included 9 from the Presbytery of West Virginia and 3 Church of the Brethren pastoral leaders from VA and MD. The Presbytery of West Virginia participants were: Sue Webster, Frankie McCain, Mark Brand, Dick Smith (all from First Presbyterian, Charleston); Kay Albright (Grace Covenant, Charleston); Kari Preslar (Falls View and Montgomery); Peter Barclay (Rome Presbyterian); Barbara Chalfant and Forrest Palmer (Presbytery staff).  This training was made possible by a grant given by WV VOAD to the Presbytery to help develop training for crises and disaster situations completed the certification.

Connect!   Network!   Discern!

The Church Leadership Connection (CLC) a ministry of the Office of the General Assembly will host two Face to Face Events in 2015.  Each event will include call seeker's training, networking opportunities, interviews with search committees, vocational coaching, one-on-one PIF views, and other educational opportunities for call seeker's and calling organizations. All call seekers (teaching elders, candidates, ruling elders, and other church professionals) may participate.  Search committees for all position types (i.e. installed and temporary pastors and program staff positions) are encouraged to attend.

June 25-26, 2015 and June 29-30, 2015 (registration is now open) The Worship and Music Conference, Montreat, NC

July 9-11, 2015 (Registration begins April 30th) Face to Face at the Renaissance Hotel, Charlotte, NC

Click here for more information and to register!

Disaster spiritual care is one of the most unique and profound ministries that clergy and laity can provide in the event of a disaster. It is critically important that clergy and laity are able to provide disaster spiritual care according to best pastoral practices, while adhering to local incident command protocols. 

Pastoral Crisis Intervention is a combination of faith-based resources and traditional techniques of crisis intervention. The purpose of this two-day course is to assist the participants in learning how pastoral interventions and traditional psychological crisis interventions may be effectively integrated. Chaplains, pastoral counselors, mental health professionals, ministers, and anyone interested in the use of faith-based resources in healing should find this course of interest. This training is open to all faith traditions. There is no cost for the training. Lunch is provided. Lodging and other meals are on your own.

For more information or to register for the training,
please go to the wvresiliency.com website or contact
Jennifer Thacker by phone at 304-342-6972 or by
email at jthacker@te-associates.com.

April 13 | 9am - 5pm || April 14 | 9am - 4pm
Bishop Hodges Catholic Pastoral Center
39 Catholic Conference Center | Huttonsville, WV

Click here for a poster

April 20 | 9am - 5pm || April 21 | 9am - 4pm
St. Mark Lutheran Church
141 Kruger Street | Wheeling, WV 26003 

Click here for a poster