Request a hard copy of the 2024 Presbytery Directory

If you would like a printed copy of the directory, please email office@wvpresbytery.org or call Amy Robinson at 304-744-7634 by MONDAY. Remember, the directory is also on our website; if you need the password to access it there, contact Amy.

Temporary Assistant to the Stated Clerk/Transitional General Presbyter

This job consists of various administrative duties at 10 hours per week for $15 per hour. Applicants need to be proficient with Microsoft Word, the Zoom platform, use of email, and minute taking, and have an understanding of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and its councils. Click here for a full job description. To apply, please send an email to office@wvpresbytery.org. Friday is the last day to apply!

Early registration deadline is Friday for 2024 Festival of Faith: All the Light We Can See

April 6 at Charleston First Presbyterian Church

Lock in the early registration cost, order lunch, and sign up for childcare when you register by Friday. After that, you can still register for the event up until the morning of April 6, but you will need to bring your own lunch and childcare will no longer be offered. Festival of Faith promises to be a day for learning, fellowship, and worship on a variety of topics for members and leaders of our congregations.  Keynote presenter Shannon Craigo-Snell, Professor of Theology at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, will focus on "Understanding the Roots of Racism.” She will explore how we can live out our Christian commitments to love and justice in the current context of racial tensions and how we might create space for new ways forward. Shannon will also be leading a workshop on “Christian Understandings of Evil.” A variety of other workshops will be offered, and there are still several spaces left if anyone would like to meet individually with Emily Chudy, the Board of Pensions Church Consultant for our region.

Registration deadline for 2024 Spring Youth Retreat: Crossing Paths is Monday, March 25

April 12-14 at Jackson's Mill, Weston

The Presbytery's Youth Council has been hard at work finalizing plans for this retreat and are hoping that you will share the retreat information with youth (grades 6-12) in your congregation and the adults who work/live with them. This promises to be a great weekend with Rev. Joseph Jumper, a recent seminary graduate and Resident Pastor at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, as the keynote presenter. Large and small group times will focus on the journeys that each of us are on and how God helps and guides us as we journey together, looking at the biblical stories of Joseph, David, and Jesus. There will also be times for worship and recreation. The cost per person is $65.

Communion Training for Ruling Elders

3-5 PM April 28 on Zoom

All sessions, particularly those whose churches do not have pastoral leadership, are invited to send ruling elders (they don’t have to be on the session currently) to this event. Participants must be approved by the session of their church of membership to be authorized. Note that there is an advance assignment that includes reading sections of the 2023-2025 Book of Order. There is no cost to participate. The registration deadline is Monday, April 15. Register by submitting your name, church, email, phone number, and date of session approval to attend this training to susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com. If you have any questions, you may contact Susan at this email address or 304-667-9428.

Youth summer mission opportunity with WVMAW

July 14-20 in Colcord

Do you know youth in your congregation who might enjoy a week of serving others this summer? If so, let them know the Presbytery’s Nurture Committee is offering an opportunity for those currently in grades 8-12 to work with a Project Manager from West Virginia Ministry of Advocacy and Workcamps this summer. The work to be done will be based on the skills of the group, but could include building ramps, repairing porches, flooring, and roofing, as we seek to assist with the needs in the community. In addition to youth, at least three adults are needed to serve as advisors. If you are interested, please contact Susan Sharp Campbell, who will be coordinating and participating in this event. The cost per youth is $300, all of which will go directly to WVMAW. Presbytery will cover the costs for adults, food, and transportation. Participants will be housed in the manse at Colcord First Presbyterian Church. There is a limit of 20 people. The registration deadline is Monday, April 22. Complete information has been sent to church leaders; please post the flyer where youth and adults can see it and share the information page and registration forms with youth, parents, and any adults that might be interested.

Grants & loans for post-secondary education

The Presbytery, through its Nurture Committee, has $1,000 loans available for those seeking post-secondary education; there are also some grant monies in amounts that vary each year available. Click here for information and application forms. Please share this information with those in your church, especially high school seniors and parents, although these are not limited to those graduating this year. The application deadline, including the return of reference letters, is April 30. Those who have received loans/grants in the past and wish to renew them should submit a written request, including a brief description of their past year, to susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com or Presbytery of WV, Attn: Nurture Committee, P.O. Box 11720, Charleston, WV 25339. They do not have to resubmit the entire application. Questions? Please contact Susan Sharp Campbell at 304-667-9428 or the above email. 

Youth Council applications now being accepted

In a time when there are fewer youth in our congregations, the presbytery’s Youth Council offers a place for youth to find support, develop leadership skills, and grow in their faith. Do you know youth who are currently in grades 8-11 who might enjoy participating and serving on the Youth Council? If so, please share this information with them. There is also a need for adults who enjoy working with youth to serve in partnership with the youth. If that’s you or someone you know, please consider applying or sharing the information with them. Each session is invited to nominate youth and/or adults to serve on youth council, realizing that we are committed to involving people from as many churches as possible. The deadline to apply is May 1.

Expanding Your Ministry Toolbox: Being Vital Today

9:30-4:30 May 4 on Zoom

We live in a new post-Christendom world in which the church is no longer the center of our society. This new world is unlike any world the church has ever existed in before. Thus, we need to be ready to answer a new set of questions; we cannot assume our new world understands what we do anymore. This course will explore the “7 Marks of Vital Congregations” that the Office of Vital Congregations of the Presbyterian Mission Agency has identified to help us live more fully as disciples of Christ and to identify talking points to share with those who are seeking to believe. It will be taught by Brian Coulter, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth, TX, and a consultant with the Presbyterian Mission Agency Office of Theology, Formation, and Evangelism. Cost is $40. Register by April 29. Contact Susan Sharp Campbell for more information.

News from the Presbytery's Treasurer

• Board of Pensions news: Directors approve redesigned Benefits Plan
• Church treasurers and finance committees
• Board of Pensions: Register for the new Benefits Connect

• 2024 IRS Standard Mileage
• New Form I-9
• 2024 Per Capita
• 2024 Special Offerings

Pews, organ, and hymnals looking for a new home

The Pleasants County Family Support Center has purchased the St. Marys Presbyterian Church and would like to rehome the 20 padded pews, organ, and hymnals currently in the sanctuary. If your church would be interested in any of these items, please contact Dorothy Straight at 304-483-6448 or Brianna Kultschizky at 681-612-3185.

Davis Memorial, Elkins offering older blue hymnals

Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church in Elkins has between 200 and 250 of the older blue Presbyterian hymnals that they are getting rid of. If your church is in need or you known of any other organization seeking a large number of hymnals, please contact the church at 304-636-2788 or clerk@dmpc.org.

A note from Forrest Palmer, our local connection to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance National Response Team

As one who serves on the National Response Team for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, I first want to express gratitude for the congregations and individuals who participate in the One Great Hour of Sharing special offering. The ministry of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is one of the recipients from this special offering, as well as particular disaster response offerings when natural or human caused disasters occur. It truly would not be possible for PDA to do what we are called to do without your support – your financial offerings and your prayers. When we are deployed, we go with your prayers and with your support. When a disaster occurs, whether that be a natural disaster, such as storms, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, or wildfires or human-caused disasters, such a mass shooting, the needs of the community and individuals within the community are great. Not only are we called to bring immediate comfort but also work towards building community and personal resiliency and long-term recovery to those impacted by disaster.

Click here for One Great Hour of Sharing resources, including Minutes for Mission, children's resources, bulletin inserts, videos, and a media toolkit.

The Charleston community will be hosting a Guns to Gardens event on May 4 from 1-3 PM, partnering with RAWtools South, who have assisted with dozens of Guns to Gardens events and will bring their experience with these events. RAWtools will also bring chop saws, safety equipment and will teach anyone who wants to learn how to dismantle a gun on the morning of the event. Area churches are welcome with the hope to help them organize their own Guns to Gardens events in the future. For more information or questions, see the

Guns to Gardens West Virginia Facebook page.  

Bible and Church Music Conference at Massanetta Springs this summer

Registration is open, with an early bird rate through March 25. Register by then and save $40 on your registration. For more information about BCMC 2024, please visit https://massanettasprings.org/programs/bcmc. 

2024 NEXT Church National Gathering

This gathering, on April 8-11 in Falls Church, VA, focuses on several areas to equip and empower those on the ground seeking to bring new life to their communities. There will be 6 Pathways to choose from: Community Organizing, Community Partnerships, Leading Changes, Identity and Coalition-building for People of Color, Intersectionality, and Preaching. It will promote learning and immediately invite participants to think about application in a collaborative, collegial space. Registration is $399.

Do you have time to share care and compassion with someone in need?

At the time of the writing of this article, there were 14 clients who had requested

services from the Red Cross due to fires in their homes. Most were major or destroyed

and had lost most or all their belongings. Their lives had been turned upside down, and

they needed someone to listen to their stories and provide care, compassion, and hope.

That is where YOU can make the difference. The Red Cross needs Disaster Spiritual

Care volunteers to make calls to our clients to offer that care, compassion, and hope.