I ve found that you are a people with huge hearts. You share, welcome, and include.

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3 Anna Pinckney Straight, Pastor/Head of Staff Seventeen months ago, Old Stone Presbyterian Church took a leap of faith you called me to be your pastor. When I arrived, I wanted to take time to get to know you: your stories, hopes, faith, and prayers. It has been an amazing journey. I ve found that you are a people with huge hearts. You share, welcome, and include. I ve found that you are a people with history. This particular Body of Christ was founded 235 years ago. Each generation has had a story to tell and the current generation is no different. This history does not define or restrict us, but it does shape and encourage us. You are here because someone believed it was important that you knew the story of faith, the truth of Jesus Christ as the son of God. This congregation has survived and thrived because people knew and shared the Good News of God. That privilege is now ours- how will we share what was shared with us? I ve found that you are a people of worship. You welcome worship as a time of laughter and tears, challenge and comfort. It is an amazing gift to lead worship for a people who understand and embrace its complexities and opportunities- who know that we are created to worship God. I ve found that you are a people of generosity. Look at the stewardship numbers! More people are pledging and are pledging a higher percentage of their resources. That s what God wants, and that s how God will teach us! I know that I speak frequently about proportional giving ~ giving a portion of all that you receive rather than a set amount. I do this because I ve seen and lived the difference that it makes. When you ve experienced something spectacular, you can t help but want others to experience it, too! In the year ahead, I m hoping to work on Biblical literacy- studying the Bible in an intentional, communal way. As I am fond of saying, the Bible is far too important to be taken literally. It is our guide and where we meet God. How are we allowing the God found in scripture to mold and shape us? I d also like to work on how we present ourselves- the norms and patterns we often take for granted but might seem mysterious to newcomers. That s an unending task. If we are living the way God intends we will always be fortunate enough to have newcomers in our midst. They will shape us as we will shape them- What a blessing! Thank you for this wonderful may we continue to go to the places God is blessing in 2018! Peace, Rev. Anna 3

4 Amy Kesterson, Program Coordinator Looking back at 2017 it is impossible not to notice that Old Stone is a church that invests in our children and youth in so many ways. When we fundraise, the congregation is there to financially support our programming. When we lead worship, our congregation laughs and cries alongside us. All new projects, classes or excursions are met with support from our church family. With that kind of foundation, our children and youth have little choice but to be a successful and important part of the life of Old Stone. It is my absolute pleasure to watch as these young people grow in their faith, service, and understanding. My position affords me a unique opportunity to experience optimism each and every day. Watching the dedication of those with whom I work allows me to experience an endless certainty that the future of God s church is in excellent hands. Our program places both education and mission work as top priorities. In 2017 our elementary Sunday school class began serving residents at Greenbrier Manor. Thanks to the leadership of the teachers in that class, we are able to provide opportunities for meaningful discipleship at a much younger age than we have in the recent past. We hosted the Youth Day of Service, loaded back packs for the residents of Davis Stuart, collected coats for The Family Refuge Center, and traveled to New Orleans for a week long mission trip. As always, this work is so important to those that we serve, as well as to those of us who are serving. I feel very blessed to work with such an amazing staff, church family, and Christian Education Committee, as well as the children and youth who are so generously entrusted to my care. God s unending love knows no bounds. 4

5 Pat Boisvert, Preschool Director We are having another delightful year with a total of 26 students, ages 2 through 5, enrolled in the Old Stone Church Preschool Program. The staff was excited to see our K-4/5 class grow to thirteen students. Our K-3 class has seven students enrolled and our K-2 class has six students enrolled. We are hopeful for an even larger enrollment for the year. We welcomed two new teacher assistants to the Program this year, Diane Collins and Rachel Church. Diane works in the K2 class with me, Pat Boisvert, and Rachel Church was hired as a preschool floater but primarily can be found in the K3-K4/5 classroom helping Kelly Bennett and Julie Dunbar. The classroom doors open at 8:15 a.m., Tuesday through Friday. The k2 class dismisses at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The K3-K4/5 class dismisses at 12 Noon, Tuesday through Thursday. Fridays are an enrichment class for the students in the K4/5 class and they dismiss at 12 Noon. Our focus this year, once again, is helping the children flourish in a fun-loving Christian environment. We believe that learning takes place through play and that above all, preschool should be fun. The K2 class learns to share and cooperate with their peers while developing their budding imaginations and building on communications skills. The daily routine is specifically tailored to be in step with all things that are developmentally appropriate for our youngest learners. The K-3 class furthers their social skills while enjoying a developmentally appropriate approach to early literacy and numeric skills. The K4/5 class is the last stop before entering kindergarten. The teachers continue to introduce students to the world around them while building on their developing literacy foundations, social skills, and boost their confidence in their own academic ability. The K2 and K3 classes attend chapel with Anna Pinckney Straight or Amy Kesterson on Wednesdays at 10 a.m.; the K4/5 class meets with Anna or Amy for chapel on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.. This year the K3- K4/5 classroom congregate for snack, free play, and circle time and then divide into three groups for educational activities and crafts. We are beginning to make plans for next year and we will ask Church members to tell others in the community about our great program and encourage them to contact the Church for more information. We will continue to provide a loving and caring environment for the students. The curriculum will be updated and revised as necessary. Our goal is to have more children enroll in the preschool year, so we could have a K2 classroom, a K3 classroom, and a K4/5 classroom. You can learn more about the Preschool on the Church s website. ( or the Preschool s Facebook page ( 5

6 Nancy Smallenberger, Clerk of Session During the year of 2017 the Session of the Old Stone Presbyterian Church was very busy. The Session held eleven (11) Stated meetings. Some of the items addressed during these meetings were: the gathering of information needed to move forward with the replacement of the roof on the sanctuary. This process included discussion on the removal of all the old roofing material, deciding on a new roofing material and getting this selection approved by the Lewisburg Historic Landmarks Commission, the selection of the contractor that will be installing the new roofing material. Another big project for the Session for the sale of the manse property. Along with the Stated meetings, the Session met for nine (9) Called Meetings. At four (4) of these Called meetings, there were eleven (11) new members received. The Session also had a Called meeting at which time they received five (5) new members from the Confirmation class. At another Called meeting, the Session received and examined candidates to be Ordained and Installed to serve as Elders. The Session called three Congregational meetings. Items addressed at these meetings included: the selling of the manse property, the roof project, and the election of Elders and Nominating Committee. As one busy year has ended, and we are moving into a new year, we would like to thank the Ruling Elders of the Class of 2017 for their service and dedication to the OSPC. Those Elders are Jackie Bennett, Kurt Blankenship (who, along with his family, moved during 2017), John Hofmann, Glenn Lehman, Ben Lewis, Chuck Lewis and Chuck Plumley. 6

7 Membership How many members are a part of the life of Old Stone Presbyterian Church? It seems like that would be an easy and obvious question to answer, but the answer is actually a bit more complicated than that. For several years a decade or so ago, the register tracking the active member list was not updated. Un-updated, it is extremely difficult to catch up. While the Rev. Cam Harkness was your interim pastor, the Session and Growth Committee did quite a bit of work to figure out who was a member and who had moved, transferred, or was inactive. They came up with a number of 280. It was a reasonable estimate based on research and lists. 280 active members is what we reported to the General Assembly at the beginning of But the list still had to be taken to Session and each name correlated with a name in the official Clerk s book that tracks membership. When I arrived, that book listed 488 active members. After extensive work by your Clerk of Session and several other members, this fall we were finally able to present an accurate number of active members to Session for their approval: As of January 1, 2017: of 2017 we had 246 members. In 2017, our numbers decreased by five: Two members moved and transferred their membership Three members died Our numbers increased by eighteen new members Five by Affirmation of Baptism Six by Reaffirmation of their Faith Seven by Transfer of Membership from another congregation While not affecting our membership numbers (active members are youth or adults who have taken the membership vows for themselves) it is also worth noting that we welcomed one child by the sacrament of Baptism. All of this is to report that as of December 31, 2017 Old Stone Presbyterian Church has 259 Members. What does this mean? Really, very little- this is just information that helps us describe the community whose main task has nothing to do with numbers- it has to do with growing in faith, hope, and love. 7

8 Christian Education Committee The Christian Education Committee is responsible for coordinating most of the educational opportunities for adults and youth of Old Stone. This includes the Weekday Preschool, Sunday School Nursery, Sunday School for adults and youth, LOGOS, PYC, Confirmation Class, Youth Sunday, Vacation Bible School, acolytes, youth lay readers, mission trips, camps and retreats. Also, we enjoy putting on a few celebrations like the Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween Party and Christmas Pageants. We strive to have something inviting and nurturing for everyone and we welcome your attendance and help always. Fall of 2017 began a new year of Sunday School at 10am. Three different classes were offered for adults alongside classes for children including a nursery. If you haven t tried one of the classes, please just show up and someone will help you find your topic of interest or age group. We know you will enjoy the conversations and get to know others. Our church is blessed to have the following dedicated staff and volunteers leading or assisting these classes: Adult - Andy Kelso, Chuck Lewis, Ben Lewis, Jim Rowe, Pastor Straight; 6 th -12 th grade- Cam Huffman, Amy Kesterson, Marcia Leitch, Michael Meadows, Debbie Taylor; K-5 th grade- Pat Boisvert, Dawn Huffman, Megan Kirkham, Amy Brown, Becca Kucera, Townley Hamilton and Becky Kelso; Nursery- Corrainea Kaebisch and a church volunteer. The Weekday Preschool is doing great under the direction of Pat Boisvert. The 3 and 4yr old class has grown. In fact, it became necessary to hire an additional assistant just before the start of school. Pat reports that all the teachers (Pat Boisvert, Kelly Bennet) and aids (Diane Collins, Julie Dunbar and Rachel Church) are working very well together and that 2 new children have recently enrolled for next fall. All signs of a healthy and happy school. LOGOS is where we build the foundation of bible knowledge and life application for students in grades K- 5 th. 21 energetic, sweet, smart, and often funny children led by educator, Amy Kesterson, fill the activity rooms every Wednesday for snack, playtime, bible lessons, and music. We are grateful for our choir teacher Doris Ann Taylor who teaches them to sing the sweetest songs and for Ves Burford who teaches hand bells with a side of music theory. It s my pleasure to assist Amy for there is never a dull moment. PYC has enjoyed another fun, productive and adventurous 2017 led by Amy Kesterson and assisted by Debbie Taylor. The youth spent a busy year hosting Parents Night Out and Sunday Luncheons to fundraise for their successful mission trip to New Orleans. Norm Ahern, Jason Kesterson, and Debbie Taylor we thank you for giving your time and leadership to help Amy Kesterson chaperone that trip. Members and 8

9 friends of Old Stone, please know that the kids are very grateful for your support which not only provides them with the opportunity of an exciting adventure but an opportunity to stretch themselves, physically and mindfully. Isn t sharing a hot lunch together after church good for us too? And, while kids are having a ball at Parents Night Out, moms and dads are enjoying a date night or just some peace and quiet. I say, Houston-2018, here they come! All of Old Stone s children have been growing this year. They ve participated in service days where meals were prepared for our food locker. They assisted in afterflood repair in Western Greenbrier County with Appalachian Service Project. Several completed a CPR and First Aid course this fall. Numerous youth attended Presbyterian retreats and camps this year. We are proud to note that three of our PYC members serve on the Presbytery of WV Youth Council. The K-5 th grade Sunday School class adopted two grandparents at Greenbrier Manor. As a congregation we most likely witness their growth best in church every Sunday when they bravely stand in the pulpit to read, when they light or try to light the candle, when they sing and play instruments before us and when they lead an entire worship service. Thank you parents and grandparents for getting them involved! They are important to our church and they are growing up right before our eyes! Because you trust the church to be another place of spiritual nurturing and safety for your child, the committee completed a revision of its Safe Sanctuary Policy to be more in step with the policy of the Presbytery of West Virginia. The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate our commitment to the physical, emotional and spiritual safety of all our children and vulnerable adults. The policy spent several months in development under the guidance of the Presbytery of WV, Amy Kesterson and Pastor Straight. It was further reviewed and edited by an attorney and the church s insurance company. Final approval came from the session. All staff and volunteers working with youth will be background screened, presented the policy for signing and attend a Safe Sanctuary workshop. Thank you to the many enthusiastic and creative volunteers who step up year after year to help the committee make the aforementioned events and classes special for all. We could not do it without you! We look forward to working with you and hopefully some new friends too in Townley Hamilton Co-Chair of Christian Education Committee 9

10 Fellowship Committee The Fellowship Committee is the arm of the Session that coordinates gatherings for the congregation where the groups can visit, connect, and catch up with church family and may also nourish themselves through snacks or meals. Many events are accomplished through the coordination with other committees. There are Fellowship times before Sunday School Classes that continues between Sunday School and Sunday morning worship. There is a different Fellowship Time after Worship, and at times these hosts are also greeters before worship. The Fellowship Committee will schedule events or are asked to schedule events to celebrate various times in our church s life. This would include celebrating the life s work of certain staff members, retirement, or welcoming staff members. There are also regularly scheduled events (Palm Sunday Brunch, Choir Recognition Lunch, and Santa Brunch) that are annual events. The committee can also contribute to other events the Holy Week Breakfasts that are open to the entire community and are led by local churches will be hosted by Old Stone this year. As you can see, there is much more to this committee s activities than just cooking or cleaning up, but those are our contribution to worshipping our Lord and Savior. Ben Lewis 10

11 Growth Committee This committee is responsible for encouraging the growth of the membership of OSPC by calling people to faith in Jesus Christ. They are responsible for outreach/publicity opportunities in both print and digital media. In recent years the growth committee has focused on building the church s presence on the internet through its web page. Working with a local design studio, the website is more appealing and has more up-to-date information. Further updating of the site is planned for The aim is to make it easier to update information in-house and be able to directly upload video. The committee is also working on printed materials that can be handed out at events, placed in the rack at the visitor center and used in welcome baskets that are distributed to people who move to the area. They can also be included in a packet for people that visit the church in search of a church home and in new member packets. A church directory is an important tool to help members keep in touch. Much work has been done to get the information into Church Windows software so that a digital directory can be produced in-house. The growth committee will be working with the church office to keep this information current. Sandi Hofmann 11

12 Outreach Committee The Outreach committee was newly formed in Our Vision: to search for ways in which Old Stone can be active in the community, state, country, and world and to learn more about how Jesus is calling us to live out our faith. Committee members: Debbie Taylor, Brenda Jones, Amy Brown, Grace Coffindaffer. Member at Large: Mary Scarborough. Moderator: Molly McMillion 2017 has been a year of education. The committee has been educated about OSPC s current benevolences (both in financial amount AND what those monies do. In turn, we have spent time in the pulpit doing Minute for Missions and contributed articles to the newsletter about the various organizations and projects we support (e.g. the Food Locker, Davis Stuart, Mom s Café). We feel it important for the congregation to understand the relationships, history and workings in order to want to be involved with them. Another example was when disaster struck in the fall of 2017 with multiple hurricanes and flooding, we learned about Presbyterian Disaster Relief (which OSPC contributes to) and their work in Texas and Florida. These enabled members of the congregation a better understanding of where their dollars were going and that they were being put to use right away for those affected. Amy Brown joined the committee and we embraced her vision for Mom s Café a bi monthly gathering which strives to engage mothers in our community by providing encouragement and guidance in a loving Christian environment. Mothers meet over a hot cup of coffee and chat with other moms about fun and frustrating topics common to all, while their children are lovingly cared for in our nursery upstairs. Since its inception in October, Mom s Café has quickly grown to capacity- with 20 women who regular attend (and 25 kids!). in December the Mom s Café donated supplies to the Family Refuge Center as a service project. The relationship and collaboration with Davis Stuart that is part of OSPC s history was rekindled. Davis-Stuart operates as a private non-profit organization providing therapeutic residential care for adolescents ages who have been court ordered removed from their homes and placed in WV State's custody for treatment purposes. Davis Stuart s mission is In showing the Spirit of Christ, Davis-Stuart is committed to helping children and their families find the spiritual, physical, and emotional wholeness for which they have been created. That work is difficult to do as a nonprofit. Many of the kids who come to Davis Stuart, arrive with only the clothes on their backs. In the fall, OSPC hosted a backpack drive for the kids. Donations of backpacks, supplies and monetary donations from the congregation made the project 12

13 a huge success 34 abundantly supplied backpacks were delivered to Davis Stuart in October. The committee sponsored a social in November on campus at Davis Stuart, which included games refreshments and photo booth. And, in December Amy Brown and Grace Coffindaffer returned and did cookie decorating with the kids on campus, while Molly Hileman, Dawn Huffman, Sara Irons, Arlen Myers and family members hosted the Alicia McCormick house girls for cookie making and decorating at the church. Christmas presented another opportunity. The Outreach committee and Presbyterian Women partnered in sponsoring Davis Stuart kids. The Presbyterian Women took care of the 8 Alicia McCormick house residents (an off campus residential home). The committee adopted 5 kids from the main campus who would not be going home for Christmas. We did an Angel Tree and were able to do several gifts for each child (see attached photo) FYI in calendar year 2017, the Food Locker provided 3,250 bags of food to 3,406 people in 2,303 families. A single individual receives one bag of groceries; a couple two bags and a family of three or more three bags. Each bag contains frozen meat, canned goods such as soup, green beans, corn, kidney beans or ravioli, dry goods such as cereal, oatmeal, beans, and macaroni and cheese. Normally food is distributed on the second Saturday of each month. Volunteers from a participating church distribute to Lewisburg Manor, Tabor Towers and Morgan Manor which are residences for elderly and disabled members of our community. All other individuals walk into the Old Stone Fellowship Hall to receive food. Funds from the other category of benevolences aka our small committee budgetwere used to support the Mom s Café and Davis Stuart projects. A policy for Fundraising was discussed and adopted to outline how fundraisers (OR SPECIAL OFFERINGS) are to be approved by Outreach committee. The policy entails written proposals coming to our committee, discussion here and recommendations sent to Session Plans 1) Recommend to the Session the Seasonal Offerings to be received and make promotional materials available as a means of interpretation. Offerings for 2018 a. One Great Hour of Sharing (March/April) b. Birthday(May) c. Thank (November) offering are by the Women of the Church d. Joy (December) e. Additional: PYC Hunger/30 hour famine f. Children- 2 cents a meal (date tbd) 13

14 2) Make recommendations to the Session for the distribution of discretionary benevolence funds, including an emergency fund that can assist with crises in our community or world when needed. 3) Administer Philip Fife scholarship 4) Act as a liaison between Old Stone Presbyterian Church and the various outreach projects of this congregation for support and communicationa. Food Locker b. Stair c. Reach Out and Read d. Bluestone e. Next Church f. Theological Education fund g. Mom s Café h. Davis Stuart i. 2-3 times a year do a project: Backpack Drive, Christmas Angel Tree, Graduation/Summer Fun Collection etc. targeting a real material need they have. ii. Host a quarterly party - with several months in advance to communicate needs to congregation. Examples- Easter Egg Hunt, Summer Cook Out. First activity will either be February (Valentines) or March (St Patrick s Day) themed. Will need volunteers from the congregation/pyc 5) Coordinate outreach efforts of Old Stone Presbyterian Church to ensure maximum impact/minimum overlap (Angel Tree, Coat Drive, Food Drives, etc.) with Presbyterian Women, PYC and other committees. 6) Educate the congregation about existing outreach to the community and new projects: Write articles for newsletters, announcements for bulletin, and offer minutes for mission to communicate and educate about OSPC s outreach efforts. 7) A budget has been submitted with a few changes and additions. The Food Locker contribution was reduced after committee discussion that it has become much more self-sustainable. Extra funds for the Reach Out and Read Project which needs to be expanded. In ,170 books were distributed to children during their well child visits at Robert C. Byrd Clinic. The 2018 plan is to include the hospital (Greenbrier Valley Medical Center) in order for newborns to receive books and begin their library at birth. The Greenbrier Physicians Clinic is to be added so that both of the community s pediatric practices will be distributing books. Inclusion of a daycare facility will be evaluated also. The budget for Reach Out and Read has doubled to extend the reach of the program to these agencies. 14

15 The Next Church and the Theological Education fund have been added to our benevolences. The childcare workers and supplies for the Mom s café, a supply budget for Davis Stuart special projects have also been added. The all others category has been increased for any new projects that arise in The committee will prepare and present a budget for the following year to the Stewardship Committee by October Molly McMillion The tree at our group home in Maxwelton, the Alicia McCormick House, is full of thoughtful gifts from our friends at Old Stone Church (Lewisburg, West Virginia). The entire congregation at Old Stone has been amazing to the kids at our group home and our main campus. WE are so thankful for their love and support. 15

16 Personnel Committee MEMBERS: Ellsworth Buck, Moderator; Cam Huffman, Susan Graham, Jackie Bennett, Walter Hudson and Nancy Smallenbeger. The committee is responsible for counsel and support to all employees of Old Stone Presbyterian Church as well as continue updating of and adherence to the adopted personnel policies of OSPC. The committee is composed of members approved by the Session and the Pastor serves ex-officio. Two of the members shall be members of the Session, one being designated as Moderator and the other as Vice Moderator. The committee is responsible for developing job descriptions and evaluation instruments for each church employee. The Pastor serves as Head of Staff. Along with the Pastor and responsible committee moderators, the committee will conduct annual performance reviews for all employees and make recommendations for compensation and/or job descriptions. The committee is responsible for the annual review of the Pastor s Terms of Call. The committee is responsible for making sure that background checks, references, and other related screening for all employees is completed. This includes volunteers and staff who work with children and youth under 18 years of age. The committee will recommend to Session the removal of any individuals, staff or volunteer who is deemed a danger to the children or youth entrusted to the church s care. The committee annually will prepare and present to the Stewardship Committee by October 1 a budget request for the following year. The committee meets on a regular basis normally during the Committee Night, scheduled on the first Wednesday of each month, or more often if needed. During 2017, the committee had several items that they addressed. These items included: Board of Pension benefits for the staff (Secretary/Financial Secretary, Program Coordinator and Custodian). This year there was a substantial increase in the cost of this coverage for the employee and any covered dependents. The 16

17 committee, along with the Stewardship Committee made recommendations to the Session where the employee will, for the first time, be responsible for a portion of the cost of the dependent coverage. Salary Increases this year the committee recommended salary increases for the staff to cover a large portion of the Board of Pension cost increase. Director of Music position in September, the committee was made aware of the decision of Doris Ann Taylor to retire from the position hopefully by the Spring of The committee has advertised through various forms for the position. They have met on numerous times to review applications and to interview candidates. As of this time, the search continues. Custodian position In November the committee was made aware that Richard Tincher, custodian, is planning to retire, effective May 31, The committee will be meeting with the Property Committee in the future to come up with a newly revised Job Description and make decisions on how they wish to move forward to filling this very important position. Nancy Smallenberger 17

18 Plans Committee The Plans Committee is comprised of the chairs of standing Session committees and is responsible for planning and coordinating program development among the organizational units of the Session, Presbyterian Women and other groups within the Old Stone Presbyterian Church. The committee establishes policies and procedures for the use of memorial funds and for the development of a long-range plan to guide the Church in planning for the future. In addition to developing and maintaining the church calendar for 2017, the Committee assumed the responsibility for coordinating plans for the November meeting of the Presbytery of West Virginia, an effort that spanned six plus months and involved scores of Church volunteers. With the completion of the roof, the sale of the manse and the payoff of renovation debt, the Committee will focus its efforts in 2018 to address a long range financial plan for Old Stone, including a short-term plan for achieving immediate goals. Sharon Rowe 18

19 Property Committee The property committee is responsible for the physical maintenance, security, safety and continual operation of the church. The committee insures scheduled maintenance is performed and that all aspects of the church buildings and properties are fully maintained 1 The Manse was sold. 2 We contracted bids for the roof with approval of the session and are now in the last stages of the project. 3 We upgraded the roof supports in order to be able to install the roof 4 Planned and executed snow removal on weekends 5 Ushers placed special needs parking signs for events to give parking and to preserve the slate porch 6 Fixed exterior light on Sanctuary for nights. 7 Sold the vacant lot by the manse 8 Made manse repairs before the sale 9 AED was installed 10 Various small maintenance was done throughout the year. 11 An extra fence rail was added to back of playground for safety. 12 Scheduled opening and closing of the church. Joan Montgomery 19

20 Worship Committee 2017 was a year of change and experimentation, as this was the first full year of the Congregation being led by Rev. Anna Straight. While keeping with the history of Old Stone Presbyterian Church, we also examined everything to see if there is a better way of doing things. New things were tried, and some changes were made, all while keeping with the history that we all hold so dear. We experienced some challenges with the radio broadcasts on Radio Greenbrier, including an increase in cost with a decrease in service. While this caused some concerns, it was determined that we would maintain our partnership with them. As the church works on the technology to broadcast our services over the internet, we felt it important to continue our outreach to those who listen on the radio. This is something we will continue to evaluate in The checklist for Usher responsibilities was updated, and distributed to the Ushers. We have incorporated a new oil acolyte candle and purchased a AED machine for the church. These things will be incorporated into the checklist, and an Usher training class will be conducted in Old wedding and funeral guidelines were reviewed and slightly modified. We want the church to continue to be open to all, while maintaining the church s integrity. We believe these modified guidelines strike a nice balance. In the Fall, we began having the children join us for the entirety of the Sunday services at the direction of the Christian Education Committee. We moved the children s Sunday School to 10am to make this possible. This will be something we continue to carry into 2018, as it appears to have been well received. On October 22 nd, we held our annual GMS Sunday service. This service is always a lot of fun, and is a wonderful recognition of our historic relationship with both the Greenbrier Military School and the Greenbrier Women s College. We look forward to welcoming our friends back in 2018, and well into the future. On November 12 th, the College of Davis & Elkins graced us with their concert choir and D&E President Chris Wood led us in worship. This was a fabulous service, and we would love to welcome them back in the future. They do travel throughout the state to visit other churches, so it may be a few years before we can get back on their schedule. On November 16 th, we were honored to host the Annual Meeting of the WV Presbytery. Attendance for the meeting was strong, and the responses were positive. As Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday this year, we enjoyed two Christmas Eve services. The regularly scheduled 11am service was more kid oriented, while the 7:30pm candlelight service was more geared towards adults. We are evaluating how these services were received, and will make recommendations as to the number and types of Christmas Eve services we will have in The Worship Committee looks forward to a joyous Glenn Lehman 20

21 Presbyterian Women The purpose of the Presbyterian Women of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study; to support the mission of the church worldwide; to build an inclusive community of women that strengthens our church and community while promoting peace and justice and to witness to all through our words and actions the promise of God s Kingdom. The Old Stone Presbyterian Women s Council is a very active and diversely talented team of ladies that accomplish a multitude of endeavors both in our community, church and worldwide all in the name of our Savior. Our Officers for were as follows: Co-Moderators: Carol Cales and Nancy Smallenberger, Secretary: Sue Rock, Treasurer: Betty Dempsey, Historian: Nancy Greenstreet and Circle Co- Moderators: Marcia Leitch and Ruby Mareneck (Afternoon Circle) and Pam Lewis and Carol Bland (Evening Circle). Additionally, we have five committees. Each Committee has an assigned chair and numerous projects they are committed to accomplishing. Our officers did change September of Our Council meets the First Thursday of every month (September May) at our church. Our Circles meet the Second Wednesday of every month (Afternoon at 1:00 pm and Evening at 7:00 pm) at various locations. Our circles are a wonderful source of fellowship and support for members, especially as we study together from the Horizon Bible Study Curriculum. In 2017, one of our major endeavors, led by Marcie Leitch, was organizing a community wide Women s Retreat. Our retreat was held on March 25 th and entitled, Awaken: Being Empowered by God s Presence. Our speaker for the event was Tammy Jordan, founder of the Fruits of Labor Café and Seeds of Recovery Program. The event was a wonderfully inclusive time of fellowship and spiritual growth. One hundred and thirty ladies from over 10 churches in our community attended. In addition to collecting our two annual offerings, the Thank Offering and Birthday Offering, we continue to raise funds for our community through Americana, our thrift shop. Americana is one of the major endeavors of Presbyterian Women. It exists to serve our community. It is run solely on donations and one hundred percent of the proceeds go to missions. Our community Food Locker, Meals on Wheels, Family Refuge Center and the Children s Advocacy Center are just several of the missions that we are able to support through our proceeds. Linda Babcock and Lynn Weikle organize Americana, with numerous volunteers that spend countless hours to sort/sell merchandise. There are two programs that the Presbyterian Women are so very proud of that 21

22 impact many people beyond our church walls. The S.T.A.I.R Tutoring Program, directed by Debbie Taylor, partners seven second grade students struggling in reading with a tutor (13 tutors in total). They meet twice per week at our church during the school year. Additionally, our Comfort Outreach Program, directed by Paula McLaughlin, provides monthly programs at the Greenbrier Care Center. It is a wonderful hour of sharing the love of Jesus with their residents through readings, stories and hymns. In 2017, the Presbyterian Women also reconnected with Davis Stuart s McCormick House. Molly Hileman and Dawn Huffman are leading this effort and since the Fall have organized monthly activities with the 8 young ladies at the McCormick House. This has been a wonderful experience for all of us to have fun, develop relationships and share God s love and encouragement with these ladies. In December, we helped to collect items from each girl s Christmas wish list. The Presbyterian Women also support our church and community through: a card ministry (Darlene Hicks), meal ministry through Care and Gwen s Meals (Betty Dempsey and Arlen Myers), providing and caring for flowers in the sanctuary (Pam Lewis), and providing local scholarships to the New River Technical College and Old Stone Preschool (Betty Dempsey) just to name a few. In 2018, the Presbyterian Women are excited to continue to support all the endeavors already mentioned. We will host a congregational Spring Women s Retreat on April 21 st. With God s guidance, we will continue to search for avenues to bring women together to grow their relationships with each other and our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank all those who have lead and supported Presbyterian Women. Your devotion and faithfulness keep us going strong. We welcome all women to join us as we continue to serve Jesus Christ and we pray for God s guidance in meeting the needs of our church, community and world. Carol Cales, Co-Moderator (2016) and Amy Brown (2017) 22

23 Board of Trustees Trustees for year 2017 included: Phillip McLaughlin (chair), Thomas Greenstreet (vice chair and treasurer), James Rowe (secretary), Ronald Snyder, Robert Perkins The function of the trustees is to manage permanent trust funds according to their terms, and properties for the furtherance of the purposes of the congregation, which included the following in 2017: 1) Execution of the manse deed of conveyance and using the proceeds to satisfy a bank loan on the education building renovations. 2) Authorization to purchase an automatic electronic defibrillator for installation in the narthex of the sanctuary from the Lawson Hamilton Trust. 3) A total of $125,000 committed for the sanctuary roof by combining funds from the Eliza Patton Mathews Trust, Lawson Hamilton Trust, Martha L McMillion Trust, and Kathryn F Sheafer Trust. 4) Check for $2000 from the trustee account sent to Bluestone Corp for cabin renovations. We value the leadership and input that our minister, Anna Straight, provided us in 2017, and look forward to 2018 with the addition of John Wilson and Shirley Runyon, who are replacing Phillip McLaughlin and Ronald Snyder who were faithful to the mission of the board of trustees of Old Stone Church. Funds Managed by the Trustees Tom Greenstreet Endowed Corpus Total Value Evans $ 100, $ 139, Hamilton $ 200, $ 202, Matthews $ 163, $ 164, McMillion $ 59, $ 66, Shaefer $ 100, $ 181, Checking Account $ 2, Total $ 622, $ 756,

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29 4013 Prepaid pledges for In 2016 $84,300 was prepaid for 2017, meaning that our actual income under pledges for 2017 was $487, and income totals of $53,

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