Community. Amy 309 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 100, Fairmont, WV A Message from the District Superintendent

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Community. Amy 309 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 100, Fairmont, WV A Message from the District Superintendent"

Jordan Small
5 years ago
Views:

December 2018 Community Page 1 A Message from the District Superintendent I was recently led astray by my GPS while heading to a charge conference.

1 December 2018 Community Page 1 A Message from the District Superintendent I was recently led astray by my GPS while heading to a charge conference. It s not the first time but this was by far the greatest adventure. The road turned from a county route to a narrow paved road to gravel and my GPS told me that I was 3/10s of a mile from my destination. I continued until the deep muddy ruts in the road signaled that I should turn back. Perhaps you don t know this about me but backing a vehicle is not something I do well. And, in short order, I had my car in a ditch and the narrow road was impassable. The nice thing about blocking a road is that one gets to meet a few people. The first people confirmed my location very near the church. But, they said, You re not going to get there in that car. Before long, three men, two tractors, a little boy and two dogs came to my aid. They pushed the car out of the ditch, backed it down the road and told me how to get to the church on the paved road. Their directions were perfect and appropriate for my vehicle. It s easy to get off the beaten path in life. Sometimes we even think that we are following correctly. But, every once in a while, we need some course correction. Seasons like Advent allow us to pause and focus on Christ and reassess our direction. This time, when the darkness comes early and we are likely to find ourselves indoors, gives us some time and space to think and pray. Make this Advent season a holy one. Make it a time where you journey more closely with God and allow God to make some course corrections for you. A free daily Advent devotional prepared by the laity in our conference, several from, can guide your way Or maybe you d like to read through the gospels, to read anew about Jesus birth and life. Maybe there is a new prayer practice that you d like to develop, using the hours of darkness as an invitation to hear God more clearly. Whatever you choose, may your Advent be a blessed one, truly a time of preparation to celebrate the birth of our Savior. In This Issue: 2 District Calendar Birthdays Anniversaries Prayer Concerns 3 Upcoming Events 4 Staffing Changes in the District Office Announcements 5 Parish Coordinator Reports 6 Conference Fair Share District Fair Share The district website has a new look and lots of useful information like: A real-time calendar with a form for you to submit your church's events Resources for clergy and laity alike Easy-to-access digital documents And more! Check it out at Blessings, Amy Want more news from around the conference? Check out

2 Page 2 District Office Hours Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM December Birthdays 1 Pete Roberts 3 Tim Edin Peggy Petrich 9 Connie Healms Samuel Cale IV Greg Cartwright 18 Clarence Thomas Donna Kinsey 20 Claude Kinty 22 Stanley Merrifield 23 Daryl Shue Aslam Barkat 28 Jonathon Collins Lee Haught 29 D.D. Meighan Looking Forward, Planning Ahead Check out the website for the full calendar including these events, charge conference, clergy interviews, and more! December 5-7 Cabinet 24 District Office Closed Through January 1, 2019 January 4 Clergy Christmas the District Parsonage 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM 5 District Lead Team 8-11 Cabinet 12 Bishop's Day with Quiet Dell UMC 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 17 Clergy Meeting Location TBD 19 District Committee on Ministry Meeting Cabinet February 2 District Leadership Training More details to come 4-6 Cabinet 16 District Committee on Ministry Meeting Cabinet March 2 Stride Training with Ken LIFE UMC 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM -Those who attend for the duration of the event will receive 6 Contact Hours. 3-5 Cabinet 7 Clergy Meeting Location TBD Cabinet 30 Spring Lay Servant LIFE UMC 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM December Anniversaries 6 Mark and Karyn Harris Clyde and Alma Jean Beard 8 Jim and Mary Frances Zinn 13 Stephen and Lesa Wotring 15 G.E. and Bonnie McCabe 18 Ruth and Lee Hall 21 Robert and Florence Wilkins 23 James and Carolyn Kerr 28 Brad and Stephanie Bennett Steven and Judy Lightner Have an upcoming event? Go to to submit it to the district calendar. Ron Gamble Delisa Riley Claude Kinty Shelly Patchen, Daughter of Jim Weber Helen Estep, Mother of Mike Estep Let Us Pray... DS Amy Shanholtzer All Churches, Missions, and Ministries within the District Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball The Conference Staff All Churches, Missions, and Ministries within the Conference

Page 3 Upcoming Events All clergy and families, active and retired, are invited to come to a Christmas gathering at the District Parsonage on Friday, January 4, 2019 from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM.

We ll have a van running a shuttle from Eldora UMC to the house so that the neighbors can still get through the development. Bring board games and your family and plan to have some fun.

On March 2, Ken Willard, Director of Discipleship, Leadership and Congregational Vitality, will lead us through the resource he has written on creating discipleship pathways for your congregation.

This training is also available for Advanced Lay Servant credit if you read Stride in advance and submit a written reflection to the District Superintendent and attend the training.

3 Page 3 Upcoming Events All clergy and families, active and retired, are invited to come to a Christmas gathering at the District Parsonage on Friday, January 4, 2019 from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Yes, that s after Christmas Day but still in the Christmas season and hopefully when the days are not so busy. We ll have a van running a shuttle from Eldora UMC to the house so that the neighbors can still get through the development. Bring board games and your family and plan to have some fun. Children are welcome and encouraged to attend. Weather permitting, we ll try s mores in the fire pit outside. Please RSVP by Wednesday, January 2. On March 2, Ken Willard, Director of Discipleship, Leadership and Congregational Vitality, will lead us through the resource he has written on creating discipleship pathways for your congregation. We ll meet from 9:00 3:30 at LIFE UMC, 3000 Technology Park Drive. The training will be live streamed if you d like to gather a team at your location. This training is also available for Advanced Lay Servant credit if you read Stride in advance and submit a written reflection to the District Superintendent and attend the training. More registration details coming in 2019! New to your leadership role in your church? Stay tuned for information on a series of 75 minute Helpshops and ½ day Coaching Clinics offered on February 2 by a fantastic list of resource persons. More registration details coming soon! Have an upcoming event? Contact the District Office to share your upcoming events with us so we can get it on the website calendar and in the newsletter or mid-monthly news short - mvdumcoffice@gmail.com or The Bishop's Day with the Laity will be held on Saturday, January 12 at Quiet Dell United Methodist Church starting at 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. No RSVP Necessary, everyone is welcome to join. Bishop Steiner Ball will be providing information regarding the upcoming Special General Conference in February.

4 Page 4 District Office Staffing Changes You'll soon be hearing a new voice on the other end of the phone when you call the District Office. It's with sadness that we say goodbye to Kate Rhodes, our current Administrative Assistant, who will be relocating to her hometown, Parkersburg, WV. Kate has served our office with professionalism, joy, and kindness over the last six months and her presence will be missed. Our new administrative assistant will be training alongside Kate in December. Sarah (Martin) Estep is a native of Monroe County and a graduate of Concord College. She is married to Mike Estep, pastor of Suncrest UMC, and has 3 children: Abbey, married and living in Memphis; Jacob, a sophomore at Wheeling Jesuit University, and Sam, a freshman at WVU. Sarah enjoys hiking, baking, and searching thrift stores for bargains. She is looking forward to serving in the Mon Valley district. Please let Kate know of your appreciation and welcome Sarah as they assist in serving our district. Please Report Professions of Faith to the District Office PLEASE NOTE: We request that all churches/pastors in the district begin to report professions of faith on a monthly basis by the 15th. You can do this by ing the details (name, date, church) to mvdumcoffice@gmail.com. Congratulations to Rev. David Hall on the Birth of His Granddaughter Rev. David Hall and wife Priscilla welcomed their granddaughter, London Olivia Wellman into the world at 1:16 AM on November 20. London weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. Both mother and daughter doing well. Congratulations to David, Priscilla, and their entire family! Clergy Clinic in Charlotte, NC Normally held only in the western suburbs of Chicago, our Clergy Clinic in Family Emotional Process will also be held at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC on the following dates in 2019: March 11-13; June 3-5; and September This 9-day event is sponsored by the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and is open to the public. To register, please fill out and submit the form on our brochure, or go to: Advent Resources Available on Conference Website In need of resources for Advent? Click the link below to see the resources written specifically for the West Virginia Annual Conference by Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball - Seeds of Hope in a Time of Waiting. Bruceton UMC Appreciates Rev. Vicki Sheppard On October 14, 2018, Bruceton United Methodist Church presented Rev. Vicki Sheppard with a board of doilies from the congregation for Pastor Appreciation Sunday. Those who contributed a doily wrote a note regarding the significance of the doily. Pictures were taken of each doily and the story behind each doily and placed them in a photograph album. This project was headed up by Margaret Matheny. The doilies were collected all summer up through August so her daughter Melissa Margroff and son-inlaw Tim Margroff could put together the board. Pictures were taken by MaryAnn Matheny. Submitted by, Theresa Scafella

5 Page 5 SHINNSTON COOPERATIVE PARISH We bring you Christmas greetings from The Shinnston Cooperative Parish!! It has been a wonderful year of blessings here in the parish. We continue to seek God s leading in missions and ministries throughout our Parish. We had another successful Fall with Coats for Kids campaign with over 200 coats, hats and gloves being given out between our two elementary schools, pepperoni roll ministry, hot chocolate giveaway for the Shinnston Christmas Parade on Dec 1st, and lighting of our Chrismon tree on Dec 2nd. Keep your eyes peeled for more exciting happenings from the Shinnston Cooperative Parish. Blessings to you all!!! Cindy Boggs Parish Coordinator MORGANTOWN WEST COOPERATIVE PARISH On Thursday, November 29, members of the Morgantown West Parish met at Sundale Nursing Home in Morgantown to help the residents prepare Christmas cards to send to family and friends. For the last few weeks the churches of the parish collected Christmas Cards and stamps which were used to assist the residents. It was a wonderful visit as we were able to spend some fellowship time with the residents as we prepared Christmas cards together. On Sunday, December 3, the parish had an Advent Service at Laurel Point UMC at 3:00 PM. We will be collecting non-perishable food items for a local food pantry and gathering all of the materials collected for Project Mushroom. We will pray over the items before they are taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital for distribution. John Brosky Parish Coordinator TAYLOR COUNTY COOPERATIVE PARISH Greetings from the Taylor Cooperative Parish. We gathered to meet on Tuesday, November 27th at Haymond UMC who provided a wonderful array of snacks for the evening. Tuesday was a cold somewhat snowy/icy night, but we had a fairly good attendance. Final plans for our Advent Sing held on December 2nd were discussed. With the final plans were also discussed for our county-wide meals for shut-ins as well. The devotional piece this year is a bookmark about the Legend of the candy cane with a candy cane attached! The menu was reviewed and bills for dinner he hams were passed out to the churches who were responsible. There will be no meeting in December so we d love to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and blessed New Year! Remember to keep Christ not only in Christmas but in your hearts every day. God bless, Judy Flynn Judy Flynn Parish Coordinator

6 Page 6 Churches Conference Fair Share Update Through November 2018 Thank you for your faithfulness! Churches that have paid 100%: Arnettsville, Astor, Ballah Chapel, Barrackville, Bee Gum, Bethlehem, Blackshere, Boothsville, Buckeye, Burns Chapel, Calvary, Carolina, Community, Concord, Corley, Cross Roads, Denver, Downs, Eldora, Enterprise, Esler Chapel, Evansville, Fairview (Catawba), Fairview (Morgantown), Fellowsville, First (Shinnston), Fort Martin, Harner Chapel, Highland Park, Hopewell (Catawba), Howesville, Hutchinson, Janes Memorial, Joetown, Johnson Chapel, Jones Run, Jones, Kingmont, Knottsville, Lamberts Run, Mariahs Chapel, McCurdysville, Meadowdale H&H Chapel, Monumental, Mt. Israel, Mt. Moriah, Mt. Pleasant (Harner Chapel), Mt.Tabor, Mt. Vernon (Kanes Creek), Mt. View, Mt. Zion (Evansville), Mt. Zion (Catawba), Oak Forest, Olive, Peora, Pine Bluff, Pisgah (Bruceton Mills Ct.), Pleasant Valley, Plum Run, Riverside, Rivesville, Rymer, Sabra, Simpson Evans Chapel, Sinclair, Sugar Creek, Valley Chapel (Wadestown), Wadestown, Wallace, Warren, Wesley Chapel (Rivesville), Wesley (Fairview), Wesley (Morgantown), West Farmington, Westover, Winfield Churches that are ahead: Camp Chapel, Colfax, Kanes Creek, LIFE, Shays Chapel, St. Johns Churches that are on target (91.67%): Brookhaven, Bruceton Mills, Hopewell (Bruceton Mills), Jerusalem, Levels, Mansfield, Mt. Pleasant (Knottsville), Mt. Vernon (Mansfield), Pisgah (Meadowdale), Spruce Street, Wana, Wesley Chapel (Knottsville), Westside Fair Share (Promotional Fund) Update Churches who have paid 100% of their 2018 District Fair Share: Arnettsville, Asbury (Belington-Junior Ct.), Astor, Bailey Memorial, Barrackville, Bee Gum, Berea, Birds Creek, Blackshere, Blueville, Boothsville, Brookhaven, Bruceton Mills, Buckeye, Burns Chapel, Calvary, Camp Chapel, Carolina, Catawba, Centenary, Central, Central Chapel, Cheat Lake, Chestnut Ridge, Colfax, Community, Concord, Corley, Crim Memorial, Denver, Downs, East High Street, Eden, Eldora, Elk City, Esler Chapel, Evansville, Fairview (Morgantown), Fellowsville, Fetterman, First (Shinnston), Flemington, Fort Martin, Gateway, Good Shepherd, Granville, Gypsy, Harner Chapel, Highlawns, Hopewell (Catawba), Hutchinson, Janes Memorial, Joetown, Johnson Chapel, Jones Run, Kanes Creek, Kingmont, Knottsville, Lamberts Run, Levels, LIFE, Logansport, Lumberport,Lynch Chapel. Mansfield, Mariahs Chapel, Miracle Run, Montana, Monumental, Mt. Israel, Mt. Morris, Mt. Pleasant (Harner Chapel), Mt. Pleasant (Knottsville), Mt. Tabor, Mt. Vernon (Kanes Creek), Mt. Vernon (Mansfield), Mt. View, Mt. Zion (Evansville), Mt. Zion, Nestorville, New Hope Valley, Oak Forest, Olive, Otterbein, Peora, Pine Bluff, Pisgah (Bruceton Mills Ct.), Pisgah (Meadowdale), Pleasant Valley, Plum Run, Pruntytown, Reedsville, Sabra, Sinclair, Spruce Street, Sugar Creek, Sugar Valley, Talbott, Thornton, Trinity (Fairmont), Trinity (Grafton), Tunnelton, Tyrone, Valley Chapel (Fairmont), Wadestown, Wallace, Wana, Wesley Chapel (Knottsville), Wesley Chapel (Rivesville Ct.), Wesley (Morgantown), West Farmington, Westover, Westside, Winfield, Woodland, Ziesing

Community. Amy. A Message from the District Superintendent. In This Issue: MonValley District

Community. Amy. A Message from the District Superintendent. In This Issue: MonValley District JANUARY 2019 Community Page 1 A Message from the District Superintendent There s something about opening up a brand new calendar for a new year that makes me feel hopeful. It s a blank slate. It presents