COMMUNITY. MonValley District Newsletter

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1 MonValley District Newsletter JULY 2016 MonValley District Office 309 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 100, Fairmont, WV Phone: ~ Fax: Dear Sisters and Brothers, It is good to return home to the MonValley District after being gone for seven years! I served twelve years at Westover UM Church and Woodland UM Church before being appointed to First UM Church, Clarksburg, for seven years. When Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball invited me to come on the Cabinet as the MonValley District Superintendent, I was excited and humbled. I am looking forward to leading our district as we journey together in faith and ministry, making disciples of Jesus Christ who make disciples for the transformation of the world. As we journey together, please keep me in your prayers as I will keep you in my prayers. With this said, I share the following story with you: James Whistler, born in the 19th century, would go on to be the most important American artist in his time and would have a profound impact on the course of European art as well as modern art. He would significantly influence many great artists who would come after him. He was well known around the world for many of his paintings, one of which you would probably recognize right away if you saw it. It s called Whistler s Mother. It is a stoic painting of his mother. At one of James Whistler s art shows, a gentleman came in and spent hours looking at all the paintings on display. The gentleman narrowed it down to two paintings. After spending time in conversation with Whistler, the gentleman chose the painting he would purchase. But he put a condition upon buying the painting. He would purchase it if James Whistler, himself, would come to his home and help him find the perfect spot to hang the painting. The gentleman wanted the painting to be the center and focal point of everything else in his home. Whistler agreed to do this. They set the date and James Whistler was true to his word. He came to the gentleman s house. Whistler walked through the large house with the gentleman to get the lay of the land. He spent hours walking through the house studying each room the entry way, the hallways, the living room, the den, the study, the kitchen, the bedrooms and so on. He was not having any luck. There was too much clutter and stuff in the home (in the midst of the appointment move while writing this newsletter article, I can relate to all the clutter and stuff). James Whistler couldn t find that perfect spot to hang the painting where it would be the focal point of everything else in the home. In frustration, Whistler went to the gentleman and told him he would need to remove everything from the house all the furniture, any other paintings and wall hangings everything! The gentleman agreed to do it and promptly it was done. James Whistler returned and walked through the empty home Continued... Inside this issue: DS Article cont d DS Calendar New DS Installation Prayer Concerns New Clergy Welcome Moving Clergy Farwell Congratulations! Birthdays & Anniversaries Bishop s Summit Conference Fair Share District Fair Share Looking/Planning Ahead UM Women UM Men Rally on the Mountain MVD Jr Youth Camp Parish Coordinator News MVD Sr Youth Camp Clergy and Family Picnic Mission & Ministry News Hymnals Needed Ministers Mates Retreat AC 2016 Summary District Website- Monvalleyumc.org

2 Page 2 studying each wall and corner of every room. And then he joyfully proclaimed, I ve found it! Right here this is the spot. The gentleman came running, looked and agreed. The two of them hung the painting. Then James Whistler said to the gentleman, Now you can bring everything back into your home but you must arrange and position everything in relation to the painting, so the painting can be the center and focal point of everything in the home. And that s what was done. Everything brought back into the home (minus some clutter and stuff) was arranged around the painting. What an insightful life story for all of us to embrace, as we begin a journey together in Jesus Christ in the MonValley District. As each of us tends to our spiritual home, arranging our lives and possibly getting rid of some clutter and stuff which keeps us from Jesus, may we allow Jesus to be the center and focal point of our lives! And in doing so, allow Jesus to be the center and focal point of the MonValley District and all that we do as disciples of Jesus Christ. Blessings and Joy, Rick July MonValley District Superintendents Calendar Richard H Sale July, Independence Day, District Office Closed 9 District Lead Team, District Office, Fairmont, 1:00 PM 17 Preaching, Spruce Street UMC, Morgantown Cabinet 23 New DS Installation Service for Rick Sale, Woodland UMC, Morgantown, 2:00 PM 24 New DS Welcome for Rick DeQuasie, Mt. Pleasant UMC, Mineral Wells, 2:00 PM 30 Clergy and Family Picnic, Suncrest UMC Pavilion, 12:00 Noon 31 New DS Installation Service for Frank Shomo, Elizabeth Memorial UMC, Charleston, 2:00 PM New DS Installation Service The Installation Service For our new District Superintendent, Rick Sale, will be held on Saturday, July 23 at 2:00 pm at Woodland UMC, Morgantown. Please plan to attend to give a warm MonValley District Welcome to Rick and his wife, Carol Markstrom. Prayer Concerns Around the District Timothy Allen (FE-Spruce Street UMC) - recently underwent heart valve replacement surgery in Pittsburgh 6/23/16. Timothy is home resting and healing Tim (FE-Suncrest UMC) and Reva Halloran Reva s father, S.K. McPherson, passed away 6/9/16

3 Page 3 Welcome New Clergy and Family Belington-Junior Charge Blueville-Haymond Charge Central-Trinity Charge Church of the Good Shepherd UM Howesville Charge (Birds Creek-Howesville) Howesville Charge (Chestnut Ridge-Shays Chapel) Knottsville Charge MonValley District Superintendent Nestorville Charge Sabra-Highland-Jones Charge Trinity Charge Tygart River Charge Woodland-Fairview Charge Effective October 1, 2016: Belington Circuit Pruntytown-Fetterman Clarence and Joyce Thomas John Flynn Junius and Becky Lewis Kelly Martin David and Debbie Curry Delisa and John Riley Judy Flynn Rick Sale and Carol Markstrom Gina Stewart Steve and Teresa Prince Sam and Grace Haught Becky and Kyle Stewart Audria Thomason Harold and Donna Langevin Sam Starling Goodbye, Best Wishes and Thank You Rick and Susie DeQuasie (DS, Little Kanawha District) Dan and Sue Lowther (Appointed in Southern District) Hal Hevener (LOA, MonValley District) Bert and Suzanne Coffman (Retired, MonValley District) Bruce and Sherry Miller Charles and Barbra May (Appointed in Potomac Highlands District) Edward and Kim Craft (Appointed in Greenbrier District) Tim and Kim Bleigh (Appointed in Southern District) Effective October 1, 2016: Oz and Helen Gray (Retired) Effective November 1, 2016: Ron and Cathy Whitlatch (Retired) Congratulations To Cindy Boggs & Andrew Tennant Received Elder s Orders and Full Membership David Yanero, Becky Stewart, Jerry Paris & Jackie Chambers Approved and Licensed as Local Pastors Judy Flynn Received Associate Membership Jim Zinn Received the Harry Denman Evangelism Award

4 Page 4 Birthdays Anniversaries JULY JULY 2 Gina Stewart 1 Greg and Sue Lewis 5 Jami Edin 5 Tom and Billie Shepherd 6 Polly Norton 6 John and Linda Brosky 8 Cindy Boggs 11 Jay and Julia Cline Mary Meighen 22 Jack and Betty Flint 10 Alice Keener Hocking 23 Roger and Lois Sandy 11 Jay Cline 27 Tom and Charlene Strahin 12 Tammy Phillips 30 Gary and Roberta Steele Florence Wilkins 13 Mark Harris Matt Johnson 15 Charlene Hamrick Please alert the district office Tom Shepherd Lesa Wotring to any corrections needed 16 Yvonne Shaver 26 Gary Steele on the birthday and/or 19 Joyce Thomas 28 Amanda Reed anniversary dates. 20 Carolyn Kerr 30 Jo Moore 23 Barbara Hart Becky Stewart Thank you. 24 Sam Haught 31 Harry Holbert Ralph Wycoff Bishop s Summit on Diversity and Inclusion Mark Your Calendar NOW to be sure to be a part of this important event! FRIDAY 16, SEPTEMBER, 9:00 AM - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1:00 PM Charleston Conference Center Holiday Inn & Suites Charleston West Wingate by Wyndham 400 & 402 Second Avenue Charleston, WV Office: Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball invites you to the 2016 Bishop's Summit on Diversity and Inclusion. The 2016 Summit addresses intercultural competency and leadership development. Participants will explore the concept of diversity and the need for cultural sensitivity. This time of holy conferencing will inspire clergy and laity to broaden the scope and expand the reach of United Methodist ministries in West Virginia and in Garrett County, Maryland by welcoming all people regardless of race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, physical ability, etc. The program features praise and worship led by a team under the direction of Rev. Tanya Linn Bennett, PhD from Drew University; training by Rev. Giovanni Arroyo of the General Commission on Religion and Race; and, preaching by our Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball. NOTE: A pre-conference workshop for chairpersons of WVUMC agencies and teams will begin at 9:00 AM on Friday, September 16, providing essential information for leadership in the West Virginia Conference. All who chair agencies and teams, new and continuing, are expected to attend. Register NOW at wvumc.org.

5 Page 5 MonValley District Conference Apportionment Update Through May 2016 Thank you for your faithfulness! Churches that have paid 100%: Astor, Bailey Memorial, Blackshere, Buckeye, Community, Corley, Evansville, First (Shinnston), Flemington, Hopewell (Catawba), Johnson Chapel, Jones Run, Mariah s Chapel, Mt. Zion (Catawba), Mt. Zion (Evansville), Oak Forest, Olive, Peora, Pisgah (Bruceton Mills Ct.), Plum Run, Sinclair, Sugar Creek, Valley Chapel (Wadestown), Wadestown, Warren, West Farmington, Winfield Churches that are ahead: Barrackville, Benton Ferry, Boothsville, Burns Chapel, Carolina, Central Chapel, Chestnut Ridge, Christ, Colfax, Concord, Cross Roads, Downs, Eldora, Fellowsville, First (Monongah), Fort Martin, Granville, Harner Chapel, Haught Chapel, Highland Park, Janes Memorial, Jerusalem, Joetown, Knottsville, Laurel Point, Levels, Logansport, McCurdysville, Meadowdale H & H Chapel, Mt. Israel, Mt. Moriah, Mt. Pleasant (Harner Chapel), Mt. View, Otterbein, Pine Bluff, Pleasant Valley, Rivesville, Rymer, Spruce Street, Talbott, Teverbaugh Chapel, Trinity (Grafton), Wallace, Wana, Wesley (Morgantown), Westover Churches that are on target: Asbury (Belington), Bee Gum, Berea, Brookhaven, Bruceton Mills, East High Street, Elk City, Hopewell (Bruceton Mills Ct.), Hutchinson, Kanes Creek, Kasson, Mansfield, Miracle Run, Mt. Vernon (Kanes Creek), Mt. Vernon (Mansfield), New Hope Valley, Philippi, Reedsville, Sabra, St. John s, Valley Chapel (Fairmont), Wesley Chapel (Knottsville) MonValley District Office Apportionment (Promotional Fund) Update The following churches have paid 100% of their 2016 District Apportionment: Arnettsville, Asbury (Belington-Junior), Astor, Bailey Memorial, Ballah Chapel, Barrackville, Bee Gum, Benton Ferry, Bethel (Belington-Junior), Bethlehem, Blackshere, Blacksville, Blueville, Boothsville, Brookhaven, Bruceton Mills, Buckeye, Camp Chapel, Carolina, Catawba, Central Chapel, Christ, Colfax, Community, Concord, Corley, Crim Memorial, Denver, Eldora, Elk City, Esler Chapel, Evansville, Farmington Main Street, Fetterman, Flemington, Fort Martin, Gateway, Good Shepherd, Grace Chapel, Green Hill, Gypsy, Harner Chapel, Highland Avenue, Highland Park, Hopewell (Catawba), Hoult, Hutchinson, Janes Memorial, Johnson Chapel, Jones Run, Kanes Creek, Kingmont, Lamberts Run, Laurel Point, LIFE, Logansport, Lynch Chapel, Mansfield, Mariah s Chapel, Meadowdale H&H Chapel, Miracle Run, Montana Mines, Monumental, Mt. Morris, Mt. Pleasant (Harner Chapel), Mt. Pleasant (Knottsville), Mt. Tabor, Mt. Vernon (Kanes Creek), Mt. Vernon (Mansfield), Mt. Zion (Catawba), Mt. Zion (Evansville), Nestorville, Oak Forest, Olive, Otterbein, Peora, Pine Bluff, Pisgah (Meadowdale), Pleasant Valley (Monongalia), Pruntytown, Reedsville, Riverside, Sabra, Spruce Street, Stringtown, Sugar Valley, Talbott, Thornton, Trinity (Grafton), Tunnelton, Valley Chapel (Fairmont), Valley Chapel (Wadestown), Wadestown, Wallace, Warren, Wesley (Morgantown), Wesley Chapel (Knottsville), West Farmington, Westover, Ziesing

6 Page 6 Looking/Planning Ahead for Your Local Church JULY 1 New Appointments Begin 4 Independence Day, District Office Closed 9 District Lead Team, District Office, Fairmont, 1:00 PM Jurisdictional Conference, Lancaster, PA Rally on the Mountain, Snowshoe Cabinet (if needed) Candidacy Retreat, Jackson s Mill 23 DS Installation, Woodland UMC, Morgantown, 2:00 PM District Junior Youth Camp, Camp Muffly District Senior Youth Camp, Camp Muffly 30 District Clergy and Family Picnic, Suncrest UMC Pavilion, Morgantown, 12:00 Noon AUGUST 1-2 Cabinet 2-10 DS Vacation 13 District Lead Team, District Office, Fairmont, 1:00 PM DS Orientation, Lake Junaluska, NC SEPTEMBER 5 Labor Day, District Office Closed Diversity Summit, Charleston 17 District Lead Team, Charleston, 1:00 PM Cabinet and Mission Day in Potomac Highlands District 30-10/1 Candidacy Retreat, Jackson s Mill Important Upcoming Events: July September 24 October 8 October MonValley District United Methodist Women Mission U, WVWC, Buckhannon Day Apart, Gateway UMC, Fairmont Fall District Meeting, Bruceton Mills UMC, Bruceton Mills Conference UMW Annual Meeting, Bridgeport UMC, Bridgeport For more information please contact the United Methodist Women President in your church or the district UMW President, Mary Bane ( , mrbane@hsc.wvu.edu). MonValley District United Methodist Men Watch for Charge Conference Schedule and Clergy Interview Schedule Coming Soon! July Update: It s time to CELEBRATE! Celebrate the love of our almighty Father God, the saving grace of Jesus Christ his Son, the uplifting presence of the Holy Spirit, and the blessings they all have brought and continue to bring to our lives each day! Welcome Rev. Rick Sale, as our new District Superintendent! Celebrate our Independence (safely) on July 4! CELEBRATE!!! Upcoming events: The WV Conference UMM Retreat at Jackson s Mill is scheduled for September 9, 10, and 11, In conjunction with the Retreat, the MonValley UMM will once again coordinate the Arnold Eddy Memorial Golf Tournament (at Tygart Lake Golf Course-outside of Grafton) on September 9, If you need me to forward any of that information to you, please let me know. The UMM and Scouting need your presence and support! Your fellow servant of the Lord, Paul Hanko, MonValley District UMM President Hanko@Comcast.net; H , C

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9 Page 9 Parish Coordinator News Barbour County Cooperative Parish: The Barbour County Cooperative Parish will hold an organization meeting on July 26th (Tuesday) at 7 pm at the Corley UMC. As the newly appointed parish coordinator, I have sent letters outlining the agenda for the evening and encourage all of our parish pastors and their representatives to be in attendance. I look forward to meeting and working with all of our pastors and their church representatives. May God's grace fill your life abundantly!! - Harold Langevin, Parish Coordinator Cheat Mountain Cooperative Parish: Summer is up and rolling! The churches of this parish are busy celebrating in July with VBS opportunities, picnics, mission trips, and just general work. The churches have been busy feeding the hungry, donating to our mission projects and other special programs. Some of us hope to go on vacation and others are just coming back. It is just an exciting time! All our pastor's are back as we begin our new conference year together. Yay! July we will be celebrating Good Neighbor's Day in Bruceton Mills. On July 23, we will be participating in the installation of our new District Superintendent, Rick Sale. Then, of course, on July 30, we will be off to picnic together as MonValley clergy. As clergy and laity of Cheat Mountain---we will be busy. Love in Christ, - Vicki Sheppard, Parish Coordinator Morgantown East Cooperative Parish: The Morgantown East Parish will join together for a parish-wide sing on July 24th at 6PM at Harner Chapel. This will include singers from our churches. Our leadership team is reading "Get Their Name" by Anderson, Farr and Koten which we will discuss at our summer planning meeting, August 5 at Big Bear Lake. In response to the book, we will include faith sharing moments at our parish sing. We are excited about what God is doing in and through our parish. Better Together. - Brad Bennett, Parish Coordinator North Marion Cooperative Parish: The North Marion Parish recently celebrated it's annual picnic at the Parish Run Park. It was a beautiful day with friends, family and community having music, singing and plenty of food. The Parish, like all others at present, are offering up prayers and are looking for ways to assist the many victims of the recent devastating floods in our southern counties. May God's tremendous grace, peace and providing love rise to meet the needs of so many. - Danny Blake, Parish Coordinator Shinnston Cooperative Parish: Greetings to you in the name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We find ourselves in the middle of the year and preparing for our busy fall mission projects. On July 2nd, we will have our Annual Miles for Missions run/walk/bike race. You still have time to donate towards our goal of raising $1,500+ for C.O.M.E. Please send your donations to First UMC Shinnston, 64 Rebecca Street, Shinnston, WV with "Miles for Missions" in the memo on your checks. Modern Woodman of America our partnering with us to raise as much money as possible. They will match dollar for dollar up to $1,500. Stay tuned for more happenings from the Shinnston area - Cindy Boggs, Parish Coordinator MonValley JYC 2016 Please see the article attached with this newsletter for important information about the MonValley District Junior Youth Camp, 2016 from Camp Director, Codi Richards We are excited for your children Monday, July 4, 2016 to have the summer camp experience! The District Office will be closed Be safe, have fun, praise the Lord and our soldiers for our freedom!

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11 Page 11 Please bring your family and a covered dish to share. The district will provide table service and drinks. Hope to see you there. MonValley District Clergy and Family Picnic SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016 SUNCREST UMC PAVILION MORGANTOWN We will eat at 12:00 Noon Mission and Ministry News Heart and Hand House, Inc.: Summer is here, the cicadas are finally gone, and Heart and Hand is buzzing with activity. Our summer volunteer teams are already hard at work completing numerous home repairs and starting construction of one new house. Locally grown, fresh produce is starting to roll in at the Community Garden Market, under the management of our newly hired market manager, Jody Carpenter. We also are partnering with the Philippi Public Library again this summer, providing lunch for three weeks, through our friends at Fish Hawk Acres, for approximately 25 children who are participating in the summer arts and reading programs. All this, plus we continue to serve families in the community through our thrift stores, food pantry, and other emergency services. Your continued prayers and support are greatly appreciated. Thank you for blessing us so that we can be a blessing to others! - Brenda Hunt, Executive Director Scott s Run Settlement House: Greetings from Scott s Run Settlement House! We have seen a busy start to the summer! We just completed repairs on 5 homes through a wonderful mission team representing Davidsonville UMC in Maryland. We are also starting our summer Backpack Feeding Program at three Energy Express locations. Our school supplies drive is also underway. Please consider donating any extra school supplies you may have on hand. Your prayers and continued support are always appreciated! - Shay Petitto, Executive Director Hymnals Needed Wanted: Donations of United Methodist Hymnals for use by the United Methodist Men at our Fall Retreat in September. We would like at least 40 hymnals that can be used in our early morning worship services where we also celebrate communion. They can be sent to my address: 225 Carlson Drive, Grafton, WV or dropped off at the District Office. Please note what church or group or person is making the donation so we can acknowledge your contribution. The hymnals do not have to be new or of a certain color. Thanking you in advance for your help. Rev. Harold A. Langevin, Jr. WV UMM Conference Prayer Advocate or (cell) Ministers Wives/Mates Fellowship West Virginia Annual Conference United Methodist Ministers Wives/Mates Fellowship 2016 September 23, 24 & 25 John XXIII Center, Charleston Watch your mail for registration forms...coming soon!

12 Page 12 Official Conference Summary The 48th session of the West Virginia Annual Conference met June 9-12 at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV. Putting the words and creeds of the Christian faith into action, to deploy ourselves into the world so that lives are transformed, was emphasized throughout conference. The Rev. Dr. Vance Ross urged conference to re-humanize a dehumanized world and its broken people through worship that lets everybody know they are somebody, they have a place. Ross reminded conference that treating all people well is not conservative or liberal; it is human and something we are commanded to do by God. Ross is the director of annual conference relationships for Discipleship Ministries (formerly known as the General Board of Discipleship or GBOD). He is a native of Bluefield, WV and served several churches in the West Virginia Annual Conference. Conference celebrated a year in which worship attendance, baptisms, and professions of faith saw substantive increases. The West Virginia Conference hopes to reach 2400 or more new people for Jesus Christ by the end of A series of videos from the Bishop s Cabinet highlighted the ministries in local churches that helped to drive statistics in a positive direction. Two churches were recognized for their commitment to bringing new people to Christ by receiving the One Matters Award, given by Discipleship Ministries. Hambleton United Methodist Church in Hambleton, WV (pop. 232), is near Parsons WV in the Potomac Highlands District. They began a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) in partnership with the town of Hambleton. The church also hosts a midweek children's program which 30 children attend. They celebrated 16 baptisms and 11 professions of faith in Forrest Burdette Memorial United Methodist Church in Hurricane, WV provides a ministry to families with children of all ages through a pre-school, youth ministries, and youth leadership in faith formation. They celebrated 29 professions of faith in In a passionate sermon during Sunday morning s service of Ordination and Commissioning, Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball called upon the Conference to learn from Moses. Moses was doing a great job tending to his flock, said the bishop. God finally had to resort to the supernatural, a burning bush, to get his attention. The church must turn aside from church busyness, said the bishop, in order to bring God s children out of suffering and pain. Other Conference Highlights: The conference concluded a year-long emphasis on repentance and reconciliation with Native Americans, culminating in a moving worship service Friday evening at conference. Circles of Grace, a small group process designed to cultivate covenental conversation was used by the conference to convene conversations around human sexuality and the global nature of the church. Conference elected the Rev. Dr. Joseph S. Kenaston after the first ballot as the episcopal candidate (office of bishop) from the West Virginia Annual Conference. A resolution in response to the Council of Bishops plan, A Way Forward, was tabled. The conference passed a resolution urging holiness, civility, and respect in conversation. Judi Kenaston received the Susannah Wesley award from the United Methodist Men. A budget of $12,278,989 was approved for 2017, an increase of $119,798, or.990% from the 2016 budget. At the end of 2015, membership stood at 95,832, down 1,531 or 1.57% from Worship attendance rose from 40,563 to 42,309 or 4.3%. Professions of faith jumped by 10.16% - from 1,024 to 1,128. Enrollment in confirmation class rose more than a third from the previous year: from 476 to 648, an increase of 172 or 36.13%. 32 clergy entered the retired relationship with the annual conference. Six people were commissioned for the work of an elder; one for the work of a deacon. Seven elders and two deacons were ordained. The conference recognized two people as associate members. 21 people completed licensing school; 5 completed course of study. More on the 2016 session of the West Virginia Annual Conference can be found at wvumc.org/conference

13 MonValley District The United Methodist Church 309 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 100 Fairmont WV Want more news from around the conference? Check out wvumc.org and communications to subscribe to The Short Circuit, The Mountain Circuit and/or The Monthly Circuit Phone: Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm M-F Fax: District Office Rick Sale s rsbrook21@gmail.com District Office Website: monvalleyumc.org Rev. Richard H. Sale District Superintendent Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball Resident & Presiding Bishop West Virginia Annual Conference MONVALLEY DISTRICT NEWSLETTER If you receive this newsletter from a printed source and would like to have it sent to you electronically please send your address to the district office at monvalleydistrictumc@outlook.com.