greenbrier greetings - Greenbrier District of the United Methodist

GREENBRIER GREETINGS
May & June 2016
Melissa Shortridge, D. S.
District
Breakfast
Annual Conference is just around
the corner and with it comes our
Greenbrier District Breakfast!
This year it will be on Saturday, June 11th at 7:00 a.m. at
the Performing Arts Center. Pastors, retired pastors, lay
delegates, family members --- all are invited to join us.
Those newly appointed to the district as well as retired clergy & family will be our guests. However, we will still need
your reservation.
Please call or e-mail to save your space. Our number is limited due to fire marshal regulations, so don’t miss your opportunity. The cost is $9.50 with checks made payable to
the Greenbrier District.
Contact Us
Greenbrier District
P O Box 764
Lewisburg, WV 24901
304.645.1357
[email protected]
[email protected]
Visit us on the web at:
greenbrierwvumc.org
Members of the Bishop's
Cabinet
work
building a ramp in Martin's Ferry, OH on a
mission day with the
House of the Carpenter.
We saw God's glory in
the
brisk
windy
day,
the satisfaction of seeing
work
completed,
and the cinnamon muffins
the
homeowner's
daughter made us!
Rock Camp UMC on the Peters Valley Charge, recently
held a benefit gospel sing for a young man who had to
have open heart surgery and has been unable to work.
He is 25 years old and the fiancé of the daughter of one
of our church members. The benefit was organized in a
little less than two weeks and raised over $1,500. Musicians and singers from our church, as well as our sister
church at Dropping Lick and several surrounding churches performed for a little over two hours and then refreshments were served. It is amazing how our community comes together in times of need! We are having a
representative from the Christian Motorcyclist Association this weekend to give a presentation and will use
funds from our pension holiday to guarantee them at
least a $500 donation.
Frankford United Methodist Church in
Frankford, WV is home to pastor Phillip
Hickman. A large percentage of the money from the pension program goes to
the local food pantry that is held at Mt.
Hermon United Methodist Church, which
is one of the 3 churches on our charge.
These churches work together to provide
food for the underprivileged in our community. Sixty to seventy families, and at
times more than that, receive food every
month and, also, every Saturday they
pick up produce and breads
Monetary
donations
would be
appreciated
and checks
can be sent
to the District Office
at P.O. Box
764,
Lewisburg,
WV 24901,
earmarked
"Youth
Ministries".
We are also looking
for volunteers to help
at the rally. If you
can help, please contact Judy Pysell at
304-438-6011 or
[email protected].
Donations of hot
dogs, buns, single
serve bags of chips,
canned drinks and
bottled water would
also be welcome.
.
S.W.A.T.
Spiritual Warfare and Teenagers
Greenbrier District Youth Rally in the great outdoors!
May 21, 2016
Ace Adventure Resort
1 Concho Road, Minden, WV 25879
Hot Dog Roast at 4:30 near the stage area - Mountain Top
West, and the youth rally will follow the hot dog roast.
Praise Music, Praise Band, Awesome Testimonies, Dynamic
Preaching, Great Fellowship and much, much more.
Rain or Shine! Please bring blankets or lawn chairs to sit
on during the rally.
Ace Adventure Resort offers a wide range of camping and
lodging accommodations, plus a wide range of outdoor activities such as white water rafting and zip lining. If you would
like more information about the resort, camping reservations
or pricing for any of the outdoor activities, please call 1-800787-3982.
We will end our rally with a bonfire!
Just in case you weren’t able to attend – the Greenbrier District Conference was held on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at Trinity United Methodist
Church in Ronceverte. Here is a sample of what you missed.
CAMDEN-COWEN-HALO CHARGE
This evening (April 28th) starting at 5 PM folks from Upper Glade
Holiness Church and Halo UMC met at the Craigsville Skating
Rink for fun, food, and fellowship.
Bethel (Camden) held an Easter egg hunt and egg dyeing for the
community children. We got just enough of a break in the
weather. Although turnout was small, the families who came
were appreciative.
Every United Methodist Can Be Part of
General Conference 2016
Not every United Methodist will be a delegate to General Conference, but that does not mean that you
cannot participate in all that is happening May 10-20, 2016, in Portland, Oregon. General Conference is
the global gathering of The United Methodist Church, and there are plenty of ways for you to be involved.
Prayer
Praying for delegates, bishops, speakers, and all those who lead and attend the General Conference
sessions is a powerful way to participate. Pray for God to guide the General Conference’s decisions, for
Christ to lead us into the future, and for the Holy Spirit to empower us to go on toward perfection in our
love of God and one another.
Pray with a group. Encourage the members of the prayer team at your church to also pray for General
Conference in the days ahead, or consider forming a prayer group at your church specifically for this purpose.
Follow along
Our computers, phones, and tablets are giving us more ways to stay connected with General Conference
than ever before.
Bookmark the website. GC2016.UMC.org is the source for everything about General Conference 2016.
News, blogs, resources, videos and photos about everything happening at General Conference are available
in this central location. United Methodist Communications will update this page throughout the General
Conference with the latest news and daily summaries that share the highlights of each day.
Watch the live stream. Whenever the conference is in session, GC2016.UMC.org will feature live
streaming video where you will be able to watch the voting, worship, speeches, and celebrations happening
on the floor of General Conference. The feed will be available in English, French, and American Sign Language. The schedule is available online, just remember all times listed are Pacific Time Zone, and you may
have to adjust.
Get the app. General Conference 2016 has a mobile device application available in your app store
(Google Play| iTunes). News, videos, photos, and the daily devotions are there now, and much more
will be added and updated throughout General Conference.
Follow on social media. Follow UMCGeneralConference on Facebook, @UMCGC on Twitter,
and umcgc on Instagram for stories, photos, videos, and links. Use the official hashtag of General Conference 2016, #UMCGC, on any social media platform to join and follow the conversations of United Methodists all over the world. One of the easier ways to follow #UMCGC will be available at GC2016.UMC.org.
Keep up with specific legislation. If you are interested in a specific piece of legislation, possibly one
submitted by your congregation or annual conference, you can track it on a webpage in the General Conference section of UMC.org.
Stay connected
The United Methodist Church is a connectional church. This means that we are not only part of our local
congregation, but also part of a global community of people of faith. We have brothers and sisters in the
church in Portland, Poland, and the Philippines; South Carolina, South Congo, and Southern Nigeria; West
Virginia, West Zimbabwe, and Western Angola; Norway, North-West Katanga, and North Georgia; Minnesota, Mozambique, and Republic of Macedonia.
When we gather for General Conference, we celebrate this global connection of The United Methodist
Church. While we all cannot be in Portland, Oregon, May 10-20, 2016, all of us can participate in the work
of our church.
A UMC.org Feature by Joe Iovino
The Walk Thru the Bible – Old Testament
was held on March 19th at Lewisburg United Methodist Church.
It was an exciting event, with 130 attending.
There were many positive comments
about the seminar… and many positive
comments about coming to a New Testament Seminar.
The Celebration of Mission Event for the
Greenbrier District was held on Saturday,
April 23 at Trinity UMC in Ronceverte.
Everyone was very generous in their giving. Here are just few glimpses of the
day!
2016 Greenbrier District Lay Servant Ministries Academy
Course Information & Registration
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Make up Class for 4-2-16
“Living Our Beliefs”
District Office
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
“Basic” or “Leading Worship”
“Basic” or” Leading Worship”
Mt. Zion, Nettie
Trinity, Union
The classes are limited to 20 participants and will be on a first come basis. Registration cut off is one week before each class.
Name of Course _______________________________________________________________
Date of Course________________________________________________________________
To register for either the basic course or an advanced course, please complete this form.
Course books are available for pick-up at the District Office or will be mailed upon receipt of the registration and payment.
PLEASE PRINT
Name:
__________________________________________________________
Mailing address:
City:
________________________________________________________
_____ State:
Home telephone:
Local church:
Zip:
______
__________________________E-Mail:__________________________________________
___________________________________Pastor: _________________________________________
I am registering for (please select one of the following):
(
) Basic course ~ fee is $35
(
) Advanced course ~ fee is $35
The number of participants for each class is limited, so early registration is suggested. The course fee covers the cost of the book
or books, any other course materials, light refreshments, and lunch.
We will meet from 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM. You must be present the full time in order to receive credit.
Dietary Concerns: _________________________________________________________
Send the completed form and payment (Checks payable to Greenbrier District) to:
Lay Servant Ministries Registrar
Greenbrier District UMC
P. O. Box 764, Lewisburg, WV 24901
Gilgal’s choir during the
Easter Cantata and the
new piano with Susie
Bell playing. Also, Hickory Grove with their card
ministry.
A Note from Old Rehoboth
I am blessed to live, among the Black Walnut and the gentle breeze,
on the beautiful grounds of Old Rehoboth. When Edward Keenan
donated the land for Rehoboth he spoke these words of blessing “As
long as the grass grows and the water flows” this will be a place of
worship. We invite you to come join in the blessing of Rehoboth, the
oldest standing protestant church west of the Alleghenies. Come and
experience a bit of Methodist history right where Bishop Asbury actually preached. We have a lovely picnic shelter and museum at Rehoboth. We are open April-October; Thursday – Saturday 11:00 am. –
5:00pm and Sunday 2:00pm-5:00pm and other times by appointment. Just drop by or call and book an outing for your group. Our
phone number is 304-772-3518. We are located 1.5 mi east of Union
just off of route 3E. Last year we had 1482 guest visit us. We hosted
family reunions, church picnics, church services, tour bus groups,
clubs, school classes, meetings and a retreat. We would love for you
to be a guest in 2016.
This year, be it God’s will, we are hoping to reach out into our community a little more than last. We have scheduled a VBS for the week
of June 27th: 6:00-8:00pm. We will also be hosting Friday Family Fun
nights a couple of times per month, starting June 3rd and June 24th.
At the 2015 WV annual conference we were called into a year of repentance for our historic mistreatment of our Native American Brothers and Sisters. This year the Conference will offer four official Acts
of Repentance. Rehoboth has been chosen to host one of these
Acts of Repentance on August 20th. We are honored to be chosen as
one of these sites and hope you can join us for this.
There are activities at Rehoboth and there are times of peace. There
are times of fellowship and times alone with the Creator. If you
would like to experience all that Rehoboth has to offer and offer it to
others we need you to volunteer. There are opportunities for
grounds work and opportunities to guide tours. The caretaker must
be gone from time to time and needs good volunteers to cover in her
absence. What a great time to share with others. If you are interested in volunteering at Rehoboth call 304-772-3518 to arrange training
and times. We have much to be thankful for here at Rehoboth “as
long as the grass grows and the water flows.” God Bless you all.
Pocahontas County Cooperative Parish Women’s Retreat
September 9th & 10th , 2016
(May also plan to arrive after 6pm on Sept. 8th)
Bishop Hodges Pastoral Center
Huttonsville, WV
More information will follow!!!!
Main Street UMC says, "Thanks be to God!"
for going from no music in the church to a
millennial choir and a youth choir.
District Clergy & Family Picnic
The District Clergy & Family Picnic will be Friday, July 22nd
at Blue Bend Recreation Area, located on County Rt. 16/2
toward Anthony off of Rt. 92, White Sulphur Springs, WV.
We will gather at 4:00 p.m. and eat at 5:00 p.m. at the
shelter (no electricity). The meal will be covered dish with
the meat, drinks and paper products provided.
An auction
with the proceeds going to the Minister Mate’s Love Fund is
planned. Please bring items to donate to the auction and
save some space for any exciting things from the auction
that you won’t be able to resist.
Clergy Meetings (Mandatory)
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
10am-3pm at James Chapel in Clintonville
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
10am – 3pm at Wesley Chapel in Hillsboro
Gather at 9:30am for coffee and light
refreshments, lunch provided.
Child Protection Training
Saturday, June 4th
Forest Burdette UMC
2848 Putnam Ave, Hurricane, WV 25526
9am – 12pm
Conducted by April Forkey
[email protected], or by
phone at [cell] 724-880-8780,
[home] 304-232-2191.
Leprechaun's came to the Crichton UMC After
School Program on St. Patrick’s Day.
May 20-21
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE GATHERING
A 2 DAY EVENT in Lewisburg, WV sponsored by the Greenbrier Historical Society. A Native American Heritage Gathering will take place on the lawn of the New River Community and Tech nical
College in Lewisburg, WV and is open Free to the public.
Activities Include:
Enjoy Native American Culture
Visit with Local People of Native Ameri-
Traditional Native American Dancing
Learning Lodges
Sacagawea and Chief Cornstalk—History Alive
Presentation
can Heritage
Dancers wear your regalia and join the
Circle
Flying Higher Birds of Prey Demonstration
Traditional Drums, Storytellers are welcome
Learning modules about Native American Culture and
Heritage
Craft & Food Vendors are welcome!
Red River Drum Story Telling
Vendors
(Please contact
[email protected])
Event sponsorships available!
Bring lawn chair. No drugs or alcohol as
Contact: [email protected]
this is a family event!
304.645.3398 or
Dancers welcome—$25 to the first 25
[email protected]
dancers in full regalia.
304.536.3188
The 2016 Cross Walk through White Sulphur Springs by the
East Greenbrier Charge (Whatcoat, Alvon, May Chapel) led by
Reverend Gerald Roberts.
CAMP CJ
July 4-8, 2016
Camp Summers, Hinton, WV
Camp CJ is open to anyone who has completed 4th
grade through high school graduates.
The cost is still $130.00 per camper and counselor.
Churches are encouraged to assist campers with the
cost of camp if possible. If your church is not assisting
children and youth from your community with the
cost of camp, you are urged to send $100 to the district office to enable us to offer aid to others. Camp
Scholarships are available through the District Office
as well as through Camp CJ.
Applications and detailed information are available at
the District Office.
Mission U
WHEN:
Thursday, July 21 at 12pm—Saturday, July 23 at 12pm
WHERE: West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, WV
WHAT:
Fresh Wind Blowing Winds of Knowledge Spiritual
Growth Study—The Bible and Human Sexuality
Geographic—Latin America
Social Issue—Climate Justice
Cool Church Isn’t What It Used to Be
by Carey Nieuwhof
Photo credit: connexuscommunity.com
For the last few decades, simply being a cooler church than the church
down the road helped churches grow. Trade in the choir for a band. Add
some lights, some sound, some haze, and you had a growing church. That
time has recently come to a close. I’m not against churches having bands,
lights, and creating a great environment. Not at all. In fact, the church I
lead has all of the above; if you are going to gather people, gather well. My
point is not that you shouldn’t, but that it’s no longer enough. So what’s changing?
Cutting-edge keeps changing…fast. Constant connectivity online has sped up trends. What’s novel isn’t
novel for long anymore. You used to have to hire experts, be in a certain circle, or do some travelling or
sleuthing to find cool things. Now you just download an app, watch a video, stream a song, or follow whatever trend you’re passionate about in the moment. Trends are shorter, less interesting, and we’re all growing oh-so-bored with what’s novel. It’s harder than ever for churches to be cutting-edge because cuttingedge keeps changing.
Indifference to church has grown. As the percentage of unchurched adults in the U.S. has risen, indifference to the church has grown. Church leaders in places like Canada and other countries have felt the indifference for much longer. As churches changed their worship style and even architecture in recent times,
having a cool church got you more traction than it does today. Here’s why: if people aren’t into church, it
doesn’t matter how cool, hip, or trendy your church is; people won’t be that interested.
Imitation killed innovation. Because we live in a digital age when church leaders easily keep their fingers
on the pulse of what other leading churches are doing, we also find ourselves living in an age of imitation.
I’m not against borrowing great practices, but when churches imitate each other, we rarely borrow all the
best practices. We just borrow the ones that have caught our imagination. We ignore the reality that what’s
making growing churches grow is significantly deeper than the cool factor. And in the process of all that
imitation, something even more important is lost: innovation.
Five Keys to Rebirth (The New Cool)
All around us is a rapidly changing culture, and when we ignore that culture, we do so at our peril. It is
still a great idea to use the culture to reach the culture, but you definitely go beyond that. Here are five
keys I see to a future of greater impact with Millennials.
I. Authentic Leadership and Connection
Sometimes the reason cool doesn’t connect is because underneath all that "cool" is an inauthenticity: people
who have fallen for the lie that style trumps substance. Unchurched people and younger adults and teens
are looking for authentic leadership and authentic connection. And, my goodness, if the church is anything,
it should be a place of deep authenticity.
2. An Elevated Sense of Mission
The church has always been about something bigger than itself. At the center of our mission is Christ.
While most organizations naturally drift toward an insider focus, church leaders must resist this at all
costs. Not only is it antithetical to the true mission of the church, but a self-obsessed community is a
turnoff to a young generation that is well aware of the needs in the world the church often ignores. You lose
your narcissism when you lose yourself in a bigger mission. And a bigger mission is something Millennials
are longing to give their lives to.
3. Hope
Christianity provides more hope than anything. I’m 100 percent behind making messages practical, applicable, and helpful. But sometimes the practical can tip too far. We recently heard from an unchurched
woman in her mid-20s who had listened to a few of our messages and said, "Well, it’s great to know how to
balance my personal finances ... but I don’t really need God for that, do I?" To some extent, she’s right. As
Millennials and young adults explore the Christian faith, there has to be practical theology, but there also
has to be much more.
4. Elevated Community
I’m all for video walls if they help the mission, but no church will ever have the resources to entertain better than Hollywood. But even if the church did, what would be the point? God is in the people business. And
the heart of Christianity is relationship — a right relationship with God, each other, and ourselves. It’s also
fairly clear that younger adults and teens hunger for community perhaps more deeply than previous generations did. Moving forward, churches that elevate community and prioritize healthy relationships will fare
much better in accomplishing their mission than those who don’t.
5. Experimentation
Experimentation is the key to innovation. In an age of imitation, innovation has to make a comeback. So
how does a church experiment, particularly a church that has had success in the recent past or even in the
present? The best approach is to do what you do now, but begin experimenting on the side to see what has
the potential to make a significant impact in the future. Truthfully, I’m not sure anyone really knows what
that is right now, which is why experimentation is even more important than we might initially think.
Carey Nieuwhof is founding and teaching pastor of Connexus Community Church in Barrie, Ontario, Canada; a popular blogger and podcaster; and author of bestselling books. This article is adapted from his latest
book, Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations That Will Help Your Church Grow , available from Amazon
Rally on the Mountain
An Event for Youth.
Designed for Youth.
July 14-17
Snowshoe Mountain
www.showshoemtn.com
Registration: $50
Entertainment:
Gary Shockley, Sand Artist
For more information:
wvumc.org/about/youth/ROM
Contact: Rev. Shea James
Director of Youth and Outdoor
Ministries
[email protected]
304.344.8331 x25
Recent recipients of the United Methodist,
Cooperative Parish, Saints Memorial
Scholarships in the amount of $500 each
were Braden Johnson, son of Arlie Johnson & Christa Treadway, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. And Sarah Spencer, daughter of Michael and Joyce Spencer, Faith United Methodist Church. Both
are graduates of Richwood High School,
Richwood, WV and have maintained a
3.75 GPA at their respective colleges. In
order to continue offering this scholarship
our Parish Churches combine efforts to
raise funds for this scholarship Our latest
fund raiser was a dinner theatre at St.
Luke’s multipurpose building in Craigsville, WV.
Creative Camp
Lewisburg United Methodist Church
June 13-16
9am—12pm
Fun Activities include:
Register Today
Crazy Games
Registration fee:
Clay Projects
One Pack of Water
Nature Art
Fun Skits
Church Office: 304.645.2727
Friday's at Wild Bean coffee
shop a teen's vision came to
fruition. Teens were hungry
for Gods perspective on today's issues that teens face.
So, Friday's from 4-5pm you
will find 20 or so teens gather
with Rev. Bev and adult partners in ministry to help facilitate what God has to say
about dating, self image,
friendships, girl drama, insecurities and life's purpose. Boys
meet together and the girls
meet together.... Want your
teen to be a part of this encouragement? Text Rev. Bev
at 828-279-3676.
May 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2 Leadership & Ministry Team—6pm
Lewisburg UMC
3
4
5
6
7
Michelle Clark
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
10
11
General
Conference
through May 20th
Lead Team 9am—
Faith UMC
Michael Ludle
Gene Adkins
Paul Mateer
8
9
Brandon Moll
12
13
14
19
20
21
David & Linda
Lancaster
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
15
22
16
17
Parish
Coordinators
9 am—District Parsonage
Clergy Meeting
9:30m –James
Chapel,
Clintonville
23
24
25 Cabinet
26
Cabinet
Clergy
Evaluations Due
Brenda PainterGerald Roberts
Herman & Paulette Cabinet
Jones
18
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
Carter Dierdoff
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
29
30
31
Leslie Mateer
Office Closed—
Memorial Day
Clergy
Interviews—
District Office—
9 am
Gary Phillips
SWAT
Youth Rally
Ace Adventure
Resort - 4:30pm
27
28
Whitney
Stilgenbauer
June 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1 Clergy
2
3
4
Interviews 9am—
Summersville
Carol Booth
Clergy Interviews
9am—District
Office
Emory Hanna
Rick Duncan
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
5
6
7
8
9
Nadine Fullen
Cabinet
Cabinet
Lead Team—
9am—Oak Grove
WV Annual
Conference
Brent & Deborah
Brown
12
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
13
14
WV Annual
Conference
19
Uriah Ludle
11
WV Annual
Conference
Shari Stilgenbauer
15
16
17
18
Resa Workman
Northeast
Quadrennial
Meeting
Newsletter
Deadline
David & Shari
Stilgenbauer
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
20 Parish Coordinators 9 am—
District Parsonage
21
22
23
24
25 “Make up”
Cabinet
Deborah Brown
Melinda Stout
Cabinet
Sonny & Brenda
Painter
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
Betty Shields
Verlin & Roberta
Butcher
Lay Servant Academy -”Living Our
Beliefs” -8:30am—
5:30pm -
Hughlynn & Peggy
Wilson
David & Mary
Alice Merryman
District Office
Henry & Penny
Bivens
Sarah Mateer
26
10 WV Annual
Conference
27
28
29
30
David Merryman
Cherryl Ellison
CLM Class 6pm
Memorial UMC
Gerald & Juanita
Roberts
Trinity in Ronceverte took part in "The Church Has Left The Building" on April the 16th we
had a team that worked to help clean up the road on Ronceverte Hill we also had another
team who started staining the deck of a person who was unable to do it herself or have it
done. it was a great joy to see the Church in its natural element. we wanted to share some of
the pictures of God at work through our hands and feet.
The folks at Memorial UMC
in Summersville are ready for
Share Fest! They serve from
150-175 people on the third
Saturday of each month with
a meal, clothing give-away,
nursery program for the children, and services like free
haircuts, dental supplies, and
blood
pressure
screenings.
They plan to use the Pension
Holiday
money
to
expand
this growing ministry.
West Virginia Wesleyan College has recently started
a Social Justice Studies major. This unique degree is
the only one in the state of WV, and one of a handful
in this region of the country. The SJS degree prepares
students for a variety of service occupations, work
with non-profits, governmental agencies, and international organizations.
Our Mission
For more information please contact :
Dr. Karen S. Miller, Director
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
West Virginia Wesleyan College
59 College Avenue Box 117
Buckhannon, WV 26201
(304)473-8092
[email protected]
The Social Justice Studies program is
committed to promoting an ideology of
inclusiveness, equality, and social
change through an exploration of the
political, social, cultural, and economic
causes of social injustice. We are devoted to facilitating students’ understanding of the ways poverty, environmental
degradation, economic exploitation,
war, and social inequalities negatively
impact the human experience. Our
graduates are equipped with the attitudes, knowledge, and tools needed to
create social change.
The United Methodist Church
Greenbrier District
PO Box 764
Lewisburg, West Virginia 24901