Happening Around the Presbytery

Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery

907 National Road

Wheeling, WV  26003

304-232-3490

www.uovpresby.org

Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In an emergency after office hours: Call 740-359-1813

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PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS:

Mike Lenno Gene Toot Susan McMannis Linda Turner Cindy Foster Dave Roberts Homer harden

Karen Edwards Susan Lehosky Philip Keevil Melanie Blount David Schoolcraft Connie Quinn Gary Nylund

Matt Camlin R. H. “Mac” McCuen Sharon Willits Simon Looking Elk Domasi Partnership Cherilyn Bown

Debbie Hale David Brocklehurst Dakota Partnership Vickie Whinnery Dr. Lew & Ruth Stevens All Service men & women

Pray for our presbyters, family members, and friends hospitalized or in nursing homes.
Pray for peace and an end to violence and hatred.
Please keep us informed of any prayer concerns you may have.

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PRAYER FOR UOVP PASTORS. Select one of these pastors and remember him/her in your prayers this week: Mike Bongart, Royce Browder, Claudia Brown, Bill Brown, Karen Byrne.

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THE PRESBYTERY OFFICE will be closed Monday, February 17^th, in celebration of Presidents’ Day.

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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN Church of Wellsburg, WV, will host a training session for any of our Ruling Elders interested in perhaps receiving permission to celebrate the Lord’s Supper in their home church when an Ordained Minister is not available. The training will be Sunday, March 8^th, from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM. The training will be provided by the Rev. Dr. John Edward Harris, Interim Pastor of United Presbyterian Church, Richmond, OH, and Moderator of the Wellsburg Session. He has provided similar training in two other presbyteries as well as Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery. Participants are requested to bring a copy of the 2019-2021 Book of Order and, if they have access to one, a copy of the 2018 Book of Common Worship. Refreshments will be provided. Please call the Wellsburg Church at 304-737-0751 to let them know you are planning to attend. Questions can be addressed to harrisjohnedward@gmail.com. GPS: 901 Charles Street, Wellsburg, WV 26070. Directions: Wellsburg is 15 miles north of Wheeling and 12 miles south of Weirton on Route 2. The church is located at the northwest corner of 9^th and Charles Streets in Wellsburg. Follow West Virginia Rt. 2 into Wellsburg. On 8^th Street, turn west (toward the river), one block to Charles Street. Turn right and go one block to 9^th Street. Parking is on the street.

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BEAVER CREEK Church Camp will hold their first annual pasta dinner Saturday, March 7, 2020, 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Long’s Run Trinity Presbyterian Church, 15851 Long’s Run Church Road, East Liverpool. Eat in & carry out. $8.00 for adults, $4.00 for ages 7 and younger. Menu: Penne pasta w/red sauce, Italian bread/butter, salad w/dressing, beverage for dine-in. Ala carte bake sale ($1.00 cheesecake/pie, $.50 cookies/cake). Deliveries for businesses & elderly available. Must RSVP by March 1^st. Contact Brittany text/cell 330-708-9661, email brittanyevanko@gmail.com, or Facebook Brittany Ingledue. Proceeds for camp renovations.

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MEDICAL BENEVOLENCE FOUNDATION. Receive Your Free Weekly Lent Devotional. Lent is the season leading up to Easter when Christians traditionally repent, fast and prepare for the coming of Easter. This year, in collaboration with several pastors and Christian leaders, MBF has put together a seven-week lent devotional that would be delivered to you by email. To receive your weekly devotional, simply click here to send your email reply: Yes, Please Sent My Free Lent Devotional

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EMMANUEL PRESBYTERIAN Church is looking to hire a Secretary. The position is part-time, nine hours a week, three days a week. You must have good computer skills as you will be preparing the weekly bulletin, keep up our Facebook Page, share advertising information and other duties. Start date is ASAP. If you are interested in this position, please send your resume to Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, 767 Park Blvd., East Liverpool, OH 43920, or by email to emmpresb@yahoo.com.

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PLEASE PASS THE WORD: Laughlin Memorial Chapel, a non-profit serving children and their families in the Wheeling area, has an immediate need for both a part-time bus driver and a part-time teen coordinator for a career-oriented program. The Bus Driver will have two runs daily, Monday through Thursday - 2:00 - 4:00 and 5:30 to 7:30 during the school year - and a 4-week-long M-F summer session. Training may be possible for the right candidate. Teen Coordinator responsibilities will include recruiting career mentors, providing life-skills and/or career-based educational activities, facilitating the twice-per-month meetings, organizing and hosting a "teen job fair", marketing, and ending the year with a weekend retreat. For details, please contact Laughlin Memorial Chapel at (304) 232-2630 or laughlinchapel@lumos.net.

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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN Church, 1307 Chapline St., Wheeling, has hosted a midweek service for a couple decades. We have changed the format in 2020 to be a prayer service on Wednesdays from 12:00 to 12:30 in our chapel. We would love for this prayer to include more Presbyterians who work downtown or have reason to be in the area on Wednesdays at noon. I would also like to have more Presbyterian clergy and staff join me as often as possible and maybe lead the service occasionally. The Rev. Mike O'Neil 979-799-8130.

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OUR WEBSITE. We have been having a few glitches with our website since downloading updates--for instance accessing our by-laws. The site will be worked on asap. If you need something but can’t get it, please call the Presbytery Office.

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BECOME A MATTHEW 25 CHURCH. Matthew 25 is a bold new vision and invitation from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that calls all of us to actively engage in the world around us, so our faith comes alive and we wake up to new possibilities. By accepting the Matthew 25 invitation, you can help our denomination become a more relevant presence in the world. Find out more and join us on this journey. Learn more →

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ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT. Clerks of session [or their helpers] now have access to GA’s statistics page http://oga.pcusa.org/stats. Deadline to submit your Statistical Report to General Assembly has been extended to Thursday, February 20, 2020. If you cannot file by this date or have questions about filing the report electronically, please call our Stated Clerk. There is no booklet to print off for help; however, there is some info for filing this report on the presbytery’s website www.uovpresby.org [in the blue box at the top, click on Annual Reports, then Reports to be Submitted to General Assembly. Scroll down.].

YOUTUBE. Pittsburgh Presbytery created a brief youtube tutorial for their churches. It is presbytery specific, but can be a helpful tool in general for any clerk of session. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yncw4HjXdA

CLERK’S ANNUAL QUESTIONNAIRE. Please submit your Clerk’s Annual Questionnaire to General Assembly by Friday, February 14, 2020. If you would like to review the questions before completing the online survey, click here to access a PDF of the survey: http://surveygizmolibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/library/271279/2019CAQ.pdf. After you have reviewed the PDF document, click this link to enter the information online: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5350526/2019-Clerk-s-Annual-Questionnaire.

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Happy Birthday: February 15 ~ Ian Leyda, ianleyda@aim.com

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SOUL SHOP. You are invited to attend Soul Shop, a one-day workshop which equips congregational leaders to minister to those impacted by suicidal desperation. After providing a Biblical framework for understanding and preventing suicide, the specialist will develop greater suicide awareness and basic conversation skills, as well as make space, inviting those who have been suicidal in the past to share their stories. There are two opportunities to attend:

Saturday, March 7, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Christ Presbyterian Church, 530 W Tuscarawas St., Canton, OH 44702;

and Monday, June 8, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Camp Wakonda, 5045 Dyewood Rd SW Sherrodsville, OH 44675. The workshop at Camp Wakonda has a youth ministry focus, but is open to everyone.

We believe so strongly in this important program, that we are freely offering it, but we might suggest a donation of $20/ person. Lunch will be included. (Additional support and resources provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Ohio Chapter.) Register online at www.cantoncpc.org or call 330-456-8113. If you have any questions, contact Pastor Michael Wallace, Christ Presbyterian Church, Canton, OH, mwallace@cantoncpc.org.

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FUTURE CHURCH SYMPOSIUM for Presbytery Leaders in the Synod of the Trinity. Pastor Jordan Rimmer and Northminster Church in New Castle, PA, will host the second annual Future Church Symposium on April 18, 2020. Author and church strategist Reggie McNeal will spend the day talking about where the world is going and how to be a church that is ready for the future. Throughout the day there will also be time for question and answer. The Symposium will be 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is $35 including lunch. Reggie will also be preaching at Northminster the next day. More information and registration is available at www.futurechurchsymposium.com.

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PASTORS & RULING ELDERS ~ Continuing Ed Workshops Spring 2020 (Presented by Inter-Presbytery Leadership Formation IPLF):

Pastoral Care: Help for Those Affected by Addiction. Pastoral care with addicted persons or those family members affected by the addiction can be challenging for those seeking to shepherd the congregation.  Providing care-giving in ways that are realistic, acknowledge the issues and demonstrate the love of God are ongoing concerns of both the Pastor and the local congregation.  Building upon traditional pastoral care, this workshop will focus on particular practices and resources in addressing these questions. Saturday, March 14, 2020, 12:30-3:30 pm. Instructors: Rev. Lee McDermott & Rev. Robert Hedges

Polity. Class objectives are to provide leaders with the basic background and structure of Presbyterian Polity; to equip leaders to lead Session and Congregation with approval of Presbytery; and to introduce essential structure of the Constitution of the PCUSA as a tool for leaders. Saturday, April 18, 2020, 12:30-3:30 pm. Instructor: RE John Rodgers, Stated Clerk, Washington Presbytery

Proclaiming the Word. Called to proclaim the Word, we often associate this responsibility with preaching during worship services. While exegesis and hermeneutics are covered elsewhere, this workshop will challenge and encourage you in both the preparation and practices of proclaiming the Word.  Whether you are an experienced preacher or someone just beginning, all of us want to continue to grow in this important calling. Saturday, May 16, 2020, 12:30-3:30 pm. Instructor: Rev. Ken Foust, Grace Community Presby. Church

All of the workshops will be held at Redstone Presbytery Center, 1004 Mt. Pleasant Road. Greensburg, PA 15601. To register or questions, contact: Bobbie Martin at Redstone Presbytery. Call 724-837-6737 or e-mail secretary@redstonepresbytery.org.

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PCUSA STORE. 5 Tips for Choosing Curriculum + New Interactive Catalog. Are you looking for a new curriculum? Our digital interactive curriculum catalog is the best place to begin your search. It has an overview of what we offer, including information about a brand-new curriculum coming out this summer. Additionally, you'll find categorized lists for our topical studies, new children's picture books, and books that make great group studies. This catalog is interactive: simply click on any image or product number, and it will take you directly to that product on our website. In this catalog, you'll find details about each curriculum's scope and sequence, the look and feel of each curriculum, descriptions for each piece, and pricing.

5 Tips for Choosing Curriculum:

1.      Consider the age of the group and what needs they have. Do you need something for children? Youth? Adults? Make sure the curriculum you choose is going to meet those needs and is age appropriate.

2.      Look at the theology of the curriculum. Buying from PC(USA) Store means that you can trust your curriculum.

3.      Get a sample session of the curriculum. PC(USA) Store offers samples for free! You can find these in the description of each product. Reading through a sample session will give you an idea of lesson plan flow, the "personality" of the curriculum, and the ability of the curriculum to fit the needs of the people you are serving.

4.      Review your options with others. Once you've made your top selections, take time to review these with others, such as your Christian Education committee or team or even your session.

Ask us if you need help. We are here to provide support. If you have questions about choosing a curriculum, contact us by emailing our curriculum specialist, who can help you with your specific needs.

      

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What God wants for you is for you to be completely enfolded in God’s love. God wants you to know and feel his love. That’s God’s will for you. That’s God’s entire expectation of you. The entire calling of Jesus Christ is toward this end: To allow ourselves to be loved by God, to allow the love of God to wash over us, to allow the love of God to become the center of gravity in our lives, to allow the love of God to define who we are and what we think of ourselves, to allow the love of God to shape all our relationships with every other person and all of God’s creation.

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HAPPENINGS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER ITEMS OF INTEREST. Each issue will be posted for three weeks.

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