April 2, 2009
The next step nationally for the message of the United Methodist Church officially launches the first weekend in May. There are resources online for churches here.
The idea is for church to be a verb, rather than a noun. Something we do; not just a place we go on Sunday. We hope you’ll check it out!
April 1, 2009
This following statement from Dr. William H. Wilson, Director of Connectional Ministries and Assistant to the Bishop and Mr. James M. Berner, Director of Administrative Services and Conference Treasurer was issued earlier today (Wednesday, April 1, 2009):
On Thursday, March 26, the Conference Center experienced a data processing and Internet outage resulting in the loss of Internet connectivity, e-mail service, and data processing ability for the Connectional Ministries and Administrative Services staff. As of today, Wednesday April 1, those services have not been restored.
Work at the Center continues, but this issue has impacted the normal workflow and routine for the staff. If you sent something for placement in upcoming e-news publications or a prayer or death notice, we request that you send it again to the following alternate e-mail addresses of the Communications Team:
Additionally, we suggest you follow up via telephone with staff persons you may have been trying to reach over the past several days via e-mail. Complete contact information for all Conference staff is available through www.wvumc.org under the Navigation heading. Click on the ‘Administrative Services‘ and ‘Connectional Ministries‘ links for specific staff contact information.
We are working hard to resolve this issue and apologize for any inconvenience it may cause. We will issue follow-up statements as necessary and notify via this list immediately when full functionality returns.
March 17, 2009
If you are attending Annual Conference (June 11-14, 2009), check the special ‘Annual Conference’ page on this website for information and resources. By the way, the deadline for submitting reports in time to be placed in the pre-Conference workbook is this coming Friday, March 20.
Spring in West Virginia
Also, the Midland South School of Evangelism at Chief Logan State Park has extended the registration deadline through this Wednesday, March 18. Call the MS Office at 304-342-8843 to register.
Thursday will be the next publication of the E-news from the Conference Communications office. E-mail us ASAP if there’s something you’d like to see in it.
Remember, we are publishing the e-news twice per week, on Mondays and Thursdays.
March 12, 2009
Spring is just around the corner, and the activity level in the Annual Conference is already in full bloom.
This weekend at WV Wesleyan College, there’s an opportunity to explore United Theological Seminary. Join Rev. Janet Flanagan in the Martin Religous Center (in the back of Wesley Chapel) at 10am. If you are interested in pursuing ordination as a deacon or elder in the United Methodist Church, this is a good chance to do it. E-mail Janet for more information and to register.
The Midland South District’s School of Evangelism is April 3-4 at Chief Logan Lodge and Conference Center. Featured speakers include Dr. Terry Teykl and Jim Griffith. Call Yvette in the Midland South District Office at 304-342-8843 ASAP for information and to register. The deadline is Friday, March 13.
One Great Hour of Sharing Sunday is on March 22 – just around the corner. Scroll to the bottom of the Conference Forms page for our resources, and UMCOR provides an excellent bulletin insert on their site as well.
Also, we’ll be publishing the e-news twice a week – on Monday and Thursday – to keep up with everything that’s going on during this busy season.
March 7, 2009
Rev. Dr. Berner Agtarap addressing the Covenant Council of the WV Annual Conference
Rev. Dr. Bener Agtarap challenged the Covenant Council this weekend to make new places for new people.
“Now is our time,” said Dr. Agtarap in his sermon Friday night and again in his presentation Saturday morning. “We live in such a time in our history where we can fulfill our God-given mission to bring the light of Christ to the world,” he said.
We’ll be blogging this over at Living Stones in the next day or so.
In the meantime, the video below really illustrates the crux of Dr. Agtarap’s message: that we must confront the disparity of our world – it’s in our Wesleyan blood to do so.
February 18, 2009
Why don’t we rethink church? Click on the image below to see the next phase of Igniting Ministries in the United Methodist Church.
January 31, 2009
Beginning Plenary session with awesome music!
It’s Day 3 in Jacksonville for Quadrennial Training: Living the United Methodist Way. We’re blogging it on Living Stones – check it out!
January 28, 2009
It will be in mailboxes next week, but you can read the West Virginia United Methodist online right now.
This month’s issue focuses on a historic inauguration, with stories on a ministry in Huntington, a book review by Phyllis Coston, and a Mission of Peace feature by J.F. Lacaria.
Our hats are off to United Methodist News Service, who took the photo we used for the cover and did great work during the Inauguration.
January 19, 2009
A snowy Martin Luther King Jr. day attracted about 150 people to an ecumenical service at Asbury United Methodist Church in Charleston this morning.
Rabbi Victor Urecki drew comparisons between Moses and Dr. King: “Like Moses, Dr. King looked beyond his own tent to seek justice and equality for all people,” he said. Urecki referenced the book of Exodus in the old Testament to highlight his point. “God knew he had the leader he was looking for when Moses acted on behalf of those he did not know,” he said. He spoke of the high esteem Jews have for Dr. King because of his care for all humanity. Below are a couple of pictures from the day:
January 16, 2009
One of the great things about hosting the website here on wordpress is the ease with which we can share the outstanding national resources the United Methodist Church provides. Here’s a video story from UMTV on Bishop Woodie White’s letter to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
