WESLEYAN DISTRICT WITTNESS

Birthday's and Anniversaries

	March

1	Virginia & James White – A
	Clara Peggs – B
3	Ed Trimmer – B
	Donald & Helen McCauley – A
	Bruce & Nancy Stinard – A
	Randy Simms – B
5	Bonnie Johnson – B
6	Celia Tenney – B
	Charles & Wilda Godwin – A
	Mary Ann Schell – B
9	Rodney Heckert – B
10	Patricia James – B
	MaDora Wildman – B
	Sharon Carr –B
11	Josephine Palmer – B
12	Donald McCauley – B
	Cliff Schell – B
15	Dana Friend – B
	Barbara Cale – B
17	Rebecca Van Stavern – B
20	Ed & Peggy Trimmer – A
22	Ronald McCauley – B
23	Debbie Richards – B
24	Kevin & Sandra Bender – A
26	Sherrie Walsh – B
27	Gloria Fisher – B
28	Steve Dorsey – B
	Sue Lowther – B
	Pat Howell – B
	Nolan & Rose Turner – A
29	Ellis Conley – B
31	James Stansbury – B
	Harry & Clarice Jenkins – A

Let us know if we missed you.

I am delighted to announce to the pastors and

laity of the Wesleyan District that it is the intent of Bishop Lyght at the next session of the Annual Conference to appoint Dr. Ken Ramsey as our new District Superintendent. Ken will be coming to us after after11 years as the Senior Pastor of the Wesley

United Methodist Church in Morgantown. Ken

Ramsey is one of us. He has served in our district as as as the pastor of the Frenchton Charge, as an

associate minister of the Bridgeport UMC, and as

the pastor of the United Methodist Temple in Clarksburg. Those of you who know Ken, know

him to be an outstanding preacher and a very

caring and concerned pastor. He most recently

chaired the Annual Conference “Nothing But

Nets” Campaign. On behalf of the District Superintendency Committee, let me say

how delighted we are to affirm the selection of

this highly gifted and very effective pastor to be

our next District Superintendent.

Rev. Steven Dorsey, Chair of the Wesleyan District Superintendency Committee

ACTS 29 PRAYER ENCOUNTER

April 5, 2008 Broad Street UMC

Dr. Terry Tekyl, Leader

A Ministry of the Wesleyan District

Registration Maxim 225. Register now

Grace & Peace to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

We in the Wesleyan District are on a journey of Christ-like holiness; to belong to God, to be filled by God, and to serve God. This is only possible through living a prayer-filled life. It begins with a personal prayer-life that spills over into our church prayer life.

Has your local church ever yearned to have a blue-print for developing into a House of Prayer? In Philippians 4:6, Paul encourages us to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” So we are to bring all things to God in prayer. Often we find ourselves calling on God only after every option we know of has come up short, rather than taking things first of all to God in prayer. In the Wesleyan District, we have an opportunity to learn how to grow in our personal prayer, prayer evangelism, and building prayer ministries in the local church. There will be an ACTS 29 Prayer Encounter on Saturday, April 5^, from 9- 2:30 p.m. at Broad Street UMC in Weston. Terry Tekyl, nationally known speaker and seminar leader on prayer, will be leading this event. His emphasis will be on creating a “Blueprint for a House of Prayer” for our local churches. The cost for the first two persons from your church will be $30 each. Any additional persons will be $25 each. Materials and lunch are included with the registration fee. Brochures with registration forms are available at the District office or in e-mail form.

In preparation for the ACTS 29 Prayer Encounter, the planning committee would like to share some suggestions of prayers for your church to help lay the foundation for maximizing your prayer experience.

Ø Pray for the leaders of your church: the pastor, any other staff, deacons, deaconesses, worship leaders, lay leaders, teachers, youth workers, choir

director, musicians, secretaries, janitors, receptionists and other key people. (Acts 6:4)

Ø Pray for the lost; pray that the gospel will be presented to them in such a

way that they will be convicted and drawn into a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray that God will put people in their lives that they will respond to and be willing to be that person. (Acts 2:47)

Ø Pray for unity within each church; charge; our parish; our district; our conference; our denomination. Pray that God will give us “a spirit of unity among ourselves as we follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth we may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Pray that we will accept one another just as Christ has accepted us. ( Romans 15:5-7)

Ø Pray that your church will become a House of Prayer. Pray that your leaders will rely upon prayer in all they do and say; whether at church or not. Transform us into righteous people whose prayers are powerful and effective. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)

Ø Pray for revival in your church and all churches throughout our district and conference. Pray that we will have a singleness of heart and action, so that we will always obey God and His commands. (Jeremiah 32:39).

So make plans to attend the ACTS 29 Prayer Encounter and come expecting to learn and experience more about the transforming power of prayer!

Grace and Peace to you all,

Rev. Jonathan Nettles

Wesleyan District Strategy Team Chair

JANUARY’S CONFERENCE APPORTIONMENT PAYMENTS

The churches of the Wesleyan District paid 5.72% of their 2008 Fair Share Conference Apportionment. To be on target 8.33% should have been paid. At the end of January our churches are $24,556.45 behind. I call your attention to this now, because it is essential that we keep these payments on schedule this year. Thanks to those of you who have done so. Next month I pray that many more churches will up-to-date with payments.

BOY SCOUT SUNDAY

FEBRUARY 10

(May also be observed as Scouting Ministries Sunday)

Be sure to recognize Scouts and their leaders in your worship services. If your church does not have a scouting ministry, this is a good time to begin one. I feel certain that the United Methodist Church sponsors more scouting ministries than any other church. It is a great way to stay in touch with children and youth, as well as their leaders.

DISTRICT CLERGY MEETING

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14

10:00 AM through LUNCH

ST. MATTHEW UMC-WESTON

J.F. Lacaria and Tom Burger will present a workshop on preparing powerpoint, as well as other electronic uses in worship and ministry. J.F. is Conference Director of Leadership Formation and Ministry Support, and Tom is Conference Director of Communications. If you have a laptop available, bring it with you.

Full-time pastors are expected to attend Clergy Meetings unless previously excused. Part-time pastors are expected to attend as their work schedule permits. If lay persons wish to attend the meetings, please call the District Office so we can be sure to have enough lunch prepared.

CELEBRATION OF MISSION EVENT

SATURDAY, APRIL 26

9:45 AM -3:00 PM

at QUIET DELL UNITED UM CHURCH

Here are some suggestions for your planning:

Plan fund raisers in your local churches now and bring the funds to the COME event.
Collect items for the auction and let Phyllis Knight know at 622-4307 what they are so they can be advertised.
Complete the form that has been email to pastors and others to let us know if you need a table for the sale of food, crafts, or other items.
The chairperson for the Celebration of Mission Event is Rev. Sue Lowther. You may contact her at 924-5005.

SPIRITUAL FORMATION EVENT

SPRING HEIGHTS EDUCATION CENTER

FEBRUARY 22-23, 2008

DR. WILLIAM WILSON, LEADER

The theme of the retreat is “The Contemplative Stream: the Prayer-Filled Life” and is a continuation of the work which began with the Richard Foster Conference several months ago. Dr. Wilson will lead participants to look at how prayer is woven throughout our lives and other ways we experience the presence of God. Participants will hear inspirational presentations, engage in lively discussions, and have plenty of time to experience meditation, contemplation, music and silence.

Pastors should have registration forms. They are also available at the District Office, or you may call Spring Heights to register at 304-927-5865.

THE DISTRICT ACADEMY IS COMING

MARCH 1 AND MARCH 8, 2008

You will very soon receive a separate mailing regarding the academy. For now, here is what you need to know and do:

Reserve March 1 and 8 from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
Know that that a wide variety of classes will be offered for both laity and clergy.
Both Local Church and Certified Lay speakers need to classes for certification or renewal.
Classes are offered for both lay speakers and other leaders who are not lay speakers.
You can register for classes that are scheduled for 2 days, 1 day, or ½ day.
If you need more information now, call the District Office at 472-1095.

“COMMISSION POSSIBLE”

SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2008

NAZARENE CAMPGROUND

SUMMERSVILLE, WV

“Commission Possible” will be a gathering of United Methodists from across the WV Conference to celebrate what God has done for us and to prepare to carry out the “Great Commission” to make disciples of Jesus Christ in a much more effective manner than what we are presently doing.

Bishop Richard Wills, Bishop Scott Jones, and Rev. Kwasi Kenna will be the inspirational and challenging speakers. Please do not place any other church events on your calendars for these two days. We need 2,500 United Methodists to gather for these two days of preparation. Since the Wesleyan District is in close proximity to Summersville, we are depending on many persons from our district attending. The event is being planned by the Bishop’s Task Force on Evangelism. Rev. Mary Ellen Finegan is chairperson of the Task Force, and Rev. Mark Flynn is chairperson of

the subgroup planning the event. A brochure will soon be in your hands, but for now reserve the dates, pray, and plan to attend. Some accommodations for the “Commission Possible” event will be available at the Nazarene Campground. The Evangelism Task Force has also reserved blocks of rooms in the Summersville motels, and early reservations are recommended. Following are some phone numbers:

Best Western 304-872-6900
Comfort Inn 304-872-1752
Country Inn Suites 304-872-0555
Hampton Inn 304-872-7100
Sleep Inn 800-872-4888
Super 8 304-872-4888

Other possibilities for lodging include:

Country Road Cabins 304-658- 5266
Laurel Ridge Cabins 304-872-1602
Mountain Lake Cabins 304-872-6222
Mtn. Lake Campground 304-872-6222
Summersville Lake Retreat Campground 304-872-5975

There is also a new Microtel at the Sutton-Gassaway I-79 exit.

Text Box: HEALTHY CHURCH
Assessment
A second Healthy Church Assessment is to be conducted by each local church during the month of March 2008. If you do not have a Healthy Church Assessment Team in place in your church, please designate one during February. Pastors are to see that each church has a team of not less than three members.

A BOOK TO BUY – AND STUDY

Do you have Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, by Bishop Robert Schnase? It is a hot item and churches are finding it a valuable tool for exploring the practices of:

· Radical Hospitality

· Passionate Worship

· Intentional Faith Development

· Risk-taking Mission and Service

· Extravagant Generosity

The book is available at Cokesbury.

NOTES FROM DS CLIFF SCHELL:

HAVE YOU READ ACTS 29?

Over the course of my ministry, there were occasions when I would ask a Bible study group to look up something in the Book of Hezekiah. Of course, there is no Book of Hezekiah, but it sounds like a book that would fit right in with the likes of Obadiah, Zephaniah and Zechariah. It was amazing how many folks would go looking before they realized I had pulled one over on them.

The same might be said about Acts 29. Have you been reading Acts 29? “There is no Acts 29,” you may say, “the book ends with Acts 28:31.” But does it really? Acts 29 refers to the

life of the Church beyond Acts 28. The Church was born on the Day of Pentecost and we have a record of its history and ministries through Acts 28:31. All of us who claim the name of Christian are writing Acts 29 each day of our lives. When we look at the lives of other Christians, and other persons (Christian or not) look at us, we (they) are reading Acts 29. Sort of frightening, isn’t it? We are continuing to write the history of the Church!!!!!

One of the characteristics of the early Church was the emphasis on prayer (e.g. Acts 1:14 and 2:42). The first Christians wanted to be certain their actions and ministries were inspired and led by God’s Spirit. Surely prayer is no less important in the life of the church today! That is one of the reasons that our District Strategy Team has scheduled Dr. Terry Tekyl to lead us in an Acts 29 Prayer Encounter with the theme “Blueprint for the House of Prayer.” The event will be held at Broad Street UMC in Weston on April 5. (Please see the separate article in this edition of the newsletter.)

I want to emphasize the importance of your attendance at the event, and the importance of early registration. Many of you have read Terry Tekyl’s book, Pray the Price. Others of you have attended national events sponsored by the United Methodist Church where Dr. Tekyl has spoken, so you are aware of his dynamic and dedicated ministry.

Because of space, we have to limit the number attending to 225. We are not accepting registrations from other districts until February 14 to give Wesleyan District folks an opportunity to register. If you are not registered by February 14 you will have to compete with other districts on a first-come, first served basis. Therefore, register early, and register all who are attending from your church.

THE NEW DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT

As you know, Bishop Lyght has announced that Dr. Ken Ramsey will be the superintendent of the Wesleyan District, effective July 1, 2008. (See article by Steven Dorsey.) I am delighted that Ken is the person who will succeed me in ministry among you. He has many skills, many gifts, and will give you excellent leadership. Please feel free to drop him a note to assure him of your prayers and support. His email is kenram@aol.com. His mailing address is 373 Rotary, Morgantown 26505. His office phone is 304-292-9485.

Now then, let’s get going with our calling and our ministry, because we aren’t finished yet.