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June 2008
 Conference
celebrated the 60th Anniversary of The Advance and was recognized
as the Conference with the highest increase in churches participating in the
second-mile giving program in the Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United
Methodist Church.
Chris
Heckert (above) of the General Board of Global Ministries presented Bishop Lyght a
plaque in recognition of the achievement.
Equitable Compensation
 Charles
Hicks (right), chairman of the Equitable Compensation Commission, recommended
increases in the amounts that equitable compensation provides churches who
need the assistance.
Minimum
compensation levels were set in the following categories ($1,000 increases):
Category I, $30,000; Category II, $28,500; Category III, $27,800; Category
IV, $24,900.
“We
realize the impact this has on local churches and local pastors,” Rev. Hicks
said. “We try to address these concerns as best we can.”
The Rev.
Gary Shepard moved to increase the amount of expenses reimbursed to pastors
on equitable compensation from $500 to $1,200 per year plus another $200 per
each additional charge. Jim Berner, Conference Treasurer, clarified that the
additional money would be the responsibility of the local church who employs
the pastor. Conference did not approve the amendment.
Bishop Lyght describes
‘State of the Church’
 The future
of The United Methodist Church in West Virginia is in the hands of its
members. Bishop Ernest S. Lyght said it was his job to “sound the alarm” as
he delivered the State of the Church Address.
“We’ve got
a good church in the W.Va. Annual Conference, he said, “but we want a better
church. There’s little time to sit around in a circle to slap each other on
the back and tell each other how good we’re doing. That won’t take us into
the future.”
While
applauding much that is being accomplished in the Conference, Bishop Lyght
said there was much yet to do. “I and your Cabinet are appreciative of
congregations which are making tough decisions to move in new directions,”
he said.
West
Virginia is a wonderful place to live and raise our children, the Bishop
said. “It’s a place where the people are characterized by a distinctive
southern hospitality.” “But where is that hospitality in our churches?” he
asked. “Many of God’s children have never been invited to claim their space
in God’s house. They have no church home.”
The Bishop
bemoaned the decline in membership, which has been steady since the late
60s. “The alarming news is that nearly 60 percent of our churches in the
last few years did not receive one new member by profession of faith. Not
one,” Bishop Lyght said. “How can you call yourself a church and no one
comes to the party?” he asked. “If new people don’t come, you’re gonna die.
What are you going to do about it?”
Bishop
Lyght said the Conference must acknowledge that there must be growth in
stewardship and financial integrity. He thanked congregations, which had
paid 100% of their apportionments and those who were improving their giving,
but shortages in payout could not continue. “The Conference cannot keep
adopting budgets that we do not fund,” the Bishop said.
In an era
when healthcare costs are skyrocketing, Bishop Lyght said there was the
possibility that the Conference would not be able to fund its commitment to
provide health insurance for pastors into the future. He said Conference
agencies are trying to determine how we as an Annual Conference can remain
viable and do the things we should be doing to care for our clergy—active
and retired. He said, “The sad news is that the clergy of the W.Va.
Conference are unhealthy.” “We’re going to change this. Our clergy
must become healthier,” he said.
Churches
must get healthy too, Bishop Lyght said. “There is nothing wrong with being
a Conference of small churches but we must continue to work diligently in
the area of guest follow-up if we are to grow. People go to places where
they believe they are wanted and accepted. If they get an inkling they are
not accepted, they won’t come back,” the Bishop said. “Congregations that
are not growing spiritually and numerically will die,” Bishop Lyght said.
“We must make evangelism our passion.”
Also, he
said small churches must be configured so that they are able to provide
adequate compensation for pastors. “When the pastor’s compensation pushes 50
percent of a church’s budget, that’s a problem,” the Bishop said. He also
said that too many pastors are not busy enough. “Simply because a pastor has
responsibility for four or five churches doesn’t mean that pastor is fully
employed,” the Bishop said. “We’ve got to find a way where pastors are
responsible for more than 50 or 60 people,” he said.
The Bishop
said he was excited about the possibilities for the future of the Annual
Conference. “I believe we can enter the future and grapple with the
challenges that are here before us, but it’s going to be painful sometimes.
There are some churches that won’t exist four or five years from now.” “It’s
in your hands to determine if your congregation is to be healthy. God
doesn’t act until you’re ready to act,” Bishop Lyght said.
Gift to Central
Conference Pension Initiative
Cheryl
Burton, manager of the Charleston Cokesbury Bookstore, presented a check for
$13,529 that will be forwarded to the General Board of Pensions for the
Central Conference Pension Initiative.
Jim Berner,
Conference Treasurer, said, “People in the Central Conferences have nothing.
It is alarming how they must subsist after years of serving the church in
Africa.”
Finance and Administration
Conference
approved a budget for 2009 as proposed by Tim Larrick, chairperson of the
Council on Finance and Administration. The new budget totals $11,473,033, a
decrease of $280,224, a 2.4% decrease.
Scout Awards
 Scouting
coordinator Don Ellis announced the recipients of the Bishop’s Award of
Excellence: Troop 68, Cross Lanes UMC; Troop 6, Seventh St., Little Kanawha
District; First UMC, Williamstown; Troop 295, Perry Memorial UMC, Southern
District; Troop 12, Stout Memorial UMC, Parkersburg; Troop 81, Wesley UMC,
Potomac Highlands District; Pack 86, Mt. Pleasant, Little Kanawha District;
Pack 6, Seventh St. UMC, Little Kanawha District; Pack 295 Perry Memorial
UMC; and Pack 12, Stout Memorial.
Bishop’s Bike Ride
Dr. J.F.
Lacaria, Connectional Ministries staff person, reported on the Annual
Bishop’s Bike Ride. He said 17 riders raised more than $10,000 for the
Global AIDS Fund.
Spring Heights celebrating 50 years
During a moment of
special celebration, the Conference was treated to a special visual history
of Spring Heights, the Conference Camps and Education Center.
Founded
fifty years ago, Spring Heights has hosted hundreds of camps and other
outdoor Christian education experiences. Many church leaders trace their
early calling to a life-changing moment at Spring Heights. The camp will
hold a special celebration on July 26 at the campsite.
Resolutions
The
Conference acted upon several resolutions. Among them was one requesting
churches to avoid the use of bottled water and encouraging church members to
do the same.
The
measure was amended to merely encourage the recycling of plastic. Another
resolution on the environment encouraging recycling and simple living and
one promoting the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs were also approved.
There was
some discussion about the possible health consequences of the mercury in
fluorescent bulbs, resulting in an addition to the resolution, which calls
for proper education about the devices and their proper disposal.
The
Conference also approved a resolution encouraging good health through
exercise and diet.
Global AIDS Fund
The Rev.
Randy Mitchell spoke on behalf of the Global AIDS Fund. He said $2.6
million had been raised church-wide for the campaign, $24,000 of which had
been raised in the WV Annual Conference. The funds are earmarked to stop the
pandemic of HIV/AIDS through education, prevention, and treatment.
A PowerPoint
presentation showed the peoples affected by the deadly disease. Rev.
Mitchell introduced an AIDS awareness educator who described the ways people
can be tested for HIV/AIDS including non-needle techniques.
Moorefield Immigrants
 Amy
Shanholtzer, Conference director of Evangelism and Congregational
Development, introduced the Rev. Judy Vetter (right) of Moorefield, who shared the
vision of the ministry to the Hispanic/Latino Community there. She said,
“We are to look after the widows and the orphans and the aliens in our
community.”
Rev.Vetter
described the results of a federal raid on undocumented workers in
Moorefield a few months ago, which left several families with children
without employment. She is leading the effort to help the families.
Francis Asbury Award
The Rev.
Cindy Stackpole, campus pastor at West Virginia University, received the
Francis Asbury Award recognizing significant service in campus ministry.
In other
business, George Webb, chairman of the Conference Board of Pensions,
introduced the agency’s report.
Conference approved the recommendation of the Board to raise medical
insurance premiums for non-Medicare supplement participants to the following
levels effective Jan. 1:
Family -
$1,115 per month/$13,380 annually; Single person - $464 per month/$5,568
annually.
The
Conference budget item for medical insurance was reduced by $300,000 to
$4,100,000.
Nothing But Nets Scores
$125,000
Dr. Ken
Ramsey, chairman of the Nothing But Nets Campaign, told Conference that
$175,000 had been raised by churches in the Conference. Dr. Ramsey said,
“The campaign is a sign and symbol of what we can do as a church and what we
can do as an Annual Conference. By God’s grace we can do so much more than
we think we can do.”
UM
Foundation
During the
report of the UM Foundation, a new video was premiered showing the benefits
of supporting churches and ministries of the Annual Conference through
investments administered by the Foundation.
 David Peters,
outgoing president of the Foundation, reported that the Foundation has
repaid the debt owed to the Annual Conference, which started it with a loan
of $300,000 in 1973. He presented a check to Bishop Lyght for $36,000 to pay
off the loan.
Bishop
Lyght thanked the Foundation for its work and to David Peters for his strong
and effective leadership.
Council of Churches
 Dennis
Sparks, director of the W.Va. Council of Churches, greeted the Conference
and said what power he had witnessed during his time at Conference. He
quoted Jeremiah that we are to be like a tree planted by a stream. “When the
drought comes, the tree will still bear fruit. That’s the kind of spiritual
power we are to have,” he said.
Rev.
Sparks commended the efforts of Luana Cook Scott and Jay Parkins who
advocated for church causes in the W.Va. Legislature. Also he
announced that Bishop Lyght has appointed the Rev. Jeff Allen to direct the
Healthy Kids Coalition at the Council of Churches.
Lay Leader delivers his
last address
 Fred
Kellerman, Conference Lay Leader, delivered the Laity Address at Conference.
He pointed out that the word pondering comes from a Latin word which means
heavy weight. “Ponderings could be heavy thoughts, deep thoughts,” he
said.
Kellerman
asked the Conference to think about the church four decades ago. “What
was going on in our church 40 years ago,” he asked, “that made people want
to go?” “We have gone from the philosophy of the Great Commission to the
philosophy of the passive invitation,” he said. “The Great Commission
to go and make disciple has been changed to ‘come and be a disciple if you
want, but if you don’t that’s OK.’”
The
outgoing Lay Leader said, “It’s not good enough for us to just sit and
ponder. We’ve got to go out and do.” Mr. Kellerman told the story of a woman
who lived in a trailer with a leaky roof and no plumbing. The pipes
had been stolen for the cooper. On top of all that her daughter had been
raped and was now a single mother. “What does our church do?” he asked.
The family
said church was not an option because they didn’t feel welcome. “Would that
family be welcome in your church?” Mr. Kellerman asked. “We’re not
always as inclusive as we think we are. We’ve done a few things, but we’ve
got a long way to go.”
New chancellor
 The
new
chancellor of the Conference, Robert File, was introduced.
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