Dear Members and Friends of the West Virginia Conference,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Wasn’t it wonderful to gather fully again on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan for our annual conference session?  The Conference Choir was back!  We welcomed Dan Stokes, from the Susquehanna Conference, as our worship leader. Dan brought the gathering alive and helped us all to experience the presence of God’s Holy Spirit as he led, not only the choir, but all who gathered in song, worship, and praise!  Reports were received. Decisions were made.  There was some messiness as discussions were had, debate took place, and different points of view were shared. Awards and recognitions were celebrated.  Through all that happened at Conference, it is clear that the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ is being powerfully led, shared, and carried out by laity and clergy across our Conference area and beyond!

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ ” — Isaiah 52:7

• The Conference heard powerful good news proclaimed from Bishop Moore-KoiKoi of the Western Pennsylvania Conference in our opening worship and from Rev. Jake Steele, an elder in the West Virginia Conference, for the memorial service.
• In the laity session, our conference lay members were reminded that they are “called and chosen” by God to serve their communities and heard from WV Wesleyan president, Dr. James Moore.
• Our Global Ministries team highlighted the connectional ministries of mission projects: Burlington Family Ministries; New Vision Depot; Parish Development Teams; Disaster Ministries; Volunteers in Mission; and Disability Ministries. During an outdoor mission fair, representatives from each ministry offered conversation and connection for local congregations interested in partnering in these ministries. Churches were encouraged to partner with local schools through a resolution that was approved by the annual conference.
• The One Matters Award was given to Jordan Chapel in the Greenbrier-Wesleyan District. In 2022 this congregation of 30 celebrated 5 baptisms, 14 professions of faith, and 15 first-time guests!
• The Denman Evangelism award winners were recognized and celebrated: Kevin Yates (laity) of 4^th Street UMC in Huntington, who shares the gospel as he offers transportation for those in recovery, resulting in many professions of faith and baptisms. Robert Fulton (clergy), pastor of Hamlin UMC, led the church through a merger, the building of a new facility, equipping the congregation for creative ministries with others, resulting in many first-time guests, several baptisms and over 400 online worshippers.
• The Congregational Vitality team introduced the annual conference to the New Places • New People initiative, inviting each to training opportunities offered in their areas, to equip leaders for ministry in their communities.
• In our Saturday morning teaching time Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey invited us to go deeper in prayer. Churches across our conference will join in the Breakthrough Prayer Initiative journey this fall.
• Kim Matthews was elected as a lay delegate to General Conference, completing our conference delegation.
• Kristi Wilkerson, Conference Lay Leader, gave the laity report around the theme of “It’s good to go where everybody knows your name.” She highlighted churches throughout the conference who are reaching out to the community in various ways.
• The Conference Finance and Administration team and Board of Pensions guided the annual conference through approving a plan to transition health insurance billing for full-time appointments from the conference budget to the local church charge, paving the way for a lower conference budget.
• With CFA leadership, a budget of $11,335,418 for 2024 was approved. This budget is $578,803 less than the 2023 budget, a decrease of 4.86 percent.
• Our annual conference gave generously to three special offerings: The Africa University Tractor Fund, The Reparations Fund of the UM Foundation of WV, and Dig Deep which works to provide clean water to the Southern Coalfields region of our conference. Churches can still give through June 30 by going to this link.
• The Conference received the cabinet property report and prayed over the churches that closed this year, especially the 24 congregations that closed in order to separate from the denomination.
• The Justice & Advocacy team presented a quilt created by its members, with the pieces representing the sacraments of baptism and communion, along with social justice concerns needing God’s healing and justice.
• Judi Kenaston was honored for her 21 years of service in the role of Conference Secretary. Judi has taken on a new role in the United Methodist denomination as Interim Executive Director of the Connectional Table. The Conference elected and welcomed Sarah Estep, from the MonValley district, as our new Conference Secretary.
• Conference members and friends also had fun—playing cornhole and eating ice cream, while raising money for Celebration of Mission Event and for the Youth Service Fund!
• The Conference celebrated God’s calling of newly certified lay servants, lay speakers, and certified lay ministers.
• On Sunday morning, 14 persons were recognized who are newly eligible to become licensed clergy. Three persons were commissioned as provisional elders and two were ordained; one as elder and one as deacon. We committed and recommitted ourselves as clergy and laity to serve together as we make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, and the appointments were fixed for 2023.

Indeed, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of Peace and bring glad tidings! 

As I share this brief summary of our 2023 Conference session, let me remind you of a statement I made in my State of the Church address:

In the midst of the messiness, what I want to press upon you is that the word of God continues to go forth and persevere. There are people that live and continue to dwell in deep pain and deep hurt, and they need the comfort of Christ. They need the healing of Christ. They need the hope of Christ, and if we pause our ministry over some church messiness, then there are people who are not getting the hope and healing light and life that they need.

So Church, press on in the mission and ministry of Christ!  This is the work to which we are called and for which the Church was created!  And, this world needs congregations full of people with beautiful feet who share messages of peace and bring good news in the midst of the world’s brokenness.  Amen.

Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball

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