“Praise the Lord. Praise God in His Sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty Heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with timbrel and dancing, praise Him with the strings and pipe, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”
– Psalm 150:1-6
On Sunday mornings, we often find ourselves singing the doxology, which says to us “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…praise Him, all creatures here below…praise Him above ye Heavenly Host…praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost….Amen.” I want to give God praise today, not for anything that I have done or received, but simply because God is worthy of ALL my praise! I am grateful for the provisions God has blessed my family and I with. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given to serve Him in various capacities. I am humbled that God would choose to use me in some of the ways I am blessed to serve. I praise God when there are times of celebration, but also when there is hurt and heartbreak. It’s during those times that I may not always understand why one has to hurt, but God remains worthy of my praise. God is steadfast in His ways and ever-present in our lives. I am thankful for who God is in the lives of His people. As we embark on the various ministry opportunities we’ve been given to serve in our local congregations, I pray that God’s blessings will rest upon you. May the process and outcome of ministry bring praise to the Lord. May God bless you!
In Christ,
Scott
PHD Lay Academy Certificates
- Pastors, please encourage your laity to send a copy of their course certificates to the district office by April 1st. We are requesting certificates all the way back to 2012 ONLY IF they have not already received credit for the course completed. They can submit them in one of the following ways:
o E-mail – potomachighdistrict@yahoo.com
o Mail – 97 Goldsborough Avenue Romney, WV 26757.
Annual Conference Registration
- 2022 Annual Conference | West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church (wvumc.org)
- June 9th – 12th, 2022 @ WV Wesleyan, Buckhannon
SAME MISSION, NEW HOPE: Thoughts from Your Bishops
- Bishop Steiner Ball & Bishop Moore-KoiKoi will: lead us in Worship; share their portfolios and how the work of both Bishops will lead us in ministry and mission; share their vision for the UMC in West Virginia, Western PA and Susquehanna Conferences and how our Wesleyan distinctives will guide us to lead Christ’s mission in the UMC; and give us an update on the latest announcement regarding General Conference.
- Closest Locations & Dates:
o West Virginia – April 23rd (10:00 a.m.) @ Life UMC, Fairmont (3000 Technology Dr. Fairmont, WV)
o Western, PA – April 24th (3:00 p.m.) @ Grace UMC, Somerset (320 Felgar Rd. Somerset, PA)
o Susquehanna – April 25th (7:00 p.m.) @ Mt. Nittany UMC (1500 E Branch Rd. State College, PA)
Basic Coach Training
- If you have ever been interested in becoming a Coach within the WV Annual Conference, this is a GREAT opportunity you won’t want to miss.
- September 17th (9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) @ Grace UMC, Keyser
- More information to come!
Spring Heights Summer Camp
- Interested in being a counselor at our Conference Summer Camp???
- Details on the link provided – Serve at Summer Camp! | West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church (wvumc.org)
PORTICO
- Let me encourage you to check out the Conference Learning Management System. You can take courses that will qualify for Continuing Education hours!!!
- Portico | West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church (wvumc.org)
Lay Academy
Topic: Preaching (Taught by Zoom)
o Dates – April 25th, May 2nd, May 9th & May 16th
o Time: 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
o Instructor: Rev. Dr. Matthew Paugh
o Location: Zoom
o Registration: Contact Betty Rizer at (304) 788-3150 or btbrize@gmail.com
o Fee: No Fee
Topic: Our United Methodist Heritage (Taught by Zoom & In-Person)
o Dates – May 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th
o Time: 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
o Instructor: Rev. Mark Flynn
o Location: Zoom & Duffey Memorial Fellowship Hall (Limited # of 8)
o Curriculum: Materials will be provided
o Registration: Contact Betty Rizer at (304) 788-3150 or btbrize@gmail.com
o Fee: No Fee
Topic: Evangelism (Taught in person)
o Dates: May 6th & 7th
o Time: May 6th (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) & May 7th (9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
o Instructor: Rev. Dr. Stephon Reed & Rev. Shirley Reed
o Location: Rees Chapel
o Registration: Contact Betty Rizer at (304) 788-3150 or btbrize@gmail.com
o Fee: No Fee
Topic: Basic Lay Servant (Taught by Zoom)
o Dates: May 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st
o Time: 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
o Instructor: Rev. Barbara Rexroad
o Location: Zoom
o Registration: Contact Betty Rizer at (304) 788-3150 or btbrize@gmail.com
o Fee: No Fee
- Classes already taught in 2021/2022: Basic (twice), Polity, Small Groups, Preaching, Heritage & Spiritual Gifts, Prayer
Special Sunday Offering
Congregational Vitality Grants
- Areas of availability include: Worship Technology, First-Time Guest Hospitality, Evangelism, Discipleship, Generative Ministry, Celebrate Recovery/Recovery Ministry, New Church Start.
- For more information – Congregational Vitality Grants | West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church (wvumc.org)
- Questions can be directed to Christina Ridgway at cridgway@wvumc.org or by calling (304) 344-8331 ext. 30.
COVID-19 Information:
- Link to Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball’s December 31st letter – https://www.wvumc.org/2021/12/covid-19-update-from-bishop-heading-into-2022/
Potomac Highlands Apportioned Churches – 2022
(Total # of churches – 145)
| 2022 | Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. |
| Total # of churches on track to meet 100%. | 40 | 55 | ||||||||||
| Total # of churches that have already met 100%. | 4 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Total # of churches behind but have paid more than 0%. | 3 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Total # of churches that have paid 0% | 102 | 73 | ||||||||||
| Total % paid from Potomac Highlands. | 4% | 11% | ||||||||||
| What % should we be at? | 8% | 17% | 25% | 33% | 42% | 50% | 58% | 67% | 75% | 83% | 92% | 100% |
| Total % paid for District Fair Share. | 24.3% | 33.3% | ||||||||||
| Churches that have paid 100% of Fair Share – Mt. Hebron, Mt. Sarah, Nethken Hill, Wesley Chapel (Rowlesburg), Green Valley, North River Mills, Riverton | ||||||||||||