2 COVER STORY Where does it fit?


If you go to church every week in West Virginia, you are in the minority. 43% of West Virginians at-


tend church regularly, accord- ing to a 2007 state-by-state poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Te same poll also shows that roughly three-quarters of West Virginians (76%) believe in God “with absolute certainty.” Reaching those who believe


in God, but are un-churched, has been the subject of much debate and discussion in mainline denominations for years, as membership rolls continue to shrink. Tere were 117,101 United Meth- odists in the West Virginia Conference in 1999. By 2008, there were 102,544, a loss of 12.4%, according to the statis- tical tables maintained by the Conference. One way to connect with outsiders might be to focus


on their needs rather than our own, says Rev. Amy Shan- holtzer, Director of Evan- gelism and Congregational Development for the West Virginia Conference. “In dy- ing churches, the worship style, preaching, and/or pro- grams of the church are tar- geted to existing church mem- bers rather than the needs of the community,” she said. Rev. Shanholtzer says the story


sis on Evangelism. A second Commission Possible will be take place April 8-9, 2011, at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences in Charleston. Nearly 1000 people attended


of the Good Samaritan provides a model. “I don’t think Jesus would tell that story much dif- ferently now than he did then,” she said. “Unfortunately, repre- sentatives of the church, you, me, and many other Christ- followers, walk by the person struggling for life in the ditches by the side of the road every day. And, that must change.” Tools for local churches to de-


velop and revitalize have been a big area of focus for Rev. Shanholtzer, who is leading the West Virginia Conference through a four-year empha-


UNITED METHODIST The West Virginia


RESIDENT BISHOP Ernest S. Lyght EDITOR


Laura Harbert Allen ASSISTANT EDITOR Adam Cunningham PRODUCTION Ashley Perks


COVENANT COUNCIL


Dr. William H. Wilson Dr. J.F. Lacaria


Rev. Don Keller


Rev. Thomasina Stewart Rev. Amy Shanholtzer


Director of Connectional Ministries Director of Leadership


Formation and Ministry Support


Director of Conference Camps and Education Center Director of Ethnic Ministries


Director of Evangelism and Congregrational Development


Te West Virginia United Methodist is published by the Communications Team in the


Connectional Ministries office of the West Virginia Annual Conference in Charleston. Telephone: 1-800-788-3746. E-mail address: wvumc@wvumc.org. Mailing address: P.O. Box 2313, Charleston, WV, 25238.


Internet Address: http://www.wvumc.org. Non-profit postage paid at Elkins, WV.


Submission of stories for publication is encouraged. Unless otherwise noted the deadline is the fiſteenth of the month preceding publication. Subscription rate - $15.00 per year. Signed letters to the editor and opinion articles reflect the views of the authors and not necessarily the opinions of the West Virginia United Methodist or Te United Methodist Church. USPS 300


From Tippers to Tithers (Christ Church, Charleston, Sept. 25), is designed to help churches re-think their processes for stewardship and become more effective. The second, Are you a church planter (Calvary UMC, Ripley, Sept. 27) will help clergy and lay persons discern their potential as a church planter.


If you or your church is interested in either workshop, please contact Rev. Amy Shanholtzer as soon as possible: 1.800.788.3746 x. 26, or email: amyshanholtzer@gmail.com. Complete details are online at wvumc.org/evangelism


the first Commission Possible in September of 2008 in Sum- mersville. Te 2011 event will add a youth programming component and features a to- tal of four speakers. A Friday night concert will feature the Grammy-nominated and two- time GMA Dove award-win- ning band DecembeRadio. “We will learn from peo-


ple doing innovative min- istry: turning around dying churches, reaching groups of people long alienated from the church, bringing together diverse people in the body of Christ and creating passionate worship experiences,” she said. Rob Webster directs video


production for the Church of the Resurrection (COR), a United Methodist Congrega- tion in Leawood, Kansas. Mr.


Evangelism means meeting needs of community, not the church By Laura Allen


Webster, a Parkersburg na- tive, will lead music for next April’s Commission Possible. He agrees that meeting needs in the community is one way to bridge the gap between churched and un-churched. “Our church built a play-


ground for an inner-city school in St. Louis,” he said. “One of the teachers actually fell to her knees in tears when she saw it for the first time.” Webster points out that stories like that are good for the church’s repu- tation. “Later, when a teacher joined the church, they said one reason is that they wanted to be part of church that did a lot for the community.” A small membership church


closer to home, Salem UMC in Harrison County, saw atten- dance nearly double aſter they moved into Hardin Elementary School. “Our church building was falling apart,” Rev. Kevin Bender said in a March 2010 story in the West Virginia Unit- ed Methodist. He says when the


THE WEST ViRGiniA UniTED METHODiST • www.wvumc.org


FALL 2010


church learned they needed $600,000 to repair their build- ing they knew something had to change. When music leader Dustin McCune learned the closed school was available for $100, they moved quickly to purchase the facility. Connected by a bridge over


a creek, un-churched people from a lower-income neigh- borhood started coming to the church in the elementary school. Tey were welcomed by the congregation. Welcoming everyone, says


Rev. Shanholtzer was some- thing Jesus taught. “Christ’s posture to outsiders was a radical love that invited them into a journey with him,” she said. “Commission Possible will challenge, inspire, and educate us in how we might do the same.”


Please turn to page 12 for more information and a tear-off regis- tration form for Commission Pos- sible: Ambassadors for Christ.


JIM GRIFFITH TO LEAD TWO WORKSHOPS IN SEPTEMBER


Church planter and congregational develop- ment consultant Jim Griffith will be in the West Virginia Conference Sept. 25-27 to lead two workshops for local churches and pastors.


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