DECEMBER 2010


ThE WEsT ViRGinia UniTED METhODisT • www.wvumc.org Christmas thoughts


Bishop Ernest S. Lyght


the Christmas Season. From my perspective, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, there is a clear theological link between the two. When we consider T anksgiving, we think about the many blessings that we have received daily during the past year, and we give thanks. When we consider the Christmas sea- son, we think about the birth of Jesus; but we have a tendency also to wonder what giſt s we


T


he annual T anks- giving holiday is quickly followed by


might be about to receive. In reality, we have already re-


ceived the Giſt . T e Giſt is Je- sus Christ. We have to decide, however, what to do with this giſt of salvation and life. T e Christmas Season is


about Jesus, not us. It is a time when we remember the birth of Jesus. But, this remem- brance requires special prepa- ration. We have to prepare room in our hearts for Jesus. We have to prepare room in our hearts, because Jesus of- ten gets squeezed out of our lives due to other “things,” such as work, social activities, and opportunities for leisure and play. Jesus is oſt en neglected in the thoughts that guide our


daily activities and decisions. Perhaps we forget to pray, es- pecially at the beginning of a new day or at meal time. We too oſt en forget to give thanks, even for the giſt of a new day. Most of all, we need to give thanks for Jesus Christ, our most precious giſt . Recently I had the opportu-


nity to participate in a dinner cruise on the Panama Canal. It was impressive to see the operation of the canal locks that enable large cargo ships to travel between the Pacifi c and Atlantic oceans. T e Panama Canal was com-


pleted by the United States and conveyed to the govern- ment of Panama by a treaty that granted full control of the


canal to Panama in 1999. In my view, this was a very pre- cious and strategic giſt to the people of Panama. T e Panama Canal is now a


major source of revenue for the people of Panama. It is estimated that the canal tolls and fees generate somewhere between 3-5 million dollars a day. T e canal is a giſt that is making a diff erence in the lives of the people of Panama. Jesus is a giſt to us. All we


have to do is to claim the giſt and allow Jesus to be present in our daily living. We can live because Jesus lives in our hearts. Gloria and William Gaither help us to understand this reality in their hymn, “Because He Lives:”


3 Because he lives, I can face to-


morrow; Because he lives, all fear is


gone; Because I know he holds the


future, And life is worth the living, Just because he lives


Jesus is a giſt that God has


given to us. It is not a giſt to keep to ourselves, but one to be shared with others epecial- ly in the Christmas season. So, “go, tell it on the


mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.” These words from the Afro-American Spiritu- al, “Go, Tell It on the Moun- tain” provides our directive to share the gift of Jesus Christ. It is sheer joy to share the giſt


of Jesus Christ. Merry Christ- mas!


Woodland Memorial UMC Gains Community Presence with Re-launched Website


By Laura Allen


In March 2010, members of Wood- land UMC in Morgantown, W.Va. heard about how important web- sites are in the age of Google. T ey attended a ‘Growing Your Church’ workshop led by church planter and consultant, the Rev. Jim Griffi th. “Jim talked about the way people access information now,” said Rev. Amy Shanholtzer, director of Evan- gelism and Congregational De- velopment for the West Virginia Conference. She says Griffi th re- minded them most people don’t use the yellow pages when looking for a church. “T ey probably use a Google search to fi nd a place to worship,” she said. Griffi th told attendees to examine


the eff ectiveness of their church’s website, advice Woodland re- sponded to by re-launching their online presence in July. “Our previ- ous site had a web address that was too long for people to remember, and was diffi cult to update,” said Woodland pastor, Rev. Ed Craſt . The new site, http://woodlandum.


com, was visited more than 3,000 times from July until mid-September.


PhOTO By aMy shanhOLTZER


Drivers on this busy Morgantown street have noticed Woodland Memorial UMC’s new web address on their sign. 5 families now attending the church say they checked out Woodland on the web before coming to worship.


Church leaders are responsible for up- dating content specifi c to their minis- try, and have access to tech support at no charge during the week.


The cost – about $199 – plus the


time and efforts of the church to set-up and manage the site have yielded results. “We’ve had 5 fami-


lies who attend church now say they checked out the website before choosing Woodland,” said Rev. Craft. Jim Griffi th returns to the West Virginia


Conference March 5-6, 2011 to lead anoth- er ‘Growing Your Church’ workshop at the Bridgeport Conference Center in Bridgeport, W.Va. Learn more and print the registration form www.wvumc.org/evangelism. Space is limited, interested churches should register early.


MEDiCaRE PaRT D infORMaTiOn


T e open enrollment period for Medi- care Part D (Prescription Drug Cover- age) for Medicare-eligible retirees extends until December 31, 2010. If you are an eligible retiree or active clergy person with eligible retirees in your congrega- tion or community, please be aware of and share the deadline for enrollment.


It’s critical for Medicare-eligible retirees to enroll in Medicare Part D because Confer- ence prescription drug coverage for this group ends on December 31, 2010. Please direct questions to Jim Berner at 1-800- 788-3746, ext. 35.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12