By Maureen Wright

I often hear from pastors who are new to the Presbytery of West Virginia (PWV) that they find PWV a very welcoming place. That was my experience when I moved here; I was invited to the Christian Educators’ group. The members of the group were quick to help me forge relationships. My husband Todd and I, along with our children, were invited by his predecessor, Frank Mansell, and Frank’s spouse, Joan, to join them at Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream in Charleston. The relationship that we formed with the Mansells has supported our family and opened the doors that allowed me to become the Transitional General Presbyter.

Relationships are important in the Presbytery of West Virginia. The Presbytery’s mission statement includes relationships. “The Presbytery of West Virginia is a baptized, covenant people called by God to reflect Christ’s love through mission, ministry, and relationships.” We value relationships.

On March 18, I traveled with three members of the Permanent Judicial Commission to Bedford, PA, for a training event. We carpooled from South Charleston in a minivan loaded with “car snacks.” The four-plus hour drive allowed us to get to know one another better, deepening our relationship with one another. It was a meaningful time that went well beyond learning about the Book of Order’s new Church Discipline section. We shared stories about our families, our churches, our experiences in the Presbytery; we laughed often and enjoyed our time together.

This trip reminded me of stories that I have heard in the Presbytery that are part of our lore, stories that support the relationships within the Presbytery. There are stories out of Greenbrier County about fording overflowing streams while traveling to a meeting and tales of bread broken with groups of people gathered to work with West Virginia Ministry of Advocacy and Workcamps. There are so many accounts of being stuck together on the West Virginia turnpike that one could fill a book. The chronicles of stops at the Dairy Queen in Hinton on the way to or from Bluestone could fill two books – it would be difficult to decide which are stories and which are legends. All these stories make up the threads woven together to create the relationship fabric of the Presbytery of West Virginia.

As the Presbytery moves through this time of transition, I find myself thinking about how the Presbytery will live out this value as we move into the new place that God will show us. How do we cultivate the relationships that make PWV unique in this emerging post-pandemic Zoom world? How will our value of relationships be reflected in the place to which God is calling?

I invite you to share your stories of relationships in the Presbytery. I want to hear about how you are deepening these relationships. In this time when we meet together more through technology than gathered in the same place, I yearn to hear your ideas on deepening our bonds, of being in relationship.