PUBLISHED BY THE WEST VIRGINIA CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Randy Robinson of St. Andrew United Methodist Church in St. Albans fills a water jug from a tap in the church kitchen. The community was one of the few places that had uncontaminated water because they draw from the Coal River. ADAM CunninGHAM
noT a DroP To Drink Local churches provide help during recent water crisis By Laura Allen
For more than a week last month, residents in nine West Virginia Counties could only use tap water to flush their toilets and put out fires. Officials now believe that about 7,500 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (raw MCHM) leaked from a storage facility owned by Freedom Industries into the Elk River near Charleston on Jan. 9. The chemical leak occurred about 1.5 miles upstream from a water-treatment facility owned and operated by West Virginia American Water. 300,000 people, or about 15% of West Virginia’s population, were affected by the spill. During the crisis, area residents stopped by St. Andrew United Methodist Church in St. Albans to fill containers with some of the only usable tap SEE chUrches PagE 3
FEBRUARY 2014a
CALENDAR
WE REMEMBER
February
5 Grow Your Church Webinar 9-12 Board of Ordained Ministry Meeting
March 9-12 14-15 14-16
Board of Ordained Ministry Meeting Residency Retreat Course of Study
For more information and the full calendar visit wvumc.org/calendar. Email submissions to wvumc@wvumc.org.
Special Sundays
The West Virginia Conference raises awareness and funds for causes that show our faith in action through 20 special Sundays each year. February 16 Volunteers in Mission Awareness Sunday March 30 One Great Hour of Sharing For more information on all Special Sundays, visit bit.ly/ SpecialSundays.
APPOINTMENTS 2014 It is the intention of Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball to appoint the Rev. Melissa Shortridge to the Cabinet, where she will serve as superintendent of the Greenbrier District, effective July 1, 2014. Bishop Steiner Ball also intends to appoint the Rev. Ella Dorsey to Ebenezer United Methodist Church in the Western District, effective March 1, 2014. Appointments are updated as they are released by the Bishop every Monday at wvumc.org
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Betty Knight, the mother of Rev. Roy Knight Gary Wilson, former CEO of Burlington United Methodist Services Bonnie Bowyer, wife of the late Rev. John Bowyer (FE) John Flynn’s (LP Nestorville Charge) father, Charles Flynn David Earl Acord, father of the Rev. Ron Acord Elizabeth Forkey, mother of Rev. Keith Forkey, New Life UMC Martha L. Leese, mother of the Rev. Rita Beeman Delores Tiller, wife of the Rev. Denver Tiller
Jerry R. Furr, father of the Rev. Russell Furr The Rev. Violet L. Petso Rena Payton, mother-in-law of the Reverend Linda Payton (husband Darrell Payton) Inez Dukes, mother of the Reverend Philip Dukes (FE-R) Eileen Kerr, sister of Phyllis Coston (FD) Patricia Sale, mother of Rev. Rick Sale (FE) For complete information on We Remember or to signup for email alerts, please visit wvumc.org/ info/WeRemember.
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“The Lord will guide you continually, and provide for you even in parched places.” - Isaiah 58:11 Where has God provided for you, even in tough times? Where have you seen the church show up and be the body of Christ? Drop us a line: Editor, The Mountain Circuit, P.O. Box 2313, Charleston, WV 25328 or email us at wvumc@wvumc.org
FEBRUARY 2014
NOT A DROP TO DRINK water in Kanawha County. The church, along with the town of St. Albans, gets water from the Coal River, and is outside the contamination area, about seven miles from downtown Charleston. “We’ve had a steady but not overwhelming number of people stop by,” said the Rev. Loretta Isaiah, pastor. The church also received about 125 cases of bottled water Jan. 11 from a missionary church in Buckhannon, about 100 miles from Charleston. Only a few cases remained at the church the next day.
Tanker trucks roll in Tanker trucks of water began pulling into Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Sissonville Jan. 10 and deliveries continued throughout the crisis. The Rev. Stephanie Bennett, Aldersgate’s co-pastor, said that people were in good spirits. “I’ve seen people give away their water to neighbors, and our Boy Scout troop has been great,” she said. “They have carried water for the elderly and helped us unload donations of water and other supplies.” United Methodist churches outside of the affected area have been gathering water and other supplies and delivering to the Kanawha Valley. Suncrest United Methodist Church in Morgantown delivered bottled water and other supplies to Aldersgate January 13. There was an initial run on water and other supplies January 9 soon after Governor Tomblin declared a state of emergency and officials issued a do not use order for the region. While plenty of water made it into the area, the Rev. Dan Lowther, conference disaster response co-coordinator, noted that getting it to vulnerable populations was a challenge. “The elderly, those with disabilities, and the poor, many of whom lack transportation, were real concerns during this
Volunteers fill containers with water from a large tank at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Sissonville. Aldersgate has served its community several times during crisis in recent years. ADAM CunninGHAM
thing,” he said. Lowther represents The West Virginia Conference with Volunteers Active in Disaster, or VOAD, a humanitarian association of 27 independent organizations that may be active in all phases of disaster. VOAD operated out of the Emergency Operations Center in the state capitol during the crisis, and helped fill the gap to the most vulnerable.
Impact on low-income workers Lowther and other church leaders in the conference are concerned about what will happen to low-income workers in the area once the ban is lifted and normal daily routine returns. Restaurant workers lost a weekend of wages because of closures ordered by local officials. A half-dozen restaurants re-opened Sunday with provisional permits, after providing an approved alternative water sanitation plan. “We will be focusing on where we can help food pantries and other assistance
agencies with supplies and dollars,” he said. “We anticipate that rent assistance could be a need as well.”
Spiritual Care Team checks on residents Members of the Conference Spiritual Care team were active in Boone and Lincoln counties after the spill, checking on area residents to ensure they had adequate water. The team also shared information about flushing home water systems once the “do not use” ban was lifted. “We distributed more than 30 cases of water and visited 40 homes,” said Pastor Cheryl George, who lives and serves churches in Aurora, W.Va. in Preston County. She said that people were frustrated, but resigned to waiting patiently until their water service was restored. “They were glad someone checked on them,” said George. “Our job was to give them a little hope and reassurance.”
FEBRUARY 2014
IMAGINE NO MALARIA The United Methodist Church hopes to raise $75 million by 2015 toward the eradication of malaria in Africa in our lifetime. Bishop Thomas Bickerton (Western Pennsylvania Area) told the Council of Bishops last year that the UMC has crossed the $60 million mark, and said that “The vast majority of the money we have raised has come from the people of The United Methodist Church who sit in our pews every Sunday.” As of Dec. 31, 2013, the West Virginia Conference has raised nearly $74,000. Thank you! That number does not reflect The United Methodist Foundation’s pledged contribution of $40,000 toward the conference effort. Our Conference will continue a special emphasis on Imagine No Malaria through April 25, which is World Malaria Day. Let us know what your church or ministry is doing to raise funds for INM and go to
Each graphic of a child represents one life saved.
The January water crisis highlights the power of the United Methodist Connection. Conference Disaster Response funds give the UMC a chance to extend Christ’s love and mercy to others. photo
courtesy of warwood umc
ImagineNoMalaria.org for more information and resources. Check out West Virginia Conference INM team chair, the Rev. Monty Brown’s video clip about INM at wvumc. org/IMN Watch the Short Circuit (enews) for more information in the coming weeks.
Thank You for paying your apportionments. Together, we truly do make a difference.
Found on Facebook
ABOVE: Youth gathered together in the Little Kanawha District at Mt Pleasants UMC in January. District Superintendent Ken Krimmel shared with the group on how they can help with the Imagine No Malaria campaign. They also learned the importance of their involvement in church from the Rev. Chrissy Ruehl. Submitted by the Rev. Michael Ludle. LEFT: “Bishop Buzzkill is in residence at Concord UMC in Athens, collecting quarters with his quarter tube,” says Rev. Greg Godwin. “He has two pet mosquitos, John and Charles, with him. He is teaching the congregation each week about Imagine No Malaria. After week four we have collected over $340. He plans to stay with us through Easter Sunday.”