On November 14, Covenant will be hosting Shenandoah Presbytery for their quarterly meeting. Shenandoah Presbytery includes about 90 PCUSA churches from Martinsburg, WV, in the north to Buena Vista in the south, from Warrenton, VA, in the east to Keyser and Romney, WV, in the west. There are churches large and small, with Covenant among the five largest churches in the presbytery. A couple of those churches have been around for more than 250 years! Most of the churches have less than a hundred members and were founded at a time when folks needed to be within a convenient buggy ride from their homes. Today, many of those churches in rural areas with small populations are struggling – over a third of the churches in the presbytery have no installed pastor – and their future is uncertain. However, in churches large and small, there are vibrant ministries reaching out to assist neighbors in need and to share the good news of the Gospel in word and deed throughout the year and across the years. Hosting a presbytery reminds us that we are part of a Church that is much larger than ourselves. There are over a million Presbyterians across the country, and they come in many shapes and sizes, with racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversities that reflect the richness of God’s creative hand. What unites us is our common calling as disciples of the risen Christ within a Reformed tradition that affirms our salvation by the grace of God, our calling to respond with lives of faithful service, and our challenge to be reforming under the guidance of the Spirit as we encounter new challenges in our world and lives. We don’t claim to be the only Church; we are one expression of a larger Church that encompasses our Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, UCC, and Orthodox siblings. And like all siblings, we don’t always agree with one another, but we pledge to seek to follow where God leads us, loving one another along the way. There will be opportunities to help host the presbytery on the 14th – parking cars, serving lunch, welcoming commissioners, guiding guests through our building, singing with the choir, or setting up and tearing down the tables and chairs, and mics needed for the day. We hope that you will find a way that you can share in helping us host that day, and perhaps stay for a few minutes to see what our presbytery looks like (worship will be at 9:50 am) and how we work together in good Presbyterian tradition – decently and in order!
— John Peterson
