Impending Deadline: Portico Plan Selection

14 October 2026 is the deadline for plan selection by sponsoring entities. Visit the Clergy Wellness page for details, and don't miss the deadline.

Mars to Honor Bishop Emeritus Black

The Rt. Rev. L. Alexander Black will be honored by Lutheran SeniorLife by the dedication of the St. John Community Lobby in his name accompanied with installation of plaque and portrait. Black served as the first bishop of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod, retiring from the office in 1997. Immediately prior to that, he served as pastor of Edgwood Lutheran Church, Wheeling, WV.

In planning for the dedication, Lutheran SeniorLife asked whether the synod had a photo of Bishop Black that might be etched into a plaque. Since the move to a much smaller space, the synod has had a portrait of Bishop Black in storage, as there there was no place to hang it (or any other artwork). Synod Council decided to make a permanent loan of the portrait to LutheranSeniorLife, believing it better that the portrait be seen in a place dedicated to him than remain unseen in storage.

The dedication event will take place St. John's Lutheran SeniorLife, in the Community Lobby, 500 Wittenberg Way, Mars, PA, on 20 October 2026, at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome.

Religious Freedom (Before, During, and After the Revolutionary War)

First Lutheran, Parkersburg, will be hosting an afternoon with Bishop Riegel on 14 November 2026 with an America 250 focus. The day will feature a lecture titled "Religious Freedom (Before, During, and After the Revolutionary War)," a worship service using a period liturgy (Muhlenberg's) Agenda of 1748, and "Beer with the Bishop." Learn more on our Education for Clergy & Laity page.

Luther's Political Theology

The Fall 2026 Synod Clergy Continuing Education Event will be held at Priest Field, 9-11 November 2026. The Rev. Dr. Anthony Bateza will present on Luther's political theology.

WVCC Annual Assembly

Advance information on the West Virginia Council of Churches' 145^th Annual Assembly is now available on our Education for Clergy & Laity page. To be held 16 November 2026 under the theme "American Christian or Christian in America.: Faithfully Following Jesus in a Time of Idolatry and Division," the assembly will feature The Rev. Beau Underwood, co-author of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestantism Helped Build Christian Nationalism. Registration is now open; link posted on our Education for Clergy & Laity page.

Lecture: Martin Luther and the Called Life

The Rev. Dr. Mark Tranvik will lecture in Wheeling as part of the Upper Ohio Valley Conference's Reformation Weekend festivities. Tranvik is Professor of Reformation History and Theology, Luther Seminary, and a respected scholar whose most recent work has focused on vocation in daily life. Open to all, the lecture we be held 10:00 a.m., Saturday, 24 October 2026, at Grace Lutheran Church (Bethlehem), Wheeling, WV. There is no charge. The deadline to RSVP for the lunch has passed, but a worship service will take place after lunch. For more information, visit our Education for Clergy & Laity page.

Ethics

A dedicated Ethics page has been uploaded, a move occasioned by approaching deadline for public comment on reconsideration of Homelessness: A Renewal of Commitment (1990).

Also included on the page is information about the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, its podcast, and the upcoming Lutheran Ethicists Gathering on AI.

Church Property Resource Hub

The Church Property Resource Hub has been cranking out resources to help congregational leaders deal with a variety of property issues. We've been posting some of them on our Congregations page, including resources related to

• renting church property,
• sharing facilities,
• navigating taxable income, and
• facilities self-assessment.
  

Community Purchasing Alliance

Our friends at the Church Property Resource Hub have shared information about the Community Purchasing Alliance. You can it on our Congregations page. Services that may be appropriate for your congregation include copied, insurance, accounting services, and discounts on other services and products.

Mission Support for 2027

The mission support formula for 2027 has been posted on the synod's Mission Support page. You will also find there the mission support request letter, the commitment forms, and remittance forms.

Clergy Compensation for 2027

The Synod Council has published the Clergy Compensation Guidelines for 2027 on the Clergy Compensation page. You will find there the complete Clergy Compensation Kit for 2027 and the Clergy Compensation Calculator for 2027.

Go Tell It IN the Mountains

WV-WMD has received official word from Go Tell It IN the Mountains, a Lilly funded initiative to promote excellent preaching, that all its resources are available for use by our clergy, lay preachers/readers, and those training to be preachers. Seminars, workshops, and print material is found on the Go Tell It IN the Mountain's website. To learn more, visit our Education for Clergy & Laity page.

Help! I Have To Plan Worship (without a Pastor)

The Exchange

If you haven't checked out the Members Portal...

Don't forget to take a peek of the members portal (click the button at right near the top of this page). It's not password protected. We only call it the "members portal" because it's mostly stuff that deals with the internal workings of the synod. Visitors looking for more general information about the synod, will probably find the "guest portal" more interesting.

Quick Links

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