In my beginning, I was born and raised in Parkersburg, and I am proud to call this state of West Virginia home. My parents divorced when I was very young, yet I never encountered the lack of family. My mother, brother, and I lived with her parents, my maternal grandparents. I was fortunate to grow up with a large extended family-aunts, uncles, cousins, and even great-grandparents.

The church became very much a part of the fabric of my life from a young age. My grandparents have been life-long United Methodists, and I attended church with them during the early years of my childhood. My mother is an American Baptist, and I became a part of her church during my teen years in order to benefit from a strong youth program. Those years are very important to me because it was at that point that life in the community of faith became my own choice.

I graduated from Parkersburg High School in 1986 and then attended Marshall University in Huntington. I first felt the call to ministry during my freshman year. I was a Humanities major with a concentration in Religious Studies. My primary professor and mentor was a Presbyterian minister, so I decided to check out some Presbyterian churches in the area. I found a home at First Presbyterian in Huntington and became a member there, as well as becoming active in the PROWL (People Reaching Out With Love) campus ministry at Marshall. Rev. Bob Bondurant and PROWL really helped to solidify my sense of calling to ministry by offering me opportunities to preach and lead worship when we spoke to area churches.

I graduated from Marshall in 1990 and then moved on to study at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Upon graduating in 1993 from LPTS, I received their Patterson Fellowship in Biblical Studies which was a monetary award to be used for post-grad study. So, this allowed me to spend a year abroad studying at the Protestant Institute of Theology in Paris, France. My time there was a great graduation gift from God, and I cherish those memories.

From there I have served churches in Spencer, Vienna, Parkersburg, and currently in St. Albans. I was ordained at the church I served in Vienna, Westminster Presbyterian, and there God gave me a superb ordination gift. I met there my husband. Ken Stone, because he officiated at my ordination in his role as the Vice-Moderator of the Presbytery in Quadrant I at that time. We were married four years later in my current church, Highlawn Presbyterian in St. Albans. We look forward to many more wonderful memories in the church to come.

Statement of Faith: Kristi Shay Stone

I believe in the one God made manifest through the Trinity -- God the Creator, God the Redeemer, and God the Sustainer. I believe that God our Creator, the God of Abraham and Sarah, created heaven and earth and all its inhabitants, including the most precious creation which was humanity. We, men and women, are created in the imago dei, the image of God. We are created to love God with all our being, and to love the other beings God has created as we love ourselves. We are fashioned to love as God loves. Yet, we are not forced. God has granted us the ability and freedom to choose how we will live and love. But this freedom also allows us to choose death, destruction, and evil. We can disobey our God, and we do. We have all sinned and fallen short of what God has intended for us, and in doing so we moved ourselves farther away from divine purpose and love.

Nevertheless, no matter how far we have gone astray, God has still loved us. Through Christ, God sought to find us once again and make us whole. Jesus the Christ was God reconciling God’s Self to us. Through the ministry of Jesus, recorded for us through Scripture, God’s abiding love has been revealed to us and for us, even the lowliest of us -- the poor, the oppressed, the outcasts of our world. Jesus revealed to the world the Kingdom which is now and not yet in this world, but in its fulfillment will be a place where all who accept God’s gift of abundant life shall sit at God’s table and be fed.

Jesus lived his life in true relationship with God and his fellow human beings. His message of love and hope in God remained unwavering and obedient even to the point of death on a cross. Yet, the world’s sin and evil didn’t have the final word on that cross. Christ conquered death through resurrection, and by the grace of God working through him, our sins have been forgiven. And that, above all, is the Good News of the Gospel which I believe and proclaim with my fellow believers in the Church -- the living community of faith of which Christ is the cornerstone and Head.

I believe that God is still with us today, moving in our midst, because Christ promised and sent us the Holy Spirit to sustain us. The Spirit lives among us and works through us, striving to help us conquer injustices in our world and create peace in our communities. The Spirit is the healing force of God in our lives, nurturing those three things that still remain -- faith, hope, and love. And God’s love shall reign forevermore. Amen.

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Introduction: About Highlawn

Highlawn Presbyterian Church was founded on June 4, 1950 through the combined efforts of the St. Albans First Presbyterian Church and the Kanawha Presbytery. The church is located at 2501 Washington Avenue in the St. Albans east end. Discussions concerning the need for this church began at First Presbyterian in the mid-‘40s when it became obvious that the growth of the east end would soon require a Presbyterian commitment to that section of town.

Fifty-eight Charter Members started the church in a basement of a private home on Kanawha Terrace. It called as its first pastor the Rev. Donald Weiglein who was joined by his spouse Ella Mae and their children. They remained at the church for 23 years. Since that humble beginning more than 1,300 Christians have called Highlawn Presbyterian their church home. It celebrated its 50^th anniversary on June 4, 2000. In that time the church has been served by six additional pastors: the Rev. Russell Ward, the Rev. Dr. Charles Speight, the Rev. Rick McGuire (Interim), the Rev. A. D. Ellison (twice an Interim), the Rev. Dr. Donald Howard, and the current pastor, the Rev. Kristi Stone.

At Highlawn Presbyterian Church no one, visitor or veteran, enters without receiving a warm greeting and expressions of personal interest. We like each other.

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Church School

Members and friends of Highlawn Presbyterian Church are served each day of Worship by a Sunday School offering classes to all from nursery to adult. The church offers a Sunday School Nursery, a Beginners Class (ages 3-5): two elementary school classes, (grades 1-3 and 4-6), a combined Jr. Hi and Sr. Hi Class, a Young Adult Class, and two Adult Classes, one for discussion of current issues from a biblical perspective and a Bible study class.

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Senior Program (Hilltoppers)

The Hilltoppers group consists primarily of retired people, but everyone is welcome. They meet in the Fellowship Hall on the third Friday of each month for lunch, for which a voluntary contribution may be made. There is usually a short program with a speaker, which may be one of the members or someone invited to speak on a particular subject. Don Springer is in charge of programs and Ruth Hutton of food. Once or twice a year they travel to some special place, such as the Glen Ferris Inn, Wren’s Nest, or Huntington’s Heritage Square, shown above.

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Women’s Circle:

The women’s circle meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:30 in the Fellowship Hall for lunch and Bible Study. The members take turns providing the lunch. Ruth Hutton leads the Bible Study, which is on the book of Esther for 2001-2002. Joyce Ford is the circle moderator. All women are welcome.

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Youth Program

The Highlawn senior youth group meets on Sunday evenings at 6:30 PM. We have food and fellowship. Once a year we go on a trip with the money we raise from various fundraisers during the school year. Youth Fellowship is held at the church, or sometimes in the homes of some of the church members. We invite youth ages 12-23 to join us.

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Weekly Bible Study

Leaders: Joe Bradford, Clarence Williams, and Rev. Kristi Stone
All members and friends of HPC are invited to become a part of the Wednesday evening Bible Study beginning at 7 PM. These sessions are held in the church parlor and are about 1 hour long. Currently the group is studying the book of Daniel.

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Music Program

The Highlawn Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir meets Thursday evenings at 7:30 at the church. The anthems we perform vary from the traditional to the contemporary. We invite anyone interested in singing with us to come out and join us. Voices of all ages are welcome. "Make a joyful noise."

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Sewing Group

The Women’s Sewing Group meets in the Fellowship Hall from 9:30 until 2:30 on the first Wednesday of every month to work on various projects for distribution to mission hospitals all over the world. The projects include baby caps and gowns, bandages, hospital gowns, quilts, sheets, mosquito netting and small stuffed baby toys. The women enjoy the fellowship of working together and the joy of service. Betty Keiffer and Norma Bryan see that a good lunch is provided.

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Book Club

Leader: the Rev. Kristi Stone
The HPC Book Club is one of the church’s newest Christian Education activities. The group has one month to read a book and the discussion is held on the final Monday of that same month, September through May. The books are of a spiritual or theological nature: previous selections have included The Great Divorce, by C. S. Lewis; Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo; and John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. Sessions begin at 7 PM and end about 8:30.

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Family Retreat, Bluestone

The annual Church Retreat is usually scheduled for a weekend in October. This traditional event is held at the beautiful Bluestone Conference Center near Hinton, WV. Along with the beautiful natural surroundings, the weekend includes good food, great fellowship, games, an interesting program and plenty of time for relaxing, hiking or just taking in the wonder of God’s creative touch. There is normally a discussion program each year as well, covering current social and religious topics. The 2001 program was led by the Rev. Jack Haga, recently retired from Highlawn Presbyterian Church of Huntington, and included a discussion of the attitude of Christians toward Muslims following the September 11th attacks. If you have never attended any of the retreats try to come this year. You will then understand why many persons return year after year. It is a rewarding and meaningful event. For more information, Contact us..

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Prayer Requests

To add a name to our Prayer List (or to remove one), just call us or send us an E-mail with the person’s name and a brief description of the concern. For phone or E-mail, click here.

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