Westminster Presbyterian Church Centennial Book

Wayne Pelts tells the story that -- oh wait a minute, that ’ s me! It was 1978, and my sister and I, though very active in the church of our youth, longed for something deeper. We knew we could find that at Westminster. Everyone in Bluefield knew you could find

that at Westminster. We started coming on Sunday

At my baptism, the church made a promise to give me good teaching, and my family promised to raise me in the Christian faith … Westminster has kept their promise, and my family has too.

evening, where a small service took place in the Chapel. We didn ’ t know a soul, but we came any way. And we found God ’ s Word honored and preached. We found other believers who did not treat us as visitors, but as family, the body of Christ. It didn ’ t take long before we knew we needed to be here on Sunday morning, too, becoming official members. Back then, that was easy. After each Sunday morning service, a group of elders met in the chapel to receive anyone who wanted to become a member. Charlie Troup took a black and white photo for the church bulletin board, so it was official. It was wonderful having a new church home. I wonder just how many hundreds of photographs, especially of our children, were taken by Charlie.

Parker Bourne

Back to Al ’ s story, just a few months after he was here, plans were being made for something the church had not done before, something that most had never heard of before, something that would leave a wonderful permanent mark on the lives of many in Westminster and in Bluefield – a Lay Renewal.

Somewhere, in God ’ s providence, the cycle began to repeat with grandchildren, funerals, weddings, and medical healings. Each of these monumental moments have occurred alongside my brothers and sisters at WPC – tears of joy, sadness, mourning and hope – while experiencing the love of Jesus. Truly, joy and peace for me has been the gift of the Holy Spirit through the fellowship of WPC.

This is a group shot of the church members who planned that first Lay Renewal. You may recognize George McCulloch, standing near the right, next to Ozzie Ellison.

Lay Renewals are just different! Instead of bringing in a respected, educated minister to preach, you ’ re bringing in a team of lay people -- ordinary working folks, housewives, and college students – people with a story to tell, because their lives are different. They no longer live for themselves. They live for someone much greater than themselves. Hazel Cauthen fondly recalls, she was not a member yet at Westminster, but a friend had invited her to one of the evening services. Trying to get a sitter for their four young daughters was not an easy task, but the first phone call she made was successful. Many of you will fondly remember the Cauthen family. Hazel was a classically trained pianist. She vividly remembers the music of the evening Lay Renewal service in this sanctuary – and she was not impressed, among other things, it was really loud.

Chip Hurley

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