Reclamation Welch Blog

We’re launching this almost two years after our start in March 2024, but we’re grateful to finally have a place to slow down and put some stories in writing. Our hope is that this becomes a long-term space to share Reflections about life and ministry, Impact  stories meant to highlight how God is changing lives, and Renovation updates from the historic building we’ve been entrusted to steward. You can find each type of blog post at the top navigation by clicking Reflections/Impact/Renovations. Thanks for being part of the story and for praying!    ✝️ Don't forget... You are loved.  - Paul and the whole RCW family

  Impact Story: Shannon Butner We want everyone to know that Church isn’t a spectator sport. We want everyone to share each other's stories; in an impact story, we like to do that with three things: talk about what happened in the past, when you met Christ, and what’s your response to that now. This is to build each other up and to provide opportunities to pour into other people‘s lives. Who is Shannon Butner? My name is Shannon Butner, and before I met Christ, my life was a mess. I grew up in an abusive home. My mom was addicted, so she was angry all the time as an adult. Unfortunately, these are the kind of people that I surrounded myself with, declaring them as friends and intimate partners. Hence, it was all violence and addiction and nothing good. There was nothing good in my life as a child or young adult, even in the case of love. I knew a couple of guys who were so mean that they tried to take me out of the world, but they didn’t; they failed. I’m still here. Thank God He w...

  We've done many renovations to our historic early-1900's building so far - originally a Presbyterian Church that sits along what I've jokingly heard called "Holly Roller Avenue" (because of how many churches line the same street).   We will be tagging "Renovations" as we update the work done on preserving and restoring different elements for the next chapter of this building as the home of Reclamation Welch.

 Well, friends.   20 years after reading my Young Life leader's blog (thank you, Jay) on a school computer we're working on a way to update folks on our Reclamation Welch building restoration updates, Impact Stories from the community, and other reflections that we'll be grateful to have logged.  Currently I'm sitting at a Starbucks in Beckley waiting for Ellie (our oldest, now 11) to finish a test at "Math Field Day" so that we can take a daddy-daughter date to IHOP.  This is a tradition now and I'm very grateful for one on one time with her.  I'll spend the rest of the afternoon organizing details of projects for work teams that will serve over the next few months.   These teams are important for many reasons, but most impactful to me has been the demonstration of unity, the new friendships in my life and the long-term partnerships that have formed over years. Grateful to serve, Paul.