On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, more than 30 faith leaders representing different faiths and traditions gathered at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Charleston, West Virginia, for Perspectives on Faith in Action: A Faith & Public Policy Forum, hosted by the West Virginia Council of Churches.
Leaders of faith from across different traditions came together in the heart of West Virginia’s capital city for a day centered on listening, learning, conversation, and connection. Those gathered did not necessarily come from the same backgrounds or approach every issue from the same perspective. What they shared was a commitment to their communities and an interest in understanding how people of faith can thoughtfully engage with public policy.
Rev. Dr. Doug Dyson opened the forum by welcoming those gathered and setting the tone for the conversations ahead.
Throughout the day, participants were encouraged to consider an important connection: public policy is ultimately about people. Decisions made through the legislative process do not remain within the walls of the Capitol. They make their way into communities, congregations, workplaces, homes, and the everyday lives of West Virginians.
From Policy to People
The forum’s policy presentations brought together Rev. Roberta Smith, Rev. Maureen Wright, Rev. Thad Allen, and Fr. Paul Hudock, providing participants with perspectives on issues affecting West Virginia and its communities.
The conversations reflected the breadth of challenges communities across the Mountain State are navigating. Topics throughout the day included critical infrastructure and water, expungement and reentry, racism, and other public-policy concerns.
But the forum was not designed simply for those gathered to sit and listen.
An open-mic portion of the day invited faith leaders in attendance to speak about issues they were seeing firsthand in their own communities. It created an opportunity for the conversation to move from policy in the abstract to the experiences of people living and serving throughout West Virginia.
Among the many participants who shared was Rev. Caitlin Ware, who spoke about critical infrastructure concerns, including issues surrounding water. Rev. Beverly Sharp addressed expungement and reentry, bringing attention to issues affecting people returning to their communities following involvement with the justice system.
Their contributions were part of a much larger conversation in the room one shaped not only by prepared presentations, but also by the experiences, concerns, and perspectives of the faith leaders gathered together.
How Can People of Faith Make an Impact?
As the day continued, the conversation moved toward another important question: How can people of faith participate meaningfully in the legislative process?
That question became the focus of the panel discussion, “How People of Faith Can Impact the Legislative Process,” featuring Dr. Shanequa Smith, Seth DiStefano, Loretta Young, and Rusty Smith.
The discussion provided an opportunity to explore how individuals, congregations, and communities can better understand the legislative process, communicate about the issues affecting their communities, and participate in public life.
For faith leaders, that participation can begin with something quite simple: listening.
Listening to the people sitting in church pews. Listening to neighbors. Listening to people experiencing the consequences of policy decisions firsthand. And then ensuring that those experiences are not absent from conversations about the future of West Virginia.
Faith in Action
Perhaps one of the most meaningful parts of the forum was not any single presentation or topic, but the gathering itself.
More than 30 leaders of faith from different faiths and traditions chose to spend the day in the same room, listening to one another and discussing issues that are not always simple or comfortable.
The gathering demonstrated that faithful civic engagement does not require everyone in the room to agree on every issue. It can begin with a willingness to listen, learn, ask thoughtful questions, and remain engaged with the needs of our neighbors.
As the forum came to an end, Rev. Dr. Doug Dyson offered closing remarks, bringing the day full circle and sending participants back into their congregations and communities with much to consider.
The conversations begun at St. Mark’s did not have to end when the chairs were pushed in and participants headed home. They can continue in congregations, around community tables, in conversations with neighbors, and wherever people are working toward healthier and stronger communities across West Virginia.
Because public policy eventually becomes personal.
It becomes the water coming from a family’s tap. It becomes the infrastructure supporting a community. It becomes the barriers or opportunities facing someone returning home after incarceration. It becomes the experiences of our neighbors.
And that is precisely why voices of faith and community belong in the conversation.
Faith. People. A Stronger West Virginia.
