PEACEFEST 2014 will celebrate the abundant goodness of West Virginia, lament its plight and resolve to keep hope alive. The event will be held in the historic Presbyterian Meeting House, Shepherdstown, 100 W. Washington St. (across from the Post Office), Saturday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

West Virginia may be well known for poverty but some people are conspiring to imagine and work for a better tomorrow, one step at a time.

Brandon Dennison, founder of the Coalfield Development Corp. working in Wayne, Lincoln and Mingo counties for quality homes, jobs and lives; Ed Grove of Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Panhandle; and Fred Dubay volunteer with a Shepherdstown Elementary School mentoring program will each present brief stories of hope, steps that can be taken to provide opportunities for wholeness.

Songs of lament and hope will be presented by a variety of musicians including Kipyn Martin, Than and Mary Anne Hitt, Greg Lloyd, Jade Pope, Steve Warner and Michael and Morgan Wisniewski.

“We believe there is room at the table for all,” says Pastor Randall Tremba. “Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace is also the presence of health, wholeness and wellbeing for people and communities. PEACEFEST 2014 is a community gathering in the spirit of St. Francis to imagine, to pray and to work for a better tomorrow for our state and its people.”