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February 17, 2020
"Transformed Lives Transform Lives
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Prayers of the People
Rabbi Joshua Martin Siegel, who served as rabbi of the BWC and teaches a weekly class at the Mission Center, is experiencing health challenges. We pray for him and for healing.
We give thanks to God for the
congregation of Metropolitan UMC
in Baltimore, which celebrates is 195th anniversary of being in ministry to the Harlem Park Community in Baltimore The church, founded by a former slave in 1825, will observe this anniversary on March 22 at its 10:30 a.m. service.
On Feb. 15, the Baltimore Region began its month of prayer and fasting for the denomination as we approach the General Conference Session in May.
Learn more.
 On Feb. 9 many area churches celebrated
Scouting Sunday, including Troop 1094 in Darnestown, where the
Rev. Sherri Wood-Powe serves as the troop's chaplain. We celebrate the ministry of Scouting and pray for all the Scout and leaders in this region.
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BWC delegation endorses Protocol
Members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference delegation to General and Jurisdictional conferences voted Feb. 15 to endorse the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation, scheduled to come before the General Conference session, which meets May 5-15.
The delegations also voted to support the Connectional Table's resolution to create a US regional conference, which would create a body to allow US delegates only to address legislation that specifically relates to the church in the United States.
See a listing of the members of the BWC delegation, which is led by the Rev. Ianther Mills and Cynthia Taylor.
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Connect Leadership Summit offers innovative training
The BWC's Leadership Days are being
transformed
into a new format that takes training for local church leaders to the next level.
The Connect Leadership Summit
will be held March 7, in the Baltimore and Washington Regions, and March 14 in the Southern and Western Regions. Leaders will be inspired and equipped to connect more people to Jesus with a plenary presentation from Daniel Im, author of "No Silver Bullets," specialized learning in one of six ministry area tracks, and several specially designed workshops tailored to specific needs.
The tracks for specialized learning will cover Abundant Health, Deepening Discipleship, Generosity Generators, New Level Leaders, New Faith Expression and Young People's Ministry. Learn more and register.
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BWC pays 100% General Church apportionments: The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) reports that 18 annual conferences and 10 central conferences paid 100% of the general Church apportionments for 2019. Among them was the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
Because of your faithfulness, ministry throughout the world continues, said GCFA General Secretary Moses Kumar.
In addition, the GCFA Data Services Department has posted the most recent church membership statistics on the Service's website,
www.umdata.org
. Information on membership and worship attendance can be found on the site.
Taste of West River: The West River Center, at 5100 Chalk Point Road in Churchton, is holding its inaugural Taste of West River fundraising event March 1. Enjoy a seven-course gourmet meal prepared by new West River Food Service Director, Chef
Matthew Frederiksen. $50 tickets are available at
https://tinyurl.com/tasteofwestriver. All proceeds will go to support camperships.
Black History Month Celebration: Bishop Forrest C. Stith, bishop-in-residence at Asbury UMC in Washington, will share highlights of his family's history, including his great grandfather's escape from slavery and the building of the first Black Homestead Settlement in Nebraska, on Sunday, Feb. 23 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., at Asbury UMC, 926 11th St. NW in Washington. Signed copies of the book, "Sunrises and Sunsets for Freedom," documenting this journey and written by Bishop Stith's father with reflections by Bishop Stith, will be available for purchase. Free street parking is available and additional parking at no cost is available in the garage next to the church on 11th Street.
Observing History: No matter a person's heritage, culture or racial background, black history is everyone's story. For the 29 days of February, the Commission on Religion and Race has put together 29 ways United Methodists can celebrate and participate in Black History Month.
Read the list.
'True Justice' Screening: The Mount Olive UMC Youth Group and the Randallstown Youth Council of the NAACP are hosting a screening of "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight for Equality," which examines the personal journey of Bryan Stevenson, a public defender in Alabama and executive director of the
Equal Justice Initiative, who is working to bring justice to the incarcerated, wrongfully convicted and disadvantaged. The screening is on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m. at Mount Olive UMC, 5115 Old Court Road in Randallstown. It is free and open to the public. The film is rated TV-MA. Please RSVP at
office.m...@gmail.com or call the church at 410-922-2853.
A Gift of Preparedness:
Oak Chapel UMC, 14500 Layhill Road in Silver Spring, will hold a workshop on end of life planning Saturday, Feb. 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Presentations on funeral planning with the owner of Pridgen Funeral Home, and financial legacy planning with
Frank Robert of the Mid-Atlantic United Methodist Foundation, will be offered.
Learn more and register.
The Baltimore-Washington Area Reconciling United Methodists
will meet Feb. 29 from 9:30 a.m. to noon, at John Wesley UMC at 3202 W. North Ave. in Baltimore. The featured speaker is the Rev. Will Ed Green, associate pastor and director of discipleship at Foundry UMC in Washington.
The Mission of Peace (MOP) is a yearly international journey of discovery and shalom sponsored by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Council on Youth Ministries. Every conference in the jurisdiction may select up to four high school youth for this experience. The approximate dates for the 2021 MOP to China are Dec. 27, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2021. The estimated cost is $5,000 per person. Each youth must raise the money to support his/ her MOP and is expected to share their experience at least five times upon returning.
Applications are due March 1.
Read a story about this year's Mission of Peace trip to India.
The Baltimore-Washington Conference's Wesley Covenant Association will hold a "WCA-101" town hall meeting Sunday, March 15, from 4 to 6 p.m., at Emmanuel UMC, 24 Humbird Ave. in Cumberland. Questions? Call 301-722-8101.
Discipleship Opportunities
Leadership Development
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Applications for the next class of
Certified Lay Ministers
are now being accepted;
learn more
.The deadline is July 1. The next class, which is a two-year commitment, will start in September. Questions can be directed to
Linda Flanagan
,
Conference Director of Lay Servant Ministries.
- Christians Engaged in Faith Formation is a gathering of clergy and laity, paid and volunteer, which develops leaders in faith formation to equip people of all ages to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Their next meeting, where they will discuss classroom management and discipline, will be April 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at the BWC Mission Center in Fulton. On May 14, they'll visit the Museum of the Bible in Washington to learn how local churches can use this local resource in their context. For more information, contact eben...@severnaparkumc.org.
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Upcoming Wesley Open Houses: Do you have questions about what seminary is like, what a Wesley education will prepare you to do, or how to finance your education? Wesley Theological Seminary invites you to its upcoming open houses - online and on-campus - to find out more about our Master-level degrees.
Online: Virtual Wesley Webinar, February 27, 11 a.m. - Noon. Bring your questions about master-level degree options and specializations, course scheduling and accessibility, internships and fellowships, student groups, study abroad, community worship and activities, housing options, and more.
Register to attend.
On campus: Window on Wesley, March 24, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Be a seminarian for a day at Window on Wesley, its daytime open house. Register here.
- Maryland Legislative Advocacy Day, sponsored by the Conference Advocacy and Action Network and the United Methodist Women, will be held March 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Asbury UMC in Annapolis. Participants will learn about and advocate for issues surrounding criminal justice and environmental care, and visit with legislators. Those attending should wear red and bring a photo ID. For more information, contact Jeannie Lee Panesi, the UMW's social action coordinator.
- April 22 is Earth Day. The theme for this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, is climate action. Learn more.
Wellness and Missions
- Mission u: Interrupting the School to Prison Pipeline, an event co-sponsored by the United Methodist Women and the BWC's Wellness and Missions team, will be held July 24-26 at the Bethesda Marriott. The 2020 studies will be on Finding Peace in the Midst of Anxiety, and Mass Incarceration: School to Prison Pipeline. Learn more. Registration will open soon.
- When disasters happen, it is local churches that provide the first response to their communities. This basic understanding -- that disaster response is local -- forms the foundation for UMCOR's U.S. disaster training and response efforts. The BWC UMCOR ERT trainers are available to provide ERT trainings on Feb. 21, March 22, and May 16. If your church is interested in hosting a training event on one of these dates, contact Pastor Fred Sipes, BWC Disaster Response Coordinator, to discuss the logistics of being a host site.
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The
Director of Disaster Response in the US Virgin Islands recently wrote a note of gratitude to the Northeastern Jurisdictional Volunteers in Mission. The letter thanked VIM volunteers for 20 months of rebuilding on St. Croix. Since June 2018, VIM sent 37 groups with 551 volunteers who provided 44,873 hours of construction labor. The volunteers, who put their faith into action, worked on over 60 homes, most of which were owned by senior citizen and persons with disabilities.
Young People's Ministry
- Refresh 2020 Youth Leader Retreat: Join youth workers from across the BWC for a weekend to Refresh. Attendees will spend a weekend at Manidokan Camp and Retreat Center for worship, training, and intentional reflection and restoration. Cost is $225 per person for lodging, meals, and a weekend of worship, reflection, and restoration. Register online by March 6; contact Cheryl Cook with any questions.
- Youth Member at Large: Every year, three youth per district have the opportunity to serve as youth members at large to Annual Conference. As a member at large, youth get to experience participate in all the sessions and vote on resolutions and reports. If you are interested in serving, fill out the application online. Applicants will be notified by April 1 if they are selected to serve. Contact Cheryl Cook with any questions.
- BWC Scholarships: The BWC awards scholarships for qualified students currently attending college, as well as high school seniors who plan to attend college in the fall of 2020. The application process closes March 5. Learn more and apply.
- Spaces are available for Camp Hope for this summer: Camp Hope, based in Frostburg, is a Christian youth ministry program that assists homeowners with needed repairs. Teams of senior high youth (aged 14 - 18) work with adult leaders from their church for one week to serve a homeowner with a home improvement need they are physically or financially unable to complete on their own. Learn more.
- Save the Date for the Manidokan I-KAN 5K Obstacle Adventure Race Sep. 12. Run as an individual, make a team, run competitively or just for fun. A kid-size race will also be available for those ages 4-11. The event will raise funds for site improvements and camperships.
Classifieds
Glen Mar UMC in Ellicott City is now accepting applications for the part-time position of Missions Ministry Coordinator. This vital role drives systems for impacting lives through mission trips and ministry partnerships locally, domestically and abroad.
Learn more.
Free to good home: William McKinney would like to donate an organ to a church who might want it. It was his father's, who was a United Methodist. The organ needs to be picked up at Asbury Village in Gaithersburg before the end of the month. Questions?
Contact McKinney at 972-841-3240.
Also free to a good home:
Carol Engel has
a Kimball organ, 700 Swinger series, that she would love to donate to a church. It has two keyboards and various rhythms and instrument sounds. If anyone is interested, they would need to pick it up. Contact Engel at
410-337-0942.
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The Baltimore-Washington Conference will serve as the host conference of the
2020 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference, July 13-17, 2020, at the Delta Hotel in Hunt Valley. People in this area are being asked to volunteer. Some of the servant opportunities include greeting, welcoming (at the airports/train stations, and light rail), pages, tellers and runners, and much more. The
Rev. Patricia Allen of St. Paul's UMC in Kensington is chairperson of volunteer coordination. Contact her at
pasto...@gmail.com and provide your name, best email contact, your region or district, and how you are willing to serve.
Other Conference-related news
This year, the
Pre-Conference Briefing, along with the Clergy Session and Laity Session traditionally held at Annual Conference, will be April 18 at the Ranson Civic Center in Ranson, W.Va., and Asbury UMC in Charles Town, W.Va.
The
236th Session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference will be Wednesday through Friday, May 27 to 29, at the Waterfront Marriott Hotel in Baltimore.
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Melissa Lauber, Director of Communications
11711 East Market Place, Fulton, MD 20759
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