AN District News.......UMC Buzz.......August 6, 2021
CHURCH CONFERENCE FORMS ARE LIVE!
FORMS ARE ONLINE: Here is the link to Church Conference forms. As in the past, some forms will be downloaded, completed, signed & dated, scanned as PDF and uploaded into the church’s Arena record. Only complete the forms that apply to you and/or your church. Use the worksheets to collect the necessary information you will need to complete the electronic forms in Arena. This will cut down on the amount of time you will need to logged into Arena. These are only worksheets and should not be uploaded or turned in at your church conference. Benefits information for 2022 can be found on that page, as well as Frequently Asked Questions.
DEADLINE: Please submit sign, scan [as a PDF] and upload the paperwork on the Church Conference Checklist into the church’s Arena record by October 1, or 10 days prior to your conference, whichever comes first. For those with church conference in September, please adhere to DS Schlieckert's deadline that was expressed in earlier communication. Check that local church chairs have signed their respective reports before you scan and upload them into the Church’s Arena record. Do not upload reports unless all required signatures are included.
TRAINING: We invite you to join us on August 10 at 7 pm for a Training Tuesday Webinar focused on what the Church Conference season will look like this year. We will walk you through the Arena forms and show you the difference between the worksheets and forms on our website. We will show you how to end someone’s term and add someone to the committee leader toolbox. You will also learn the importance of having someone listed as the church administrator. We encourage anyone who will be completing a church conference form to attend this training, whether they are new or they would like a refresher course. Click here to register for this free Training Tuesday Webinar.
Please note, the Training Tuesday Webinar on August 17, will offer an in-depth conversation about the NEW Discipleship Ministries Form. You won’t want to miss this chance to learn more about the why, how, and what of this NEW form. More details and the link to register will be sent out via the e-Connection.
The Center for Vital Leadership announces the Living Well Initiative, a seven-month pilot program that offers clergy the opportunity to thrive.
What do you do when you want to take your ministry to the next level? Working harder isn’t the answer. Even working smarter only takes you so far. The witness of faithful Christians over the ages has shown that time apart for reflection and renewal helps gain the needed perspective to see things differently and find the best way forward. The Living Well Program does just that.
The program is comprised of two retreats, Sept. 21-23, at Camp Manidokan, and March 8-10, 2022, at West River Camp and Retreat Center, as well as monthly cohort meetings between the retreats to process their learnings and support each other throughout this journey.
The $700 registration fee, matched by the Baltimore-Washington Conference, covers the full cost of the two retreats and the seven-month journal, and review instruments designed to create a personalized pastoral development plan. 3.3 CEUs will be offered. Scholarships are available. For more information, contact Rev. Amanda McMurtrey.
YOUTH ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR WAVE, COMING JAN. 7-9
Youth leaders from the BWC and Pen-Del conference recently announced plans for WAVE, an event for youth set for Jan. 7-9 at the Convention Center in Ocean City.
The youth-led event will feature speakers Heather Flies and Chris Singleton. There will be concerts by Tedashii and Apollo Ltd.; worship led by Urban Street Level and Latice Crawford; a Christian ventriloquist, Ryan & Friends, will also perform.
New this year for those attending from the BWC will be a Proclaim the Name contest. This "preaching" contest is open to all youth who are registered and attend. The winner will be selected by a panel of judges and will preach on Sunday morning right after the worship band at WAVE. Learn more.
Registration is now open for the Oct. 25-27 Annual Conference session in Baltimore. It is essential that all clergy and lay members register online, as there will be no in-person registration this year. Learn more about the session.
Bishop’s Days on the Regions
Sept. 27-30
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling will be meeting in regional conversation sessions with clergy and laity. Mark your calendars for the Baltimore Region on Sept. 27 at Hiss UMC, Southern Region on Sept. 28 at Westphalia UMC, Washington Region on Sept. 29 at First UMC, and Western Region on Sept. 30 at Rehoboth UMC. Clergy will meet from
2 to 4 p.m. and the laity from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
237th Annual Baltimore-Washington Conference Session
Hilton Hotel, Baltimore, Oct. 25-27
The session will be a hybrid one – both in-person and online. Learn more.
An online pre-conference session will be held on Sept. 25.
WAVE (formerly ROCK) youth planning meeting
BWC Mission Center
Sept. 18, 10 a.m.
This year, youth from the BWC will be joining young people from the Peninsula-Delaware Conference at their youth rally, Jan. 7-9 in Ocean City.
The Baltimore-Washington Conference is leading the denomination in creating Beloved Community. More than 80 of its churches have pastors of one cultural group leading congregations in which not all share their racial or ethnic background. Crossing boundaries of language, culture and social or economic status helps us to live out our faith in ways that honor our commitment to being an inclusive church, where all are welcome in the family of God.
This fall, the BWC will offer Diverse Church by Design, a cross-racial and cross-cultural (CRCC) leadership certificate program. The program aims to increase churches' diversity and inclusion and develop ways to create God's Beloved Community where justice, equal opportunity, and love can embrace all. Learn more.
In her book, Park asserts: For United Methodists, faith is a personal and corporate living response to Christ as we seek to imitate Jesus’ life. ... John Wesley’s concept of “practical divinity,” is a way of pursuing a life of holiness. A living faith is expressed by bringing diverse people closer to God as disciples of Christ. To be a bridge-builder between God and God’s people, a leader constantly reminds the world that God cares about human suffering and the dignity of all people.As you grow in your understanding of Beloved Community, we recommend to you a new book, “Develop Intercultural Competence: How to Lead Cross-Racial and Cross-Cultural Churches,” by the Rev. HiRho Park of Bethesda UMC.
For those seeking to deepen their living faith, the BWC has adopted a Covenant of Beloved Community to guide your thoughts and actions.
Registration is now open for the Diverse Church by Design leadership certification. The curriculum is designed as a hybrid model with four learning modules. Hybrid courses entail self-paced online learning and live interactive lessons. Self-study materials will be released on Oct. 11. The first live interactive lessons will begin on Saturday, October 23 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Other live sessions will be on Jan. 22, April 30, and July 23. Learn more and register.