Greater Washington District News: April 21, 2017
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." Pope John Paul II
Important Highlights
Discipleship Academy registration deadline is May 1. Click here to register! The Academy will be held on May 6-7, 2017 at Colesville UMC in Silver Spring, MD. Please register as soon as you can; registration closes on May 1.
Classes - Sat., May 6 (9 a.m.- 5 p.m.) and Sun., May 7 (3-5:30 p.m.)
- Basic Lay Servant ~ Rev. Herbert Brisbon
- Advanced Lay Servant: The Power of Prayer ~ Pastor Helen Fleming
- Advanced Lay Servant: Our Mission of Leading Worship ~ Rev. Johnsie Cogman
- Advanced Lay Servant: Polity for Bible Moths ~ Rev. Joye Jones
Church Centered Clergy Laity Generosity Education program
In 2015, The Mid Atlantic United Methodist Foundation’ established the hugely successful 2-year Financial Leadership Academy for clergy which resulted in those pastors implementing actual positive changes in their local churches. Now, the Foundation would like to provide similar program materials to Clergy and 2-4 Change Advocates (Laity) in a church centered educational program. We would like your help in determining the best way to communicate this excellent program called the AFLC (Academy on Finances for Local Churches).
Please taking a moment and fill out the 10 question Survey for the AFLC (a Laity and Clergy Generosity Academy) using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/P7F7PCK
Service of Remembrance at Annual Conference
Please don’t forget to send Olivia Gross ( ) the names of any deceased lay member to Annual Conference (since last Annual Conference). The information needed is the name of the church, date of birth and death, and an electronic photograph. This information is being collected for the Service of Remembrance at Annual Conference.
District Clergy Meeting ~ May 3, 2017
The next district clergy meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at Gethsemane UMC (910 Addison Rd S, Capitol Heights, MD 20743). Check-in and gathering is at 9:30 a.m. and we will adjourn at 12:30 p.m. All active clergy are required to attend.
Know Anyone Looking to Use Their Gifts to Resource Congregations and/or Leaders?
We are creating a pool of trainers, facilitators, consultants, and coaches to help resource clusters and churches in the Greater Washington District. Please encourage the churches in your cluster to share this 5 question interest survey with laity and clergy who they think might have the gifts, graces and experiences to be a part of this pool. We will be notifying people by June 15, 2017: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/districtpool
Pre-Conference Documents
You can find pre-conference materials – 2018 proposed budget, resolutions, constitutional amendments - on our website. Please go and review the information and use the Q&A page (the large red button) to ask any questions you may have. We will answer questions as we receive them and post in a timely manner. There will also be a paper supplement of these documents in the May UMConnection.
http://www.bwcumc.org/events/annual-conference/session-documents/
Fund Balance Reports
Fund Balance Reports are due on or before June 30. Please use this link for more information: http://www.bwcumc.org/resources/forms-reports-and-requests/
General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Leadership and Fund Raising Course (4 hours online)
05/23/2017 to 05/25/2017 | Completion Time: 2 hours, May 23 & 2 hours, May 25
CEUs: 0.4
Tuition: $100 (includes textbook, Leadership and Change: A President's Story)
Instructor(s): Dr. G. Douglass Lewis
Contact Info: Clergy Lifelong Learning
This 4-hour online course will answer the following questions about fund raising:
- What are four basic steps to effective fund raising for an organization?
- What is the role of an organization’s leader in a fund raising effort?
- How can a leader insure the successful application of these four steps for his/her organization?
For more information: https://www.umccybercampus.com/leadership-fund-raising/
Calendar Items
May 6-7, 2017: Discipleship Academy, Colesville UMC (52 Randolph Rd. Silver Spring, MD 20904). Registration is open until May 1.
May 11, 2017: Spring Administrator’s Workshop, Conference Center; 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Click here to register.
Save the Date
Retirement Celebrations
Rev. Ernest Lyles
April 28–30, 2017, celebration of the ministry for Rev. Ernest Lyles. For the full schedule of events please refer to the information below. To make reservations and donations, please visit bdadc.org and click “LYLES CELEBRATION.”
Rev. Diane Dixon-Proctor
June 9, 2017 ~ a black tie retirement gala will be held for Rev. Dr. Diane Dixon-Proctor at the College Park Marriott & Conference Center (3501 University Blvd. East, Hyattsville, MD 20783). Download invitation
Anniversary Celebration for Rev. Joe Daniels
July 7-9, 2017 ~ Mark your calendar for a grand celebration of The R.E.A.L Pastor Joe Daniels and his 25 years of service at Emory and Beyond. More details to follow.