This is W. E.! 7_20_2020
Prayers for the People
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, the episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, was named a 2020 Distinguished Alumni by Boston University School of Theology, where she graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 2004. Read more about this honor.
Save the dates for Annual Conference and voter training
The Annual Conference Session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference will be held online Sept. 12. Registration is expected to begin this week and close on Aug. 23. Clergy and lay members must register before Aug. 23 -- with no exceptions -- to be eligible to attend the webinar and to vote. People who do not register can watch through a live feed, which will be provided by Good News TV.
A voting procedure rehearsal for all members will be conducted prior to the Sept. 12 session. Those who wish to vote during the Annual Conference Session must also register for one of these three voting procedure training sessions:
- Session #1: Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.
- Session #2: Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m.
- Session #3: Thursday, Sept. 10 at 5 p.m.
The Clergy Session will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 12. The essential business of the Annual Conference, which will include the consideration of the 2021 budget, will be conducted in the afternoon and the Service of Ordination and Commissioning will follow that.
Discipleship Opportunities
Camping experiences just for you: Picnic sites, campfires, a climbing wall, and more experiences that represent some of the best of camping are available for families and small groups at West River Center near Annapolis and Manidokan Camping and Retreat Center near Harpers Ferry. Learn more about activities and boating at West River. See and sign up for activities at Manidokan. Learn more about the latest opportunities at area camps this summer.
Young People's Ministry
Out of an abundance of caution due to the pandemic, ROCK 2021 has been postponed. ROCK is traditionally an annual retreat that draws thousands of youth, young adults, and youth leaders to Ocean City, Md., for a three-day experience of meeting Jesus. Details are here.
Youth interested in planning, working on, and leading ROCK are invited to monthly planning meetings Sept 26, Oct. 24, Nov. 14, Dec. 12, and Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. Until further notice, the meetings will be held via ZOOM. To receive the meeting information, contact Becki Price at .
Advocacy and Action
The Racial Justice page on the BWC website offers several resources, including a Social Media Toolkit, to help your church start -- or continue -- it's journey to being anti-racist.
Creation Care: Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, a partner of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, is offering Faithful Green Leader Training on the last three Thursday evenings of August. Learn more and register.
How to Be an Anti-racist: United Methodists are encouraged to attend a virtual conversation with Ibram X. Kendi, author of "How to Be an Antiracist," tonight at 7 p.m., sponsored by the Anne Arundel County Public Library. Learn more and register
Leadership
Online Courses this fall at Wesley Theological Seminary: Fall registration is now open at Wesley, and here are some of the online courses offered.
Reviving Dying Churches + Community Rev. Dr. Joseph W. Daniels, Jr.
Pastoral Practice and The Hebrew Bible Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
Teaching + Learning in Ch Ed Rev. Dr. Emily Peck-McClain,
Cultivating Mental Health Dr. Jana Strukova
The Methodist Response to Disease Rev. Dr. Jonathan Lemaster-Smith
Learn more or apply. Questions? Contact Admissions at (202)885-8659 or
Leadership Institute: The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has opened registration for Leadership Institute 2020, to be held online Sept. 24-25. The online event includes speakers Ron Heifetz, founder of Harvard's Center for Public Leadership; the Most Reverend Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; and the Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection. Individual tickets are $49 through Sept. 1. Details and registration can be found at li.cor.org.
Cross-cultural training: A virtual cross-racial/cross-cultural ministry training camp, hosted by Crowley Coaching and the North Texas Conference Center for Leadership Development, will be held on Oct. 9-10. Early-bird registration is $149. Learn more at umnewchurch.org.
New Faith Expressions
Digital Church Planting Training: Online Training to walk church leaders through digital planting, from how to create a budget and social media plan, to how to host engaging online worship and structure a house-church network. The cost is $200 per planter. Zoom webinars with speakers will be held every Tuesday from Aug. 4 to Sept. 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. Learn more and register.
Wellness and Mission
Navigating Deaf Ministries: A Zoom webinar on tips and tools to get you and your church started in Deaf Ministries will be Saturday, July 25, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Rev. Leo Yates of Emmanuel UMC is one of the presenters. Learn more at www.umdeaf.org.