District News

 

As announced in yesterday's e-connection Annual Conference will now be held virtually. This year's Church Conferences for the Washington East District will be hybrids (in-person and virtual) meetings as announced. If you have questions or concerns about your church conference please contact the district office  The Zoom links for Church Conferences were emailed to clergy, church administrators. Pastors and Administrators, please contact   or call 410-309-3439 if you have not received the Church Conference Schedule with the ZOOM links.  Kindly distribute the Zoom link to ALL your church members and church leaders so that they can participate.  
Please ensure all your documents are uploaded into Arena by October 1, 2021. 
Helpful tips:
• Need a copy of your church's 2020 Church Conference Reports? Log-in to Arena as the church > choose Church Conference Forms > Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Prior Year Submitted Reports
• Missed the 2021 Church Conference Training Tuesday webinars? Playback the recordings now -- https://www.bwcumc.org/events/training-tuesdays/
• Visit the 2021 Church Conference webpage to find forms, worksheets, an agenda, a checklist and the schedule -- https://www.bwcumc.org/administration/church-conference-forms/

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EVENTS

August 24 and 25 -- Moving the Church Forward Through Communication Conference
This Conference will feature multiple workshops designed to help you deliver effective messaging in our current landscape. Leaders and communicators from all denominations are welcome! Learn more by perusing the lineup of workshops and facilitators and register today 

August 31 (7pm) -- Affiliation Town Hall Between BWC & Pen-Del
On September 1, Bishop LaTrelle Easterling will begin providing episcopal leadership for both the Peninsula-Delaware and Baltimore-Washington conferences. This affiliation will provide significant financial savings for the denomination and enable new connections and ministry opportunities between the two conferences. Register for the online town hall to receive information about the affiliation. The Zoom log-in will be emailed to you once registration is completed. Register now -- https://arenaweb.bwcumc.org/default.aspx?page=3452&event=5984. If you have any questions ahead of the session, submit them to  .

September 9 (6:30pm) -- Finding Hope and Healing After Traumatic Grief
This session will address the sense-losing aspect of traumatic grief, acknowledge the crippling pain that the bereaved experience as they navigate their grief journey, recognize the role of spirituality, religion, and social support in mitigating grief, and determine ways for the bereaved to begin a sense-remaking journey. Register here -- https://bwcumc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_05W5agvFRSiNb4ofIXn3vg

September 9 (7pm) -- CRCC Next Step Workshop: Program Orientation
A Diverse Church by Design is a cross-racial and cross-cultural leadership program. The BWC is committed to multicultural ministry and successful Cross-Racial and Cross-Cultural (CRCC) appointment transitions. To that end, we’ve designed a workshop to meet those particular needs. We held the first workshop in July and are conducting an identical orientation in September. This zoom orientation is designed to provide pastors and five key leaders with a multicultural ministry framework, valuable tools for building community and an introduction to A Diverse Church by Design. You can register here -- https://arenaweb.bwcumc.org/default.aspx?page=3452&event=5986

September 15 (10am) -- 2021 Church Staff Workshop
The past 18-months have been extra challenging! When you combine staying on top of work with caring for family, friends, and church members, it has been easy to neglect your own well-being.  Join us by Zoom as we welcome Dr. Deborah Haskins who will walk us through self-care and how we can focus on our own wellbeing.  Dr. Haskins was recently awarded the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Monsignor Joseph Dunne Lifetime Award for Advocacy. She was celebrated for her pioneering work and unparalleled advocacy in problem gambling counseling, trauma-informed care, adverse childhood experiences, community mental health, grief and loss, health equity, faith-based work and more.  This event is free but registration is required. Sign-up by August 30 and complete the assessment poll -- https://arenaweb.bwcumc.org/default.aspx?page=3452&event=5985 

September 18 (10 am) -- ROCK 2022/Youth Rally Planning Meeting (BWC Mission Center)
This year, youth from the BWC will be joining young people from the Peninsula-Delaware Conference at their youth rally, January 7-9 in Ocean City. Learn more about ROCK -- https://www.bwcumc.org/rock/

September 21-23 & March 8-10, 2022 -- Living Well Initiative Clergy Care Retreat
The Center for Vital Leadership will host 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? 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, the seven-month journal, and review instruments designed to create a personalized pastoral development plan. 3.3 CEUs will be offered. Register and get more information -- https://arenaweb.bwcumc.org/default.aspx?page=3452&event=5977

September 28 -- Bishop’s Listening Session on the Southern Region 
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling will be meeting in regional conversation sessions with clergy and laity in the Southern Region at Westphalia United Methodist Church (9363 D'arcy Rd, Upper Marlboro, MD). Mark your calendars for the Clergy session from 2 to 4 pm and the laity gathering from 7 to 8:30 pm.

October 25-27 -- Register for Annual Conference
The 237^th Session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, scheduled for Oct. 25-27, will now be held entirely online. All voting members who wish to attend the online conference must register by midnight on September 27th. A mandatory training session on voting will be held Oct. 19 at noon and Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Participants will sign up for the training during registration. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution to address the potential threats raised by COVID-19 and the Delta variant. Questions? Contact A . Members will consider seven resolutions that have been submitted by groups and individuals in the BWC, and the proposed 2022 budget. ​
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REQUEST AND RESOURCES

Lay Members to Annual Conference Service of Remembrance
Submit the names of any deceased lay member who died after the 2019 Annual Conference. Kindly include the following information:
• Full name
• Date of birth and death
Please send your submission(s) by August 31 to    

Church Stat Reports are Available in Arena
Statistical data submitted via EZRA, the data collection system of the United Methodist Church, can now be viewed in Arena. And, Arena users can view 2017-2020 reports for their church if they serve in one or more of the following roles:
• Chair or President of a local church, district or conference committee 
• Church Pastor
• Church Administrator 

100 Man Mission to Support the NEJ United Methodist Men
Men’s Ministry Specialists will lead this effort and be supported by Conference Men who have a love for God and their fellow men. To do this 100 GENEROUS Men are needed to pledge to the NEJ, fifty cents per day, or $15.00 a month for 12 months, or a total of $180.00 per year. These men pledge to send their contribution MONTHLY to their UMM conference treasurer, who will forward one-half of these funds to the Northeastern Jurisdiction Treasurer, Mr. John Conklin. The conference will retain the other half for their expenses and to purchase education materials to support the NEJ efforts. Learn more here -- https://www.bwcumm.org/100man-prayerwalk