Washington East District News and Updates - June 22, 2017
NEW
Church Conferences - Fall 2017
Our Conference is changing things up a bit and will make all 2017 charge conferences "church conferences". This means that all church members are invited to attend and that all those in attendance will have voting rights. We are currently in the process of fine-tuning all of the details and appreciate your patience.
Also of note - we are streamlining the forms process. Development of the platform is underway and is scheduled to be launched by August 1, 2017 (if not before). We are committed to developing a system that is as efficient and user- friendly as possible. In the meantime, here are some things you can do to prepare for your church conference:
- Find, and have available for your reference, the forms your church submitted last year. This is especially important to do ahead of time if the forms are in the possession of a former church / committee leader.
- Begin having discussions around the topics on which you are required to submit a report at or 10-days prior to church conference (i.e. Trustees Report, Finance Report, Accessibility Report, Clergy Compensation, etc.)
- Get a head start on ensuring the accuracy of your committee information by logging into the church's Arena account and making changes prior to August 1st if needed. It will be vitally important that your committee leaders are accurately identified in Arena for this year's church conference form completion and submission process to run as smoothly as possible. See "Ongoing News" below for more details on how to access and use Arena.
- Remind retired clergy and those on extension ministry that have identified your church as their charge conference designation that they will need to submit forms to you once the forms become available.
- Read the information below regarding Lay Servant Ministries updates and certification requirements. Be sure that all of your Lay Ministries folks are prepared to submit annual reports (form will be provided) and to attach certificates of course completion.
Fund Balance Report (Audit) -
Submit by June 30, 2017 In accordance with Book of Discipline paragraph 258.4d: "The committee [on finance] shall make provision for an annual audit of the financial statements of the local church and all its organizations and accounts. The committee shall make a full and complete report to the annual charge conference. A local church audit is defined as an independent evaluation of the financial reports and records and the internal controls of the local church by a qualified person or persons. The local church annual Fund Balance Report is due by June 30, 2017. Updated forms are available on the BWC Forms, Reports and Requests page under "Finance and Administration." Please submit your completed form to Christol Medley any time between now and the June 30th deadline.
Mission u
Sponsored by the BWC's United Methodist Women and Board of Global Ministries will be held July 28-30 at the Bethesda Marriott, at 5151 Pooks Hill Road in Bethesda. This year's sessions will focus on living as covenant community, climate justice, and United Methodist missionary communities. A youth school, which covers the same themes is also offered. Learn more and register, or contact Zilpha Pinkney.
Early Childhood Educators Conference
The BWC's Early Childhood Educators Conference will be held Thursday, Aug. 10, from 7:30 am. to 3 p.m. at St. Andrew's UMC, 4 Wallace Manor Road in Edgewater. The theme of the conference, is "Shaping Hearts and Changing Lives." The cost is $55. Learn more and register.
Arena for Churches - Updating Committee Information
As you are updating committee lists in Arena, please be sure to follow this guide showing where each position should be entered: Transferring Nominations Form Information into Arena.
For more information and instructions click HERE. These video guides are another great resource: