District News

Happy New Year!

A Way Forward Resources 

At our regional gathering on October 28, Bishop stressed the importance of staying informed, attending listening sessions and praying daily at 2:23 pm for five minutes for those who will meet at the General Conference on February 23. The Bishop referenced three resources during our time together to gain understanding and stay informed:

• A Word from the Bishop: We Can Remain Together - Why I Support the One Church Plan 
• Plans - At - A - Glance: A Summary and Side-by-Side Comparison of the One Church Plan
• Browse Resources on A Way Forward and Connect with the BWC Delegates 

STATISTICAL REPORTING TIPS

Ÿ    January 1 -- EZRA opens for 2018 Stats

• Statistical Reports are due in EZRA by noon Monday, January 28, 2019.  Please remember, these reports are NOT entered into Arena. Instead, you will log into EZRA to enter the information.
• Receiving all stats data by the date required is extremely important to enable setting the 2020 budget that is initially reviewed by the Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) on the first week of February.
• Proper planning is essential for your church to meet the data entry deadline. 
• Visit the Statistical Reporting webpage for resources.

United Methodist Men Call for Potato Drop Donations 

 Greetings from the United Methodist Men:

 For several years, The Baltimore-Washington Conference United Methodist Men have facilitated Potato Drops throughout our Conference to feed the hungry. Potato Drops have been delivered to churches, soup kitchens, and the Salvation Army. Unfortunately, the cost of diesel fuel and other items have increased to the point that we have run out of funds and are not able to have potatoes delivered to our Conference for the remainder of the year. The remaining Potato Drop deliveries have been canceled for 2018.  

 The Potato Drop cancellation is disappointing and we want to ensure this doesn't happen again.

 In order to do this, we have a plan, but we'll need your help. Each year, the Charted UMM units make donations to support this ministry, but now we're asking each church in the Conference for a $52 donation. That is only $1 per week for every church in the BWC. We are requesting that the donation be made anytime during the first quarter of 2019. All funds collected during the quarter will be sent to The Society of Saint Andrew Potato Project - Feed the Hungry. Please put "Potato Project" in the memo line of your check and mail it to: BWCUMM, 11711 East Market Place Fulton, MD 20759. Needless to say, the United Methodist Men will be more than happy to accept donations higher than the $52 requested.

 Please note that the above request is directed to each church in the Conference and not to the Chartered United Methodist Men's Unit within each of those churches. Many United Methodist Men's Chartered Units are currently contributing in excess of $200 towards The Society of Saint Andrew Potato Project - Feed the Hungry. 

 We will no longer send individual church checks to The Society of Saint Andrew. Instead, we will respond to their need as the United Methodist Men of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Each Potato Drop delivery costs $4,500. We hope to have seven Potato Drops in 2019 for a total cost of $31,500.

 We thank you for your support in this matter as we continue to be a Conference that feeds the hungry and blesses the needy.

 God Bless You,

 Hampton E. Conway, Jr.

President, Baltimore-Washington Conference United Methodist Men

United to Love: Advocacy and Action Team Sign-ups

 We would like your voice at the table. The Baltimore-Washington Conference has six active teams to mobilize across our connection and they are: Creation Care (Climate/Eco-Justice), Gender Equality, Gun Violence Prevention, Immigration Rights, Racial Justice and Wealth Equity. If you are called to serve in one/more of these areas, if this is your passion and/or your faith community is leading in one or more of these areas, we would like to hear from you. Please go to http://www.bwcumc.org/ministries/advocacy-action/ to sign-up so that we can connect with you.

BWC Scholarship application opened January 3, 2019!

Once again, the Baltimore-Washington Conference will be awarding scholarships for qualified students currently attending college, as well as high school seniors who plan to attend college in the fall of 2019. The application process opens on Jan. 3 and closes March 7, 2019.

 A variety of scholarships are offered to fit the diverse needs of our students. To be considered for a scholarship, students must complete the full online application which includes uploading their current transcripts. In addition, the student must provide contact information for their pastor and one additional church reference. The pastor and reference will be contacted and asked to submit information on the student’s participation in the local church. The entire process will be done online for ease of the student, pastor, and reference.        

For details about the individual scholarships or to apply for a scholarship, please visit http://www.bwcumc.org/administration/local-church-resources/scholarships/.

The Laity Fix - Workshop Presenter Lynda Byrd

This workshop will be offered twice;

Friday February 15,  8:30 am - 12:30 pm and Saturday February 16, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm at the BWC Mission Center, 11711 East Market Place, Fulton MD 20759.  

 The Laity Fix is an inclusive approach to church growth.  We will examine the challenges and opportunities within today’s faith communities for leaders.  There are many questions that congregations face today, and leadership is just one of them.  All leaders across faith communities can increase their personal leadership skills by identifying what they are and learning how to use them appropriately.   We recognize that every congregation is different, every leader leads differently, and recognizing this is critical.  This workshop is designed to: Explore the value of the congregational analysis; Offer strategies for sustained leadership development; and Identify growth opportunities through mission and ministry initiatives. The world has changed!  What do we do now?   

Go to https://arenaweb.bwcumc.org/default.aspx?page=3452&event=4094 to register.  

Southern Region Advanced SPRC Training Saturday, Feb. 23.

The Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee is the administrative unit in the local church where staff/pastor and congregational interests are integrated to focus on the mission of the church.  The SPRC has more components to operating that personnel and clergy compensation issues.  This is a critical Committee in the life of the local church. 

This advanced training will prepare local church SPRCs not only regarding personnel and clergy compensation, but the role of the District Committee on Ordained Ministry, Certified Lay Ministers and Certified Lay Servants, how to conduct a comprehensive and effective evaluation, how to resolve conflicts, and what to do when an area needs improvement.  It will also address the role of the District Superintendent and when to involve them in areas of unresolved conflict or concern.

The class will be held at Centenary UMC, 6248 Shady Side Rd., Shady Side, MD 20764 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. You are strongly encouraged to attend this training as a Team. The cost is $5 per person. One person should be assigned to register each team.

Registration is now open Register

SAVE THE DATE!  Youth Worker Training Mar 22-24, 2019

The BWC will host a weekend of training and renewal for youth workers Mar 22-24, 2019 at Wesley Freedom UMC in Eldersburg, MD.  Whether you are new to youth ministry or a seasoned veteran, there will be training and classes appropriate for any stage of your ministry.  

BWC Trip to Alabama (Civil Rights Tour):

Come join us on this immersion experience as we visit some of the most significant venues of the Civil Rights movement. Sites to be visited in Birmingham, Alabama include the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. In Montgomery, we will visit Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and Parsonage, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Legacy Museum, National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Rosa Parks Museum. And in Selma, we will cross the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge and visit Brown Chapel AME Church and the National Voting Rights Museum.

SAVE THE DATE: Southern Region Annual Leadership Day April 13, 2019

The Southern Region will host our annual training for clergy and laity on April 13, 2019 at Nichols-Bethel UMC, 1239 Murray Rd, Odenton MD.  This year our keynote speaker will be Matt Lake, Lead Pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Williamsport, PA—an urban congregation that consists of a mix of traditional and contemporary worship experiences.  First Church also currently hosts a network of fresh expressions of ministry called the Acts Network in which people meet in places such as homes, gyms, and coffee shops.

Registration will open later this month.