Family and friends filled the ballroom of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., for the worship service of ordination and commissioning that is the highlight of the Annual Conference Session for many people. The occasion is the culmination of years of preparation and a lot of prayer.
The Rev. John Storer Park, a retired Elder, died June 7, 2016, three days after his 83rd birthday. The Rev. Matthew Paugh officiated at his funeral June 11 at St. Paul’s UMC in Oakland.
John “Jack” Storer Park was born June 4, 1933, in South Cumberland, Md., the son of the...
The Rev. Roland "Bud" Brown III, 68, a retired Elder, died June 7,2016, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His funeral service was held June 13 at St. Paul's UMC in Sykesville with the Revs. Terri Rae Chattin, Douglas Tzan and Vivian McCarthy officiating.
Brown was born Sept. 12, 1947, in...
Meeting under the theme “You Have the Power,” 1,701 lay and clergy members from 631 churches in the Baltimore-Washington Conference gathered at the 232nd annual session. The June 1-4 event at the Wardman Park Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C., was a time of worship, fellowship and holy...
Larocca “Rocky” Jones, 85, wife of the Rev. Kenneth Jones, died peacefully June 4, 2016. She had dementia the last few months. A Memorial Service was held June 30, at Faith UMC in Rockville with the Rev. Kathryn Woodrow officiating.
Larocca Tewell Jones was born Nov. 7, 1930 in...
“You Have the Power.” When Bishop Young Jin Cho, of the Virginia Area, first heard that this was the theme of the 2016 Baltimore-Washington Conference, his first thought was simply, “Really?”
Bishop James King Jr. of South Carolina preached Friday at the Memorial Service to remember the 29 clergy, 27 clergy spouses and lay members of the conference who have died since the last annual conference. He called his words of comfort, “Twinkle.”
How will conference members consider controversial social issues? What measures should a church take if its pastor dies? These were two of several policy and process questions the members of Baltimore-Washington wrestled with during the plenary session June 3.
The Baltimore-Washington Conference is part of a global church and lives out that reality through partnerships with Methodists around the world. Friday afternoon, members heard updates on each.
In a move to support clergy couples in addressing the rising costs of health care, Annual Conference members voted to create a policy that ensures a specific policy and an annually-called meeting that will address the needs of these couples and their families.