Dear Beloved of God, Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Today, my heart is both heavy and full as I share the news of the passing of our beloved Sister in Christ, Bishop Violet L. Fisher. We grieve because love has been shared; we mourn because her...
By Alison Burdett When giving depends on who makes it to church on Sunday, the offering can fluctuate with the weather, vacation schedules, or even a bad cold. Checks stay on kitchen counters, plans get delayed, and budgets feel the strain. But for churches with electronic giving, generosity...
This week, the Directors of Connectional Ministry (DCMs) from across the Northeastern Jurisdiction gathered in Philadelphia to learn, reflect, and discern how our shared history can guide our ministries today. Our time together invited us to remember who we are as United Methodists, a people...
By Alison Burdett On the brisk Wednesday morning of November 5, more than 150 people gathered in a parking lot in Silver Spring, Maryland, that became holy ground again. The Georgia Avenue traffic faded beneath the tolling of a bell and the calling of 38 names, some known, some “only to...
Rev. Matthew Tate, pastor at Hollywood United Methodist Church in southern Maryland, was approached by a child and his dad, who attended the church’s weekly youth group, with a problem. They belonged to a board game group that held weekly meetings to play board games at a local store, but...
Dear Pastor and Congregational Leader, The Council of Bishops, supported by the Connectional Table and the General Council on Finance and Administration, invites all congregations worldwide to join a God-led, Holy Spirit-empowered six-week emphasis: Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, Lead...
Are your church’s archives a disorganized mess with scattered papers and no clear system? Do you have questions about what documents are must-haves in an archive, or best practices to protect documents? Help is available. Rev. Bonnie McCubbin, director of museums and pilgrimage, also...
The Baltimore-Washington Conference Mission Center was filled with music, prayer, and a spirit of renewal as the Connectional Table gathered on October 4 to frame the ministry year ahead.
About 10 years ago, the employees at the Mid-Atlantic Faith Foundation realized a problematic throughline among clergy. Many of them were struggling with church finances and the myriad of duties that follow from it, such as raising funds and encouraging generosity. In many cases, pastors were...
Emory Grove UMC was on the verge of closing, and there was hurt in the congregation. As Rev. Timothy Warner met with leadership on a retreat, they pinpointed the hurt. The congregation was not mourning an individual person, but the neighborhood that gave birth to the congregation in the first place.
