Annual Conference meets to 'Serve like Christ'
BY MELISSA LAUBER
UMCONNECTION STAFF
Almost 2,000 United Methodists from throughout the Baltimore-Washington Conference will gather at the Gaylord Hotel in Oxon Hill, May 22-24, for the 224th session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
The theme of this year's conference is "Poured Out: Serve Like Christ," which was chosen by the young adult clergy of the conference who will be leading the conference's three worship experiences.
Ordination will be held this year Saturday, May 24, at 2:30 p.m. Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the Western Pennsylvania Area will preach.
Earlier that day, at 9:45 a.m., a memorial service to honor those in the conference who have died during the past year will be held.
Opening worship will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 22. It will feature a message from Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the Desert Southwest Area.
The state of the church address, by Bishop John R. Schol, will follow at 4 p.m. Bishop Schol is expected to share the conference's progress on the Discipleship Adventure as it relates to growing churches, disciples, spiritual leaders and mission.
In other actions, the conference will explore "Living the Wesleyan Way," with Bishop Jane Middleton of the Central Pennsylvania Conference. During these learning times at 7:15 p.m. on May 22 and 8:30 a.m. on May 24, conference members and visitors will consider John Wesley's three rules: "Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God."
Other actions include reports by the conference's discipleship and stewardship teams and the delegation to General Conference.
The members will be asked to endorse a candidate for bishop. One bishop will be elected in the Northeastern Jurisdiction when it meets July 13-18 in Harrisburg, Pa. The conference's delegation has nominated the Rev. Peggy Johnson, of Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf in Baltimore, to be its episcopal candidate from the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
Members will also vote on the adoption of an $18.8 million budget and setting the benevolence factor, which determines apportionment payments, at 22 percent, a .5 percent decrease from 2008.
Also on the agenda are votes to:
- Realign the conference from nine districts to eight as of July 1;
- Continue dialogue throughout the conference on sexual orientation and gender identity;
- Encourage churches to support pregnancy centers and pregnant women;
- Adopt a policy concerning health care and retirees;
- Establish a cemetery reserve fund to care for abandoned, conference-owned cemeteries; and
- Begin a study on gender and ministry as a follow-up to the 2003 study by the Commission on the Status and Role of Women.
Two offerings will be taken at this session of annual conference. The first, taken at opening worship, will go to the HOPE Fund, which supports mission in Zimbabwe, the rebuilding of churches damaged by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and AIDS ministries. The second offering will support the ministries of the Baltimore Initiative.
On Friday evening, members who have purchased tickets will have a special dinner that includes a panel of speakers from different ethnic traditions speaking on "The Plight of 21st Century Immigrants." Multi-cultural entertainment will also be provided.
Following the dinner, in the Exhibit Hall, there will be displays and hands-on activities that explore a variety of cultures and musical presentations by people from a variety of ethnic groups within the Baltimore-Washington Conference, including Indian, Native American, Latino, Korean, Russian, African and African-American.
This year's annual conference will be held at the newly built Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the National Harbor near Oxon Hill.
The $870 million, 18-story building, which overlooks the Potomac River, opened in April as the largest non-casino hotel and convention center on the East Coast. The conference was able to afford meeting there because it received special, pre-construction rates.
Members should be aware that because the lodging for this event involves individuals rather than churches, they will be asked to pay the full sales tax.
An agenda and a complete listing of the reports given to annual conference can be found on the conference Web sit at www.bwcumc.org/precon.
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