| Bermuda church affiliates with Baltimore-Washington Conference By Linda Bloom United Methodist News Service Mention the island of Bermuda and most Americans think immediately of a popular cruise ship destination, full of pink sand beaches. But the islands ethnically diverse population, including Bermuda-born nationals of African, Caribbean, European and Portuguese descent, also supports more than 100 places of worship that represent some 30 faith traditions.  Among those churches is Marsden Memorial UMC, a predominantly black congregation in Smiths Parish. The Rev. Joseph F. Whalen Jr. is pastor to its 96 members. For more than a century, Marsden was part of a circuit with Centenary Methodist Church, a predominantly white congregation. The fellowship between the two groups is continuing, but the official relationship ended last September when Marsden discontinued its affiliation with the United Church of Canada and became a mission church with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Marsden was welcomed as a mission church during a special worship service at the Board of Global Ministries April meeting in Stamford, Conn. 
Whalen said his congregation is impressed by the global witness of the Board of Global Ministries. Our hope is that, in some small way, we too may demonstrate our obedience to Christs mandate by raising the UMC banner of ministry to others on our island of Bermuda, he told United Methodist News Service in late May. Marsden has a relationship with the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference and is supervised by the Rev. Edwin Ankeny, Baltimore North District superintendent. I wish every church and every pastor was as enthusiastic as they are and doing the ministry that theyre doing, Ankeny said. For example, the weekend that the district superintendent visited Marsden to help the members organize themselves as a United Methodist congregation, Bishop Felton Edwin May was calling for prayers for the churches in Zimbabwe. All of the conferences nine districts have projects in that African country. Marsden took up an offering and sent Ankeny home with $1,000 toward a Baltimore North project to raise the roof on a church. That said a lot to me about where they are in ministry, he added. We are greatly challenged by Bishop Mays compassionate activism in providing leadership to the various endeavors of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, especially the Saving Stations, Whalen said. A history compiled by Marsden church shows that, from the beginning, Methodist preachers sought out people of color on the island. In 1799, the Rev. John Stephenson, was fined and later imprisoned for six months for breaking a quickly passed government law forbidding missionaries to preach to black people. Because of his imprisonment, Methodist ministers had a difficult time getting into Bermuda. Finally, in 1808, the Rev. Joshua Marsden whose portrait hangs in the church named for him was appointed by conference to go to Bermuda. His four years of work helped break down social barriers. In recent years, Marsdens members had been troubled by their affiliation with the United Church of Canada. By following the rules governing disaffiliation, as defined by the Wesley Methodist Church Act of 1930, Marsden officially separated itself from the UCC last August and celebrated its entry into the United Methodist fold the next month. The church unveiled its new sign with the official United Methodist cross and flame insignia on Oct. 14. | 
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