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BY MELISSA LAUBER
UMCONNECTION STAFF

Renewal and reviving a spirit of discipleship in United Methodist churches was the highlight of Bishop John R. Schol's agenda when he met with the clergy and laity of three regions in Baltimore-Washington Conference in November.

Martin Luther used to begin each day by looking in the mirror and saying, "I am a baptized child of Christ and today I will live my baptism." Imagine, Bishop Schol said, "if everyone in our churches would get up each day and say the same thing."

Building on the theme of baptism from the Bishop's Day Apart Sept. 22, Bishop Schol encouraged the conference's spiritual leaders to reclaim the power, symbolism and hope of baptism by incorporating it more fully into their worship experiences.

He also discussed the appointment process with church leaders, outlined progress on the conference's vision and mission "to be like Christ as we call, equip send and support spiritual leaders," and listened as pastors and laity shared their signs of hope, concerns and questions.

In the Baltimore Region, a special worship service was held at Towson UMC on Veteran's Day, Nov. 11, and those who served in the armed forces were honored in a service created by some of the region's retired clergy.

In the Annapolis Southern region, a special luncheon was held for young adult clergy and candidates for the ordained ministry at Davidsonville UMC Nov. 12.

The Washington Region met Nov. 18 at Linden Linthicum UMC in Clarksville, where leaders of small membership churches spoke with the bishop over lunch.

(The Western Region's meeting, held Oct. 19, was covered in the Nov. 11 UMConnection.)

In encouraging the churches to meet the conference's goals for 2010, Bishop Schol reminded the church leaders that "good inhibits greatness. Goodness makes us complacent," he said. "The real question is not whether it's good enough, but whether it's ‘God-enough.'"

Great churches, the bishop said, practice five things: They

• promote a clear vision and purpose, working it into the fabric of their congregation's life;
• live the holistic adventure,
• applying equal emphasis to celebrating, connecting, developing, serving and sharing;
• practice excellence;
• focus on ongoing leadership development, calling and equipping leaders; and
• challenge people to go deeper.

"It is only by growing deeper disciples," the bishop said, "that our congregations will go wider and further.