| Conference members encouraged to take bus Take more than 2,000 United Methodists gathering for annual conference. Add the usual summer tourist crowd of Washington, D.C., over a Memorial Day weekend. Now spice it with the opening of the Second World War Memorial, the only 20th century event commemorated on the Malls central axis and the first new monument on the Mall in years, and add the hundreds of thousands of people expected to visit. Presto, you have a recipe for traffic and parking nightmares in Washington, D.C., that could be the stuff of legend. This recipe is prompting increasing numbers of people to ride one of six buses to the May 27-30 annual session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. And organizers of the conference are pleased. The Rev. Laura Glassbrook, who coordinates this transportation ministry, is expecting 300 people to ride the six buses, which will pick riders up at 17 locations around the conference. The $30 fee for the bus costs less than two nights of parking at the Renaissance Hotel garage. According to Glassbrook, in addition to beating the traffic and not having to worry about the availability and expense of parking, members will be credentialed on the bus so they will not have to wait in that line when they arrive at the hotel. A box lunch will be provided to riders on the return trip. But the primary advantage of taking the 47-passenger bus is the fellowship it provides. I really see the buses as traveling fellowship groups, said Glassbrook, who has been making the bus arrangements since last Christmas. In addition, Glassbrook is in charge of providing the May 28 bus transportation to the ordination service. She has lined up a fleet of up to 16 buses to make a continual loop from the Renaissance Hotel to the National Cathedral. A specialized handicapped bus, provided by Asbury UMC, is also available for a trip to the cathedral. This service has been under-utilized in the past, she said. Reservations for taking the bus are due April 28. Contact Glassbrook at Emmanuel UMC, P.O. Box 484 Huntingtown, MD 20639, or call (410) 535-3177. | 
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