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BY LINDA WORTHINGTON
UMCONNECTION STAFF

It was reminiscent of the church's early beginnings in the Baltimore region as Bishop John R. Schol commissioned and ordained 23 Deacons and 10 Elders at a worship service under a big tent at Pier 6 in Baltimore's Inner Harbor on a bright, sunny May 29.

JOHN COLEMAN/UMCONNECTION

The Rev. Viktoriya Karakcheyeva is ordained by (from left to right) bishops James Mathews, Forrest Stith, John Schol and Eben Nhiwatiwa.

'We've experienced your highest joys and greatest challenges,' the bishop told the 33 candidates presented to him. 'And you've made it.'

During the sermon, Bishop Schol used an illustration from noted teacher and preacher, the Rev. Fred Craddock, about a van pulling up in front of his church and a group of tired, bedraggled-looking youth collapsed on the lawn. They had just returned from a mission trip and hardly had the energy to stand. Craddock asked the group, 'What's this?'

One young man, the bishop said, looked at Craddock and said, 'This is the best tired I've ever felt.'

'This is my hope for you,' Bishop Schol said to the group of 33, 'that you will experience the best tired you've ever felt.'

'Don't get caught up in the busy-ness of the church,' the bishop said. 'To do so can limit what God can do through you. Instead, you are to empower others to do ministry in the world.'

As he concluded his sermon, Bishop Schol, standing at the front of the stage and preaching without notes, addressed the candidates.

'It's not about you, but about God working through you,' he said. 'Don't steal anyone's joy by keeping them from ministry.'

'All of us here,' he said with a wave of his hand toward the audience, have been called to ministry, to experience the inward journey and move out into the world.

The 2005 class of 10 ordinands, the smallest group in years, includes six clergywomen and four clergymen. The youngest is a Korean clergyman, the Rev. Keystone Bok-Keun Lee, who will serve in Moscow, Russia, where there is a growing Korean United Methodist population.

A busload of relatives came from Philadelphia for the ordination of the Rev. Hosea L. Hodges, the oldest of the class, and the sole African-American among the ordinands.

The Rev. Bernadette Ross, who is pastor of the LaVale UMC, has been serving in pastoral ministry for 16 years. In 1995, she was ordained a deacon under the 1992 Discipline and granted associate member status. To reach the goal of ordination as an Elder in full membership, she has traveled through Local Pastors School, the Course of Study, her bachelor's degree, the Advanced Course of Study and is mid-way in obtaining a Master's of Divinity degree at Wesley Seminar.

Also during the worship service, the 23 probationers, the largest class in years, was commissioned, the first step toward becoming a full member Elder or Deacon. The diverse group includes 12 men and 11 women, ranging in age from 24 (Sarah Andrews) to 61 (John Blanchard Sr.), at an average age of 43. They include a Korean, one bi-racial Native American and seven African-Americans.

Commissioning is the culmination of several years of study and approvals by local churches, district and conference committees on ordained ministry. Candidates must also have an appointment.

Looking on as Sarah Marie Andrews was commissioned, was her father, the Rev. Richard Andrews, and her grandfather, the Rev. David Andrews, now retired. She will be aided in her appointment to the Jefferson-Doubs Charge by her brother Daniel Andrews, who is appointed as a local pastor.

JOHN COLEMAN/UMCONNECTION

Mother and son, Karen and Kendrick Weaver, were com- missioned for ministry May 29.

Bishop Schol called attention to the uniqueness of Karen Weaver and Kendrick Weaver, mother and son, being commissioned at the same time. Karen Weaver is pursuing the Deacon track. She is a human resources development specialist for a government agency and will continue her appointment within the workplace. She also will work at Living Springs Christian Fellowship and Ebenezer UMC in Lanham.

Son Kendrick Weaver, 26, will continue to answer his call to ministry as a probationary Elder. He is an associate at St. Matthew's UMC in Bowie. Both mother and son received their calls to ministry at Ebenezer UMC.

Another unique pair the bishop mentioned are husband and wife, Viktoriya and Olexiy 'Alex' Karakcheyev, who are the pastors of Grace Russian UMC, a growing congregation of 200 Russian immigrants that currently meets in Foundry UMC in Washington, D.C.