| Korean caucus plans youth exchange 
BALTIMORE In mid-February, members of the conferences Korean Caucus, which includes 12 Korean pastors, met with the Rev. Donald Stewart, conference director of connectional ministries, to discuss the new Korean Church initiative and youth exchange program. Youth from the Southern Conference of the Korean Methodist Church attended West River camp last July in the first half of the exchange. This summer youth from the Baltimore-Washington Conference will spend part of their summer as guests of the Korean conference. The caucus elected the Rev. Paul C. Kim, pastor of Hampden/Mt. Vernon Charge in Baltimore, as their leader, and the Rev. DaeHwa Park, pastor of Mowatt Memorial UMC in Greenbelt, as recording secretary. The Revs. Jacob Y. Young and Chi Bon Jang were recognized for their faithful leadership. Pastor featured for News in Pews F OREST HILL Look, youre famous, a fellow clergyman said to the Rev. David Roberts, pastor of Centre UMC. Thats when Roberts learned that he was the main illustration in an article published Jan. 27 by the United Methodist News Service. The article discusses the year-old, free service called News In Pews, available to churches to help produce effective newsletters. More than 1,400 churches nationwide create newsletters using the templates and information provided by the service. Centre UMC had no newsletter prior to Roberts launching it in August 2003. I figured that there was no reason to start from scratch with a newsletter, and I like the fact that it contained a page of national news, he said. I could not have put out a newsletter like this myself, Roberts said. The service is a great use for our apportionment dollars, he added. For more information, see http://umns.umc.org/ newsinpews. Cluster VIM trip travels with trailer BALTIMORE In February, 22 members of the churches in the Southwest Cluster traveled to Goldsboro, N.C., as a Volunteers in Mission group, to lend their services to a community still recovering from Hurricane Floyd, which struck in 1999. This is the sixth year that the cluster, an ecumenical group of 14 churches, has recruited people to go on mission trips. The group took a work trailer, outfitted with tools and equipment. The volunteers stayed in house trailers named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Some volunteers worked at a warehouse assembling school, health and flood kits, while others repaired homes and replaced a roof. The experience, though sometimes physically wearying, was much more than fulfilling spiritually as we interacted with the individuals in whose homes we worked, said Ron Ware, co-chairman for the group and a member at Christ UMC of Baltimore County. Epworth House celebrates 40 years  LANHAM About 300 guests gathered March 16 for a banquet at a local restaurant to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Epworth House, a mission project of the United Methodist Women from the Washington Columbia and Washington East districts. The celebration centered on the theme Who Is My Sister? and featured Bishop Felton Edwin May as keynote speaker.
Epworth House is not a place, but a program. Its main purpose is to provide financial assistance and community support to a woman, usually someone from overseas, who is studying for a Masters of Divinity degree at Wesley Theological Seminary. In the past, students have come from Russia, China and countries in Africa. The districts, with contributions from other local churches and individuals, raise $10,000 to pay for the room and board and other necessities for the student. The scholarship also offers the recipient opportunities to speak in local churches, said Mary Baldridge, a newly re-elected director for the Board of Global Ministries Womens Division. | 
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