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FOREST HILL – When Centre UMC acquired a new bus, the eleven Girl Scout troops that meet in its building filled the bus with food.

The bus had been acquired following a visioning meeting at which Gene Davis Jr. began looking for a van for the church’s ministry. Instead “God provided a bus,” said the Rev. Robert Hunter III. Davis, a diesel mechanic, bought the bus for $900 at a poorly attended online auction.

They parked the school bus, refurbished by members of the church, with space for 28 passengers and three wheel chairs with a hydraulic lift, in the parking lot of the Abingdon Wal-Mart on Saturday, May 2. The Girl Scouts invited grocery shoppers to help fill it for the God Will Provide Food Pantry being started the next day at church, also a result of the visioning of one person, Doreen Shipton. More than 650 items were donated by the shoppers at Wal-Mart.

Radio station 101.9 was there to tell the story.

Centre UMC has become deeply involved in mission as a result of the visioning meeting. Another mission has grown from the visioning. Bill and Tammy Krach realized many people needed coats last winter. They began collecting in their home and gave away 300; and they have a substantial store for the next cold season.

“So many Holy Spirit stories grew out of this meeting,” Hunter said.



Church certified as ‘welcoming’

ANNAPOLIS – Calvary UMC is the newest conference church to receive its initial certification as a “Welcoming Congregation in 2009” from United Methodist Communications.

The congregation’s Evangelism Commission, under the leadership of associate pastor the Rev. Cynthia Moore Valentine, last year took several intentional steps to become more welcoming to visitors.



Church offers shut-ins day out

CUMBERLAND – For the past few years, New Covenant UMC’s People Caring for People members have entertained people who are usually unable to physically attend church at a twice-a-year day out.

This year in mid-April, 35 women and men came or were brought to the church fellowship hall for “An Afternoon at the Bistro.” Following an Italian theme, bottles of sparkling grape juice were on each table, and waitresses served each guest the members-made spaghetti or lasagna, salad, Italian bread and a cake decorated as an Italian bistro.

The Rev. Chris Gobrecht begins each occasion with a sing-along, church service and Communion.

Children collect pennies for Haiti

TOWSON – Members of Towson UMC have already given more than $32,000 to UMCOR in response to the January earthquake in Haiti. The children have now joined in the act and have been collecting pennies to fill a rather large jar by the last day of Sunday school. Their goal is to collect 5,000 pennies, one for each of the people fed in the story of the five loaves and two fishes.

‘God’s Foolish Ones’ named

At the Methodist Federation of Social Action (MFSA) dinner, held jointly with BWARM, June 3, the “God’s Foolish One” award was presented to two people.

“It is the mission of this organization to recognize some of the remarkable ways members of this annual conference enact work for justice, both inside and beyond the walls of the church,” said the Rev. Chip Aldridge.

The honorees were the Rev. Louis Shockley Jr. and Ann Thompson Cook.

Shockley was recognized for his boldness in
opening Asbury UMC in Washington for a public meeting following the passage of the same-sex marriage law in Washington, a gathering that offered support to the clergy involved.

Cook, a member of Dumbarton UMC, was recognized for her authorship of several resources to help in the dialogue about the church and gender differences,
including “Made in God’s Image,” published in 2003. She had a similar resource “And God Loves Each One,” translated into Spanish.