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UMConnection Staff
By Melissa Lauber

This fall, people from throughout the region will gather to celebrate a unique and powerful portion of Methodism?s past and envision the church?s future at the Washington Conference Reunion, Sept. 22-24, at the Hunt Valley Inn in Hunt Valley.

The reunion, whose dates have recently changed from October because of scheduling conflicts, will be a milestone in the lives of those who once served in the former, racially segregated Washington Conference.

The conference, which was created in 1864 and made a part of the Central Jurisdiction in 1939, 'was the church?s black water fountain,' said the Rev. Lovell Parham, who served in the former Washington Conference.

'Segregation was the law of the land and the church didn?t take the leadership to try to change that,' he said. 'There were water fountains for whites and water fountains for blacks. The lines were clear. Blacks were seen as ?not good enough.? We were treated like inferior folk. We were supposed to be thankful that we had any water fountain.'

When the church abolished the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction in 1965, it created a shockwave throughout the black church, he said.

'One day in 1965, we were a community, a church - the Washington Conference - the next day we were nothing, and we never got to say goodbye. We never had closure,' said Parham. 'The reunion will give us that opportunity.'

While providing a chance to reflect on the sins of segregation, September?s celebration will also focus on the unique character, joys and empowering ministries that defined the Washington Conference, said the Rev. Eugene Matthews who, along with Barbara Thompson, serve as co-chairs of the committees planning the reunion.

Matthews is currently superintendent of the Baltimore West District, while Thompson, a lay person, is a former General Secretary of the General Commission on Religion and Race, based in Washington.

The annual sessions of the Washington Conference were social occasions too, Parham said. 'People took vacation to come to annual conference. We saw each other once a year. It was a time of celebration.'

In addition, said the Rev. Irvin Lockman, a pastor in the former Washington Conference, 'that was a time when the black church was thriving. We were in a growing situation and the church was a very important part of everything people did.'

The theme of the two-day event is 'Celebrating the Past, Envisioning the Future.'

The event will commence on Friday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. with a Communion and memorial service at Sharp Street Memorial UMC in Baltimore.

On Saturday, at the hotel, a series of workshops and presentations will be held that illuminate the history of the Washington Conference and envision the church?s future. The day?s events are expected to include Bible study, learning pportunities, worship, displays and experiences in the arts.

The event will close Saturday evening with an awards banquet that honors the clergy and lay members of the Washington Conference and announces the recipients of the Howard Cornish award for winners of the essay contest for youth.

Registration for the event will begin in May.

For more information, contact Joyce King at (410) 309-4311 or