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By Linda Worthington
UMConnection Staff

The Baltimore-Washington 2005 Cooperative School of Christian Mission will be held July 14-17 at the Clarion Conference Center in Hagerstown.

It?s called 'cooperative' because it is sponsored by both the United Methodist Women and the Board of Christian Presence in God?s World. The school is designed to educate people about missions and inspire, which is done through worship, music and Bible studies. It is also an opportunity for fellowship and networking.

Clergy and laity, women and men, young adults and youth, are invited to attend the workshops. This year?s studies will be on 'India and Pakistan,' 'Public Education,' and 'Children and the Bible.' Studies are taught by trained, experienced teachers.

Bishop John R. Schol will be the preacher at the opening worship on Thursday evening, July 14. His theme will be 'Cornerstones of Hope.'

'I?m so excited to have the bishop coming for our opening,' said Caroleann Myers, dean of the 2005 school. 'You won?t want to miss it.'

Worship and music leaders are Leesa Sipe from St. John?s UMC in Lutherville, and Heidi Eber from Salem UMC in Hampstead.

The Revs. Kimberly and Richard Brown-Whale, pastors of the Salem UMC and Shiloh-Mt. Zion Charge in Hampstead, will lead the Bible study in plenary sessions on 'Children of the Bible.'

The Brown-Whales will lead the group that explores the role of children in biblical times and what that means for Christians today. They will seek to raise understanding so listeners can 'become like a child so that we too enter into the kingdom of God,' Myers said.

The study on India and Pakistan will present the richness of the diversity of the cultures of those neighboring, and sometimes antagonistic, countries, and look at selected key issues, including gender issues, poverty, child labor, religious extremism and globalization.

The classes will be taught by Fran Bartlett of Westminster, the Rev. Moses Sangha, pastor of Ager Road UMC in Hyattsville, Bill Eber of Hampstead, and the Rev. Ernest Thayil, who is retired and living in New Market.

This is the second year the School of Christian Mission has taken up the topic of public education. The 2000 General Conference adopted a resolution, 'Public Education and the Church,' which says in part, 'The church is called to remember, first and foremost, the well-being of all God?s children. Education is a right of all children and is affirmed by Scripture ?'

The study will look at root causes of the current crisis in education in the United States, and provide a biblical and theological basis for the church?s commitment to public education.

Classes will be taught by Edith Williams of Rockville, Rosemary Atkinson of Baltimore, and the Rev. Carletta Allen, who will have just moved to serve Locust UMC in Columbia. Allen also taught the Public Education course last year.

In addition to preaching and classes, the School of Christian Mission also offers the opportunity to talk with a missionary. The Rev. Carol Seckel is the missionary in residence this year. She is the Northeast Jurisdiction?s mission interpreter with offices at the General Board of Global Ministries in New York.

Seckel has worked in the Alaska Missionary Conference as pastor, superintendent and agency chaplain for 16 years. She has also served in Latvia, where she worked with VIM teams on short-term missions.

A variety of focus groups, not covered in the workshops, will meet for sessions of a little more than an hour to give a taste of the subject matter. Focus subjects will include domestic violence, sign language, storytelling, Volunteers in Mission, immigration, dance and Civil Rights.

There are a few days left to register for this year?s school. The deadline is June 25. Prices vary according to room accommodations, and they have even been decreased a bit this year. For information or to register, contact Margaret Pennington at (301) 724-0071 or , or call Myers at (301) 871-1746.