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By Erik Alsgaard
UMCONNECTION STAFF

Two bishops, a clergywoman from Mississippi and a musician with deep roots will assist members of the 222nd session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference in 'Connecting Through Christ' next month, as the conference also celebrates the 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women in the denomination.

Preaching at the opening worship service Thursday, May 25, at 2:25 p.m., will be Bishop Susan Morrison of the Albany Area. Bishop Morrison was a clergy member of the Baltimore-Washington Conference for 18 years. She was ordained a Deacon in 1970 and an Elder in 1974, and has served both the local church and as a district superintendent.

Bishop Morrison was elected to the episcopacy in 1988 and assigned to the Philadelphia Area, where she served until 1996. In 1996, she was assigned to the Albany Area, where she is now in her third, four-year term. Recently, Bishop Morrison announced her decision to seek early retirement in September for health reasons.

Preaching at the ordination service on Saturday, May 27, at 2 p.m., will be Bishop Violet Fisher of the New York West Area.

Bishop Fisher received her call to preach and evangelize in the 1950s. At that time, African-American women did not have the oppor-tunity to support themselves financially as clergypersons. For 20 years, Bishop Fisher taught English at the junior and senior high levels in Virginia and Maryland.

In 1988, she was ordained a Deacon. She received her Elder?s orders two years later in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. In 1994, she was appointed as superintendent of the Mary McLeod Bethune District and was twice appointed dean of the Cabinet.

Bishop Fisher was elected a bishop in 2000 and assigned to the New York West Area.

On Friday and Saturday mornings at 8:30 a.m., the Rev. Rose Mary Williams, pastor of the Mt. Zion UMC in Pass Christian, Miss., will bring a Bible study.

The church had just started construction on a new building when Katrina roared ashore. Fortunately, only the slab had been poured, so there was no major building loss. Soon, massive relief efforts began.

The new facility is located near the bridge over the Bay of St. Louis. With the bridge washed out, folks traveling along the coast must pass near the church. 'Every day I see people who say they just love seeing that church come up,' Williams said.

Recovery has come slowly to the Pass Christian area, so seeing a new building nearing completion gives the community hope it can rise again.

The building was originally scheduled to be completed in March. However, that has been pushed back to May. However, Williams said her members aren?t discouraged by the timing.

While excited about the new building, Williams said her congregation seemed more focused on Easter this year than in the past.

'I?ve had more folks tell me they are fasting and praying this Lenten season than I ever have. We have uplifted that more than in the past,' she said.

A special experience awaits conference members on Thursday night: Bernice Johnson Reagon.

Reagon is a composer and songleader in the 19th century Southwest Georgia choral tradition. She is perhaps best known as founding 'Sweet Honey In The Rock' in 1973. A historian and scholar, Reagon is Distinguished Professor of History at the American University and Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History.

MAKE THE CONNECTION

2006 marks the 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women in The United Methodist Church. To read more about this historic occasion, visit http://www.gcsrw.org/.