| Two senior leaders set to retire By Erik AlsgaardUMConnection Staff The Revs. Edwin Ankeny and Donald Stewart, two longtime leaders in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, have announced their plans to retire this summer. Together, the two men have served the church for more than 88 years.  Ankeny, currently dean of the Cabinet and superintendent of the Baltimore-North District, has been in the ministry for 46 years.
In the conference he served Methodist and United Methodist congregations at Cedar Grove, Sandymount, Hillsdale-Chatsworth, Eastport and Mount Vernon Place in Baltimore. This is not an end, but a transition to a different form of ministry, said Ankeny. What that is, I do not know. I do know I am not about to sit down and do nothing. I am open to the Spirit moving in my life to lead me. This is nothing new. Ankeny recalled being a newly ordained pastor and watching all the men and there were only men in those days retiring and thinking, My goodness, will I ever live long enough to accomplish what these persons have? And now I have arrived at this point, he said. I give thanks to God that he invited me to be one of his servants. My hope and prayer is for young people to hear the call of God in their lives and give themselves for a full lifetime of ministry. Stewart, director of connectional ministries for the conference, began his ministry in 1962. In the conference he served congregations at Berkeley Springs, John Wesley in Hagerstown, Friendship in Damascus, Foundry in Washington, and Epworth in Gaithersburg.  Stewart also served as the superintendent of the Washington West District from 1992 to 1999.
I plan to spend more time with my family, work on my cooking skills, catch up on some reading and do some part-time work, Stewart said of his retirement. I have truly enjoyed serving 42 years in ordained ministry, he added. I have been nurtured, loved and challenged by some of Gods finest people. I wish I could do it all over for another 42 years. God is so good and I can hardly wait to see what surprises God has in store for me. Fifteen other Baltimore-Washington Conference clergy men and women have also announced their plans to retire this June. Their ministries will be celebrated at the annual conference session in May. | 
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