District News

The Link ~ 7/26/2018

Posted by John Gauthier on

UNITED TO LOVE RALLY

You and your congregation are cordially invited to join us for the United to Love Rally on Sunday, August 12, 2018, 11am-3 pm, on the National Mall (4th Street) in Washington, D.C.  This event is being organized by the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church and it is ecumenical, interfaith, inclusive and open to ALL.

Sunday, August 12th is the anniversary of the Unite the Right: Charlottesville, VA Rally Action which organizers hope to recreate in Washington, DC’s Lafayette Square on the same day.

As a prayerful response and call to Action, we are inviting faith leaders, musicians, politicians, and other local activists across lines of difference to gather with us in D.C. to uplift the human spirit, renounce all messages of hate, exclusion or division and unite to LOVE.

Our hope is to inspire at least 20 people from each of our congregations to join us for this rally. We encourage each church to make this their worship experience for this Sunday, united as one congregation on the Mall.

You are invited to visit our website, www.unitedtolove.org and help us get the word out using the graphics attached.


CHURCH CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

The first draft of the 2018 Church Conference Schedule is attached here. Please review your date and time and Contact the office ASAP with any immovable conflicts. Unless it is a dire emergency, the dates will be fixed as of August 15, 2018. 


WELCOME TO OUR NEW DISTRICT LAY LEADER

It is with immense pleasure that we welcome Thea Becton as the New District Lay Leader of the Baltimore Suburban District. Thea comes to us with a spirit of joy and enthusiasm born of her faith.  She serves on a variety of capacities in her home church, Clark’s  Chapel UMC  Methodist Church of the Harford County Cooperative Parish on the BSD. HERE is a brief biography of Thea. Send her warm wishes and prayers as she begins this new ministry with us! 
 


SCHOOL OF CONGREGATIONAL DEVELOPMENT- MOMENTUM

The 2018 School of Congregational Development is the church's premier event for leadership development. This August, you can see it online at three locations as it is broadcast live from San Diego, Ca.

Friday, August 17, Spanish Only-- 7 p.m. to $10 p.m.   $10 per person

Presenter:  Pastor Alejandro Alfaro-Santiz
Location:
BWC Mission Center- 11711 East Market Place in Fulton

Saturday, August 18, English Only -- 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  -- $29 per person (includes lunch)

Presenters: Genevieve Cavil-Harris, Cedrick Bridgeforth, Larry Hygh, Lynda Byrd.

Locations:
BWC Mission Center - 11711 East Market Place in Fulton
Gethsemane UMC - 910 Addison Rd S., in Capitol Heights
Baltimore Suburban District Church - Cokesbury UMC, Abingdon

Register at http://www.onlineteachingevent.org/     

If you are a leader -- clergy or lay --  you won't want to miss this opportunity to discover innovative ways to create vital, dynamic, life-changing congregations.  Join with hundreds of fellow Christians, friends, colleagues and past participants in this unique way to learn what is new, what's working, how to empower your leadership team. 

For more information contact Jo Chesson.


SMALL CHURCH INITIATIVE

Central to disciple making and congregational life is the art and practice of building rich and varied relationships.  The ability to grow relationships is part of the gift of small churches.  We will explore how small church can leverage their unique giftedness by the development of a small church cohort.  This will be a pilot program and will involve group coaching sessions as well as mutual learning around best practices.  If you are interested, please contact the district office.   

We are looking for 3-4 congregations and pastors who are able to commit to this exciting undertaking.


URBANIZING INITIATIVE

Glancing at the placement of our churches, it is interesting to note that the majority of churches clustered around the more densely populated areas of our district are medium to larger worshiping congregations.  An idea is taking shape around training and equipping a group of pastors and other congregational leadership to have conversations with those in the community and including them in small group gatherings around a meal and conversation.  District funds will be used for training and resourcing.  If you are interested in being part of such an endeavor, please contact the district office.


YOUNG PEOPLE'S MINISTRY

Are you interested or passionate in the future of Young People's Ministry within the BWC? 

Now is the time to let your voice be heard!  As we realign our ministries for young people, we are seeking feedback and input from our local churches and young people themselves.

We are collecting data through this 
survey which will be open until July 15.

In addition, we are inviting people to register and participate in one of three 
focus groups in September. The data collected will be used to create a strategic plan for Young People's Ministry within the BWC.

For questions or additional information, please contact 
Cheryl Cook .


REVISION OF UMC SOCIAL PRINCIPLES FOR 2020

Your Voice counts!!! As the United Methodist Social Principles are revised, Board of Church and Society leaders are calling for United Methodists to weigh in on the content.

The deadline for submitting comments is Aug. 31.

Responses will be collected and may influence the final draft submitted to General Conference. Read more


REVISED BWC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 

In accordance with the 2016 Annual Conference, the policies and procedures manual has been updated. 

This document contains a number of important guidelines and rules for church business, human resources questions, and other administrative functions. Please download and review this document over during the summer so as to bring your church up-to-date with its own administrative procedures. 

The manual can be found here: 
http://www.bwcumc.org/administration/conference-policies-and-procedures/


IMPORTANT DATES

Please note: Rev. Laprade will be out of the office from July 4 - July 17. Please contact John Gauthier  for any necessary communication. 

  • August 9 ~ 10 am - 12 pm:  Church Conference Training @ Conference Mission Center
  • August 9 ~ 1-3 pm:  Church Conference Training @ Conference Mission Center
  • August 12 ~ 9am: United to Love Rally
  • August 14 ~ 2-4 pm:  Church Conference Training @ Conference Mission Center
  • August 14 ~ 7-9 pm:  Church Conference Training @ Conference Mission Center
  • August 21 ~ 10 am - 12 pm:  Church Conference Training *On the District- Location TBD*
  • August 21 ~ 2-4 pm:  Church Conference Training *On the District- Location TBD*
  • August 22 ~ 10 am - 12 pm:  Church Conference Training @ Conference Mission Center
  • August 22 ~ 1-3 pm:  Church Conference Training @ Conference Mission Center
  • August 23 ~ 10 am - 12 pm:  Church Conference Training *On the District- Location TBD*
  • August 23 ~ 2-4 pm:  Church Conference Training *On the District- Location TBD*
  • September 25 ~ 10am - 12pm: Baltimore Suburban District Clergy Meeting- Location TBD

 

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