By Melissa Lauber On Sunday mornings, the sanctuary at Oak Chapel UMC welcomes 25 families to worship. During the week, that exact same space is used for a different kind of holy work as people from the community and the church offer food to their neighbors in need, many of whom are immigrants...
By Melissa Lauber Discipleship Ministries Missional Innovation Grant “Everything that is real was imagined first.” This bit of wisdom, from the story The Velveteen Rabbit, inspired Valerie Stevens of Petworth UMC to dare to dream and to apply for a Baltimore-Washington Conference...
If nothing seems to change in your congregation despite your best efforts and great strategies, chances are a “stay-the-course” mentality or an unhealthy culture is to blame. While usually taken for granted and often misunderstood, the culture of a local church influences everything...
By Melissa Lauber Study on the Impact of Gender and Race on the Lived Experiences of Clergypersons in the BWC The journey toward gender and cultural equity is long, but for the clergy of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, it is moving toward justice and fairness, a new survey by the...
As International Deaf Awareness Week approaches on Sept. 25, hearing and Deaf congregations alike can celebrate Deaf culture for that week — and well into the future. For hearing congregations, it is important to note that it is not a week to minister to the Deaf community. Rather...
By Liz Feighner As United Methodists, we understand that our responsibility as caretakers of God’s planet includes ensuring a healthy, abundant creation for future generations. Today, we understand more deeply than ever before, the profound consequences of our failure to serve as...
From Raggatha CalentineIt is with great rejoicing that the Committee on Native American Ministries (CoNAM) of the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference announces the publication and celebration of the revival of the Nanticoke Language in the book "Once It Has Been Spoken...It Cannot Be Unspoken...
By Rev. Dr. C. Anthony Hunt, Ph.D.Senior Pastor, Epworth Chapel UMC, Baltimore The Fierce Urgency of Now – Remembering the March on Washington On August 26, 2023, thousands of people from around the nation and world will gather in Washington, D.C. for the 60th anniversary and...
By Melissa Lauber The church and community exploded in a beautiful cacophony of color, design, dance, flavor, and hope as Salem UMC in Baltimore and the Casa de Cultura unveiled a mural Aug. 12 that celebrates the one-year anniversary of the partnership between the two. Painted by the...
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, who died unexpectedly earlier this week, is being mourned throughout the denomination and celebrated for his kindness, profound faith and transforming leadership. Services for Bishop Devadhar will be held on the morning of Thursday, July 27, at Hyde Park Community...
