By Erik Alsgaard On Oct. 27, 1771, Francis Asbury set foot in Colonial America. Methodism’s first bishop, Asbury ordained about 700 clergy before his death in 1816. On Oct. 27, 2021 – 250 years to the day -- the Baltimore-Washington Conference celebrated the ordination and...
Guidelines for formatting and submitting a resolution to the 2018 Annual Conference Session are now out. The deadline is Jan. 15, 2018.
By Melissa Lauber I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? – Isaiah 43:19 Sometimes challenges within the church present interesting opportunities for innovative mission and ministry. The pandemic and financial shortfalls...
The 2020 class of ordinands, provisional members, deaconesses, and home-missioners made history Sept. 12 as pioneers in a new age of ministry — brought about in part by the social distancing caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
With the Annual Conference Session compacted to one day, members still took significant time in their agenda to address one of the two pandemics facing the United States right now. That is, the pandemic of racism.
“We are One: Going Out in Mission” was the theme of the 2020 Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference Session, and although the Sept. 12 online meeting primarily addressed the funding of ministry, it was clear that the coronavirus pandemic has opened new doors to mission and ministry.
By Erik Alsgaard By a vote of 763 to 17, members to the 2020 Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference Session approved a $17.7 million spending and income budget for 2021. Of that $17.7 million, just over $13 million will come from local churches in Mission Shares (formerly called...
During the plenary session May 31, the Rev. Beth Hutton and seven other ordinands rose to speak on behalf of two of the candidates who were approved by the Board of Ordained Ministry, but were removed as candidates by a ruling of Bishop LaTrelle Easterling. This is a difficult moment for us in...
This denomination has been wrestling with the matter of human sexuality since 1972. The restrictive language was written into our Book of Discipline at that time, and we have been dealing with the ramifications and repercussions ever since. Men and women of deep faith and good intention have...
By Erik Alsgaard Bishop LaTrelle Easterling issued a ruling of law during the BWC’s clergy session Wednesday night, stating that two individuals the Board of Ordained Ministry had approved were not eligible for ordination and commissioning because they are “self-avowed practicing...
