2020 General Conference Delegate Nominees

001 Rev. Giovanni Arroyo

General Commission on Religion and Race, Washington, D.C.

Conference Agencies:
Past chair, Religion and Race; chair, Hispanic/Latino Ministries; Advocacy and Action team

General Church Agencies:
Staff person of the General Commission on Religion and Race, team leader for program ministries; United Methodist Interagency Immigration Task Force; Rapid Response Team on Immigration

Other Organizations:
Justice for Our Neighbors; Baltimore County Health Department Translators Editor board

The United Methodist Church and the world are more globally focused, more multi-cultural, multi-textured and complex than any point in our history. My years of experience and leadership in the denomination at all levels — local church, alongside annual conferences, jurisdictionally, nationally, central conferences, general agencies, theological schools, and racial/ethnic caucuses — enables me to offer the church multiple perspectives that would enrich dialogues and legislation as we live to a be a church that seeks to be racially equitable in its practices, policies and processes. As a person of color who has served in cross-racial and cross-cultural ministries in urban and suburban settings and in my current ministry at the General Commission on Religion and Race, I have been able to build relationships across differences and encourage vital conversations of intersectionality that has birthed partnerships and ministries across the globe. I offer myself to continue in building the beloved community.

 

002 Rev. Kevin Baker

Oakdale Emory UMC, Olney

Other Organizations:
President, Baltimore-Washington Conference Wesley Covenant Association

I have served three churches in my 30 years of ordained ministry; three years as an Associate Pastor, 13 years leading Cedar Grove UMC and 13 years (and counting) leading Oakdale Church. Both Cedar Grove and Oakdale have been churches that experienced significant transitions and growth. I have experience leading both a small church and a large church. The UMC needs to launch new faith communities AND help existing churches transition for growth and discipleship. Leading existing churches into greater effectiveness requires the ability to shift methods while building momentum around the message of the Gospel. Leading change in the local church is both art and science. Far too many of our pastors and churches are not equipped for 21st century effectiveness. I believe my experience and training qualify me to speak to these issues at GC2020 so that together we can make decisions that will strengthen our discipleship effectiveness.

 

003 Rev. Valerie Barnes

Chew/Carters Charge, Owensville

Conference Agencies:
Committee on Religion and Race; Connectional Table; Order of Elders; clergy mentor for Baltimore Metro District Committee on Ordained Ministry

Other Organizations:
Constitution and Bylaws chair for Northeastern Jurisdiction Black Methodists for Church Renewal

My reason for seeking to represent the BWC as a delegate at General Conference is to be a voice for those who oftentimes view themselves as having no voice; I am referring primarily to the black church. I believe my 20 years of experience pastoring in this context, coupled with my experience of being a business owner and rehabilitative health care provider allow me to see the opportunities for growth, renewal and revitalization for this significant constituency of the denomination. I believe that if given the opportunity to serve, I can bring a different (possibly new) perspective that could lead to greater inclusion and potential for revitalization and renewal of congregations.

 

004 Rev. Rudy Bropleh

Asbury UMC, Shepherdstown

Conference Committees:
Stewardship; the BWC Academy; and the Board of Ordained Ministry; currently serving as chair of the Frederick District Committee on Ordained Ministry

In 21 years, I have led, developed, and grown two churches in very diverse contexts. I have attracted young adults to the church, mentored and inspired them to pursue their call to ministry. Three of those young people are now clergy in the BWC (one is a Provisional Elder and two are Elders in Full Connection). I’m currently mentoring a large group of Young Adults who are discerning their call to ministry. I have worked as a trainer and coach to leaders in our UMC in diverse settings. I have led my churches through difficult transitions while maintaining missional vitality and growth. I know how to disagree without being disrespectful; and articulating differences without damaging others. I want to help change the tenor, tune, and temperature at the General Conference. As your delegate I will represent you with decency, integrity, and commitment to Christ and our Church.

 

005 Rev. Stan G. Cardwell

Community UMC, Crofton

BWC Agencies:
Board of Congregational Life – Leadership Development; BWC Church Plant Discernment team lead; Southern Region Consultant; Interim New Faith Expressions Board

Other Organizations:
Archway Station; Emmorton Elementary School PTA; Moveable Feast

For 27 years, I have served faithfully in various settings — rural, suburban, urban, in poverty and affluence, conservative and progressive churches, multi-campus, new church initiative . . . During these years, I have lived and journeyed with two tribes: traditional and progressive. I live in that tension which threatens to pull us apart. This grieves me. (Honestly, I have found myself wondering if I belong to either tribe within our current context — too traditional for progressives and too progressive for traditionalists.) Through many years of ministry, I have quietly served in my local church and on the conference level. I have been content to let others seek to guide our Conciliar covenant but in response to our impasse at GC2019, I can no longer remain silent. There is a way forward — a way of sacrifice and submission. I know that path as a Jesus-follower, seeking to walk in grace and truth.

 

006 Rev. Stacey Cole-Wilson

BWC Executive Minister of Justice and Service, Fulton

Conference Agencies:
Board of Ordained Ministry; Provisional Member Registrar; Advocacy and Action staff representative; Deaf Ministries Abundant Health staff representative; CONAM; Seeds of Security staff representative; BWC Black Clergywomen chaplain; UMW staff representative; COSROW staff representative; Creation Care; Committee on Religion and Race

General Church Agency:
NEJ UMVIM board member

Other Organizations:
Wesley Theological Seminary Board of Governors; Boys and Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore; Habitat for Humanity

By God’s grace, I am a part of a dynamic revolutionary people called Methodists. We vary in ability, personhood, theology, hermeneutic, pedagogy, and body. We are called to love God and all people — to pursue justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. We are imperfect yet going on to perfection. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world; and, in so doing, share the power and relevance of the Gospel. I have served our Church as a lay person, ordained Elder, pastor, district leader, mediator, community organizer, youth advocate, representative on several conference boards and agencies, and as the Executive Minister of Justice and Service. I am a wife, a mother, and a Baltimore native who has worked with people and organizations locally, globally and connectionally to bring about positive change. As your delegate, I will do the same.

 

007 Rev. Joseph Wayne Daniels, Jr.

Emory UMC, Washington, D.C.

General and Jurisdictional Conference delegate in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and at the Special Session in 2019

Conference Agencies:
Chairperson, Zimbabwe Partnership; chair, Communities of Shalom

Other Organizations:
Co-chair, Washington Interfaith Network

I seek to represent the Baltimore-Washington Conference as a delegate at General Conference because as a bridge builder and barrier breaker, I believe my skills, experience, and love for people and the church can benefit our denomination in these uncertain times. Since 2004, I have been an active delegate to General Conference. I know the power dynamics and understand the politics of General Conference yet am always looking for the leading of the Holy Spirit guiding us to Truth. We need to find higher ground. We need to stop fighting each other and seek to find the spaces where God is leading God’s church. As a 27-year pastor and former district superintendent who has served diverse populations all my life, I know how to cross lines of difference and achieve unity in the midst of diversity. I would be honored and humbled to serve our church in 2020.

  

008 Rev. David J. Deans

Oakdale Emory UMC, Olney

Conference Agencies:
BWC Committee on Parish and Community Development; Baltimore Metro District Committee on Disaster Relief during Tropical Storm Isabel; Baltimore Metro District Committee on Ordained Ministry

Other Organizations:
Executive Board of the Baltimore-Washington Conference Wesley Covenant Association

As a pastor in the BWC/UMC for 16 years, I have had the privilege to pastor both a small and a large church. I have also had the chance to plant a church in a fast-growing multicultural suburb and to do extensive ministry with the homeless in an urban setting. I’m currently developing a new men’s ministry, am a leader with Celebrate Recovery, and am leading a team of young adults through the Wesley Innovation Hub program. Through these distinct experiences, and the unique training I’ve received, I’ve learned a lot about disciple-making, launching new faith communities, reaching young adults and marginalized people, and church development across varied contexts. I believe I can be an asset at General Conference in helping us mark out a faithful course for the future that sees us making disciples who make disciples, birthing new innovative churches, and spreading scriptural holiness across the land.

  

009 Rev. Malcolm L. Frazier

Asbury Methodist Village, Gaithersburg

Conference Agencies:
Board of Ordained Ministry; Conference Council on Youth Ministry; Conference Higher Education and Ministry Committee; District Committee on Superintendency; Co-chair of Conference Volunteers-in-Mission

General Agencies:
Executive Secretary for Mission Volunteers and U.S. Regional Representative at the General Board of Global Ministries in New York and Atlanta

Other Organizations:
Board member for Beyond Borders, which provides support for Haiti. Project Transformation, the Advocacy Committee for the National Black Methodist for Church Renewal, co-chair of the United Methodist Campus Ministry Association

I have served a local church, a college campus, a general agency, and am currently serving at a continuing care community. I have engaged in study and mission on five continents, seeing God at work in diverse cultural contexts.  These ministry settings and global contexts have given me exposures to diverse perspectives and world views. I am seeking to represent the BWC as a delegate because I believe in the mission of making disciples for the transformation of the world. My theology is grounded in the God of justice who sent Godself in the form of Jesus Christ to be in solidarity with humankind.  All differences are honored and respected, and everyone can respond to their calling to serve out of their own uniqueness.  In the midst of our discord I believe that God is not done working through us yet.

 

010 Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli

Foundry UMC, Washington, D.C.

2016, 2019 General Conference Delegate

Conference Agencies:
Board of Ordained Ministry (2017-present); Discipleship Council; co-chair, BWC Annual Conference Worship Team; chair, Board of Discipleship 

General Church Agencies:
UM-Episcopal Dialogue

Other Organizations:
Interfaith Council of Suburban Maryland; Religious Partnership for the Anacostia

As a Jesus-follower and life-long United Methodist, I feel deeply called to the work of bridge building, intersectional justice-seeking, peacemaking, and reconciliation. I am committed to a biblically grounded, theologically informed, fully inclusive, anti-racist, anti-colonialist, and wholly Wesleyan vision for Methodism whatever shape the church may take in the future. My life and ministry experience across a variety of contexts — from growing up in small town Oklahoma to serving in NYC and DC — has prepared me to partner with others in service of that vision. I am blessed with positive relationships across many constituencies within the United Methodist connection. Over the past year, I've facilitated collaboration among and between groups that had not previously worked together. My servant leadership at Foundry testifies to my commitment to living and preaching the whole Gospel-head and heart, personal and social holiness-and reaching ALL people with God's unconditional, unwavering, and liberating love.

   

 

011 Rev. Katie J. Grover

Patapsco-Lodge Forest Cooperative Parish

Conference Agencies:
Path 1 team (2013) for the Baltimore Metropolitan District; work at West River Camp — 2014 director for Junior High Discovery Camp, this year will be my 5th as a counselor leading sports at the Ultimate Mid-High Camp; Spiritual Growth Study Leader at the Arkansas Conference mission u (2012 & 2015); Arkansas Conference Committee on Global Ministries; Arkansas Conference Batesville/North District Co-coordinator for the District Committee on Youth Ministries; participated in or led more than 10 mission trips

Other Organizations:
Oversee comprehensive ministry to the unhoused/poor of the community;); Safe Nights Coordinator for St Paul UMC in Lusby; Board of Directors for Aldersgate Renewal Ministries; and more

I am a lifelong United Methodist, beginning my career in a vocational ministry as a US-2 Young Adult Missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries serving as the director of an ecumenical children’s and youth ministries in a small town in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. I continued in ministry as a lay person serving for nine years as the director of children’s and youth ministries in Mountain View, Arkansas. In 2008, I returned to Maryland and entered the secular workforce before succumbing to God’s call to enter seminary and work toward ordination. In 2013, I began pastoring two churches in East Baltimore County and was ordained in 2016. With my diverse background, serving as a missionary, lay person, and clergy, pastoring persons from birth to death in churches from rural towns to an urban area, I believe I offer alternative perspectives to the issues facing the local church. 

 

012 Rev. C. Anthony Hunt

Epworth Chapel UMC, Baltimore

2000 – Jurisdictional Conference Alternate Delegate
2008 – General and Jurisdictional Conference Delegate

Conference Agencies:
Board of Ordained Ministry (2000-2008, 2012-present), Board Chair since 2016; Commission on Finance and Administration (2008-2012)

General Agencies:
Member of General Commission on Religion and Race (2008-2012), co-chair of the Strategic Planning Taskforce; member of the Inter-Ethnic Strategy Development Group (1998-2004); member of the Northeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Ministry (2016-present)

My vision continues to be for an inclusive church, which embraces the entirety of our Wesley heritage. As a fifth generation Methodist, I have appreciated and benefitted from the diversity within the church. I've seen the church most evident in community where love and justice are most clearly operating. Through my ordination, I have been afforded the opportunity to serve in various capacities —  as pastor in four appointments (urban, suburban and rural), as a denominational executive at the Northeastern Jurisdiction's Multi-ethnic Center for Ministry, as a military chaplain (U.S. Army), as a seminary teacher (Wesley and United Seminaries), as a district superintendent of two distinct districts in the greater Baltimore area, and as chair of the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. I believe that this breadth of experience would benefit the Conference delegation and General Conference as I could take a broad view of the important matters facing the Church.

  

013 Rev. Travis D. Knoll

Hunt Memorial UMC, Riderwood

Conference Agencies:
Chair, Board of Discipleship; Chair, District Committee on Ordained Ministry; member Board of Evangelism; member, Rules Committee

Other Organization:
Volunteer Chaplain, GBMC

I believe that diversity of not only gender, sex, ethnic and national origin, and orientation, but also diversity of thought matter. As a thoughtful and listening traditionalist Christian, I believe that I would faithfully represent that perspective of this significant minority portion of our clergy here at the BWC to the General or Jurisdictional Conference in ways that others elected may not.

 

014 Rev. Conrad O. Link

Superintendent, Cumberland Hagerstown District

2012 General Conference delegate;
2016 first alternate to General Conference;
2019 Special Session General Conference delegate

Conference Agencies:
Chair, Board of Ordained Ministry 2004-2008; Secretary, Board of Ordained Ministry 2000-2004; Member of the Board 1986-1996; Member BWC Board of Trustees 2008-2010; Cabinet Rep to Board of Trustees 2012-2019; Board of Pensions 2012-2018

Other Organizations:
Numerous Volunteer in Mission trips; Appalachia Service Projects; Summer Camp at Manidokan; Board member of the American Red Cross of Frederick County (9 years); President-VP-Secretary of the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs; charter member of the Carroll Creek Rotary Club (member for 17 years)

The work to transform the UMC into a functioning, timely and effective ministry vehicle for the proclamation of the Gospel in the 21st century is not yet complete. I would like to be part of the process that helps make the UMC into the church God intends it to be as "fully catholic, fully evangelical and fully reformed," so that we can truly live into the invitation of being a place for all of God' s people with Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors. While I appreciate our heritage, a fundamental element of that heritage was (and is) to meet people where they were, in the fields-mines-countryside-cities, so that the Gospel could be learned, embraced, and accepted in context. To achieve a vibrant future, certain elements of our current structure and polity need to be made flexible and contemporary.

 

015 Rev. Jerry Lesley Lowans

Washington Square UMC, Hagerstown

Since our BWC is a very diverse conference in many ways, I feel I would, as a delegate, be able to help assure that diversity would be equally represented at our General Conference. I would look forward to open fair and balanced dialogue with the future of our denomination in mind especially as it pertains to outreach and evangelism to the world. We need to focus on getting the church back to the Great Commission of making disciples for Jesus Christ and growing the church. 

 

 

016 Rev. Bonnie McCubbin

Good Shepherd UMC, Baltimore

Conference Agencies:
Chair, Conference Committee on Christian Unity and lnterreligious Concerns; BWC Historical Society Board of Directors; Baltimore-Metro DCOM member; Retreat and Camping Ministries Task Force; Retreat and Camping Ministries; Baltimore Initiative Work Group

Other Organizations:
Candidacy Mentor, Summer Camp Curriculum Writer, Summer Camp Director (West River); LeadHer Ministry for Young Women Director; Young Clergy Women International Development Committee (past member)

I am a passionate, driven person with a desire to share Christ with all people. I have served rural, suburban, and urban congregations in my 10 years of pastoral ministry. A historian by training, I see the long history of where we have come from and where we need to go to move forward in the future so tha t we are able to share Christ with the least, the los t, the last, and the marginalized  in our world, nation, and community. Furthermore, as one of 22 young adult Elders in the BWC, I hold an underrepresented view point. For the 2016 General Conference, 7 percent of delegates were under 35. Young adults are the Church here and now. We are the ones who will be the Church in the future. As such, we need to have a say in discerning the direction our denomination takes.

 

017 Rev. James Martin Miller

Grace UMC, Gaithersburg

Conference Agencies:
Current Chair, Episcopal Committee; Board of Ordained Ministry; Moving Committee; District Committee on Ordained Ministry    

It is my hope and prayer that by serving as an elected delegate of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, I can help the Church move forward in these challenging times. I am willing to do the work necessary to be informed as possible as a delegate. I will be open-minded in considering and prayerfully discerning all legislation. As a delegate, I would bring to the table over 30 years of pastoral ministry. Much of my experience has been in finding ways for congregations to work together in spiritual growth and in outreach to those in need. I believe there is power and guidance to be found in the work of Holy Conferencing. I humbly state that if elected as a delegate, I will contribute in a positive way to the work of the 2020 General Conference.

 

018 Rev. Ianther Mills

Asbury UMC, Washington, D.C.

General Conference Alternate Delegate (2012)
NEJ Conference Delegate (2012)
NEJ Conference Delegate (2008)

Conference Agencies:
Episcopacy Committee (2016 to present); vice chair, Board of Ordained Ministry (2013-2016); member, Board of Ordained Ministry (2003-2013); Discipleship Council (2008-2013); Unified Funding Task Force (2008-2013); Instructor at Zimbabwe Pastors School

General Church Agencies:
Interim President, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (2015-2016); vice president, GBHEM (2012-2015); member, GBHEM (2008-2012); The World Methodist Council (2016 to present); GCFA Apportionment Task Force (2017-2018); Africa University Governance Committee (2015-2016)

Other Organizations:
Leadership Greater Washington; Washington Interfaith Network; Downtown Cluster of Congregations; Howard University Hospital Faith Partners

The United Methodist Church is at a critical place in its identity and direction as we are challenged with making disciples for the transformation of the world and the complex work of diversity and inclusion. As a former district superintendent, former GBHEM director, form delegate to General and Jurisdictional conferences, and one who has pastored churches of various sizes and contexts, including cross-racial, I have honed gifts of discernment, leadership, conflict transformation, and working with diverse people in the U.S. and globally. I bring those unique gifts to participating in shaping our witness to the world for 2020 and beyond. Further, I am deeply committed to living out our Wesleyan understanding of grace and the biblical values of the Grant Commandment, Great Commission and Great Mandate. I offer myself because I feel called to serve in this season. I would be honored to represent the Baltimore-Washington Conference as a delegate.

 

019 Rev. Kenneth P. Moore

Zion UMC, Lexington Park

Conference Committees:
Annapolis and Washington East District Committees on Ordained Ministry; Washington East registrar for full membership; Certified Clergy Mentor; Instructor for the Annapolis District School of Faith and Life; CLM Instructor; Conference Board of Pension; currently on the Rules Committee; past BWC Hunger Coordinator; Conference Sessions Committee

Ordained a Deacon in 1998 and Elder in 2002, I have over 24 years pastoral experience as United Methodist clergy and have completed Engagement Coaching Training at Anne Arundel Community College. My diverse training in the church, community and military has shaped me into a well-rounded pastor who is able to preach, teach, lead, plan, budget, inspire, delegate and work in any environment bearing good, productive fruit. I have a love for God and all humankind. I offer my gifts and graces to our Conference and as an ambassador of Jesus Christ during a pivotal time that requires grace, compassion and cooperation without compromise. If elected as a delegate to General Conference 2020, I will seek justice for all while honoring my own theological convictions. I am fair, believe in justice for all, support the one church model and would seek change within the confines of the Book of Discipline.

 

020 Rev. Maidstone Mulenga

Director of Communications, Council of Bishops, Washington, D.C.

2008, 2012 General Conference Delegate from Western New York Conference

Conference Agencies:
Served as Director of Connectional Ministries and Assistant to the Bishop

General Church Agencies:
Chair of Product Services, United Methodist Publishing House
Secretary of the Committee on Correlation and Editorial Revision for the Book of Discipline

I would like to serve as a delegate to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences as part of my desire to make The United Methodist Church a truly global church through acceptance of all of God’s people. I am the Director of Communications for the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church. In this role, I manage and direct the internal and external communications of the Council and oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive communications strategy. Previously, I served as the Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Connectional Ministries in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. I previously served as pastor in several churches in the then Western New York Conference and as director of communications in the Upper New York Conference. I have been a delegate to the General and NEJ Conferences and I was the editor of the NEJ Daily Christian Advocate.

 

021 Rev. Laura Norvell

Ferndale UMC, Ferndale

Conference Agencies:
BWC Campus Ministry Task Force (2019); The Wesley @ UMD Board of Directors (2014-Present); Chair of The Wesley (2017-present); United to Love participant

I am a cradle Methodist whose DNA is Wesleyan and Methodist. I served as a senior administrator at Wesley for more than 10 years during a season of seismic shifts. I have seen the way God calls people, and I have been a part of the work that has to be done to shape the future of a denomination with and for young leaders. I have served churches where we are called to make disciples and disciple others across major differences in formation. I have studied the future of global leadership, pursuing my D.Min. at Wesley House in Cambridge. My call is to bridge-building and specifically to bridge generations of difference as the tradition, structure and shifting global nature of our church is passed from builders to boomers to Gen X to Millennials to iGen and beyond. I would be honored to serve as delegate in this season.

 

022 Rev. Bryant M. Oskvig

Chaplain, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Conference Agencies:
Audit Committee; Worship Committee; Campus Ministry Task Force; Vice-President CFA

The United Methodist Church has come to a critical moment as an institution. This is a time when we have to thoughtfully consider our theology, our history, and our structure. With my educational background and my experiences, I think I have gifts to share in this moment for the good of the church. My particular work in interracial ministry and ecumenical dialogue would be informative in my representation of our conference and the work of a delegate. My ministry has been informed by my understanding and expression of the covenant I made at my ordination to the community, clergy and the congregations of the Conference. I offer myself as a delegate as an expression of that commitment. We have to chart a new path forward as a church to share the light of the Gospel in the face of the pressing darkness of this world.

 

023 JW “Jong Woo” Park

Central Maryland Superintendent

2012, 2016, 2019 General Conference Delegate

Conference Agencies:
Trustees; Board of Ordained Ministry; Worship Committee; Personnel Committee; Discipleship Council; Connectional Table; Episcopacy Committee

General Church Agencies:
NEJ Finance Committee

Other Organizations:
President of the National Association of Korean UM pastors serving cross-racial appointments

I’d like to represent the BWC as an Asian-American clergy member. I’d like to see the BWC sending an inclusive delegation to the General Conference.

 

024 Rev. Frankie Allen Revell

LaVale UMC, LaVale

Conference Agencies:
United Methodist Women —Dean of Mission u (formerly School of Christian Mission); Board of Ordained Ministry

General Church Agencies:
General Board of Global Discipleship

My vision for the church is simple: it is a church in which we encounter God in worship, accept Christ, operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and love and serve our neighbors. I am particularly passionate about poverty alleviation and encouraging every person to live into their identity as a sacred child of God. My spirituality is one of deep prayer, reflection, and discernment rooted in Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. I am neither swayed by my own agenda or emotions nor those of others.

 

025 Rev. Kirkland Reynolds

Chevy Chase UMC, Chevy Chase

Conference Agencies:
Board of Ordained Ministry, Culture of Call Committee Chair (2016 – present); Greater Washington District Committee on Ministry, Vice-Chair, (2012 – present); Discipleship Council (2012-2016)

Other Organizations:
Communities United Against Hate in Montgomery County; Living Your Call Ministry Exploration Workshop Candidacy Mentor; Baltimore-Washington Area Reconciling Methodists; License to Preach School Preaching Practicum Facilitator; Baltimore-Washington & Zimbabwe Annual Conferences Partnership; Washington Leadership Days presenter; Lay Servant Ministry Facilitator

I believe in a church that holds tightly to love and justice whenever we discern our polity, values, and mission. Since 2007, I have served a two-point charge, served in ministry with youth and families, served a cooperative parish, and now serve a suburban congregation. I have been privileged to serve two appointments that each discerned joining the Reconciling movement. In these ministry settings I have witnessed God bring people together, make new ways for discipleship and transformation, and lead the church into ministries of justice, love, inclusion, mercy, and joy. I believe our Wesleyan understanding of grace, calling, and personal and social holiness speaks to new generations who want to serve with purpose and hope. We stand in a long line of Jesus followers called to the beautiful struggle of being church, and I believe this is the Wesleyan spirit needed for such a time as this.

 

026 Rev. Edgardo Rivera

Superintendent, Frederick District

2016 Jurisdictional Delegate
2019 First Alternate to Special Session

Conference Agencies:
Religion and Race; Church and Society; Hispanic/Latino Ministries

General Church Agencies:
Board Member General Board of Church and Society

Other Organizations:
Chaplain in the Maryland Air National Guard

These are critical times in the UMC. I believe I bring to the table a voice from the diverse community that we represent, both from within our BWC and the community that is around us, which we are to be in ministry with. I do not take for granted that God, through this conference, has allowed me to be present, to listen, to experience and to witness the relevant ministry that is taking place in urban and rural settings in Maryland and West Virginia. We are a church with a message of grace who seeks to be in relationship with God and neighbor for the transformation of our communities. There are significant challenges ahead as we discern how to better live our call. I commit to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit while we live into the future, trusting God and holding one another accountable in love.

 

027 Rev. Melissa Rudolph

North Carroll Cooperative Parish

Alternate to the 2016 Jurisdictional Conference and participated in preparation meetings for the 2016 and 2019 General Conferences

Conference Agencies:
Chair, Order of Elders; Board of Ordained Ministry Executive Committee; CLM registrar on the Baltimore Suburban DCOM

Other Organizations:
Teacher at the Pastors’ School in Zimbabwe in 2015 and 2017

I am led by the Holy Spirit to be a part of shaping the future of our denomination as my primary calling within ministry is to be a reformer. I am not aligned with any caucus or special interest group, so I speak out of deep prayer and discernment without any heed for strategy and the body politic. The United Methodist Church (WV in BWC) is the church of my baptism and I know no other spiritual home. I have served most of my nearly 18 years in pastoral ministry in small membership, rural churches, so I bring a concern for the geographic margins of our conference coupled with an understanding of our urban settings from studying at American University as an undergraduate and grad student before the ministry.

 

028 Rev. Sarah Andrews Schlieckert

Calvary UMC, Waldorf

2016 Jurisdictional delegate and alternate to the 2019 Special General Conference session

Conference Agencies:
Since 2012, member of the Board of Ordained Ministry, served as chair of the Frederick DCOM and now serve as chair of the Exam; Arrangements Committee (2009 to 2018); Commission on the Status and Role of Women (2008-2009); Frederick Hispanic/Latino Ministry Advisory Board (2008-2010); Annual Conference Worship Design Team (2007-2008); Co-chair of Clergywomen’s Strategy Subcommittee (2005-2007)

I have been honored to serve my entire ministry in the BWC, a community which has nurtured me and challenged me to grow both as a pastor and as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I will seek to listen earnestly and continue in open dialogue with all laity and clergy in our conference. My service on the Board of Ordained Ministry has helped me to gain a broad understanding of and experience with all the persons and ministry settings which make up our annual conference. I will continue to work for full inclusion of all persons in the life of the church, especially our LGBTQIA+ siblings, persons of color, and those of differing abilities. I would again come with a commitment to keep my mind and heart open to learn, process and lead in new ways as God guides me and the entire delegation.

 

029 Rev. Scott Dale Shumaker

Parkton Cooperative Parish

Conference Agencies:
Board of Ordained Ministry 2008 to present; Positions Held — Chair of Biblical Skills Committee 2010-2016; Provisional Member Registrar 2016 to present; Ordination Coordinator 2016 to present; Baltimore Suburban District Committee on Ministry 2012 to present; Secretary 2014 to present

Other Organizations:
Boy Scouts of America — Cub Scout Master

As a lifelong member of The United Methodist Church, the decisions of the 2019 Special General Conference were painful on many different levels and have only heighted the divisions that continue to be displayed within our churches. As an ordained Elder, I have served in small membership churches for the past 20 years. There are those who desire to leave, those who desire to resist and those who desire to find a place in-between. I am a firm believer in the Via Media {a middle way). As a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry, I have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit as we have worked together from our various perspectives and believe that this same type of collaboration is possible at General Conference. I am seeking to be a Delegate so that I might bring this sense of collaboration to the upcoming General Conference in 2020.

 

030 Rev. Stephen Andrew Tillett

Asbury Broadneck UMC, Annapolis

Conference Agencies:
Advocacy and Action Board; Board of Ordained Ministry; Baltimore West District Committee on Ministry; Dean of the Order of Elders

Other Organizations:
Strategy team and founding member of ACT (Anne Arundel Connecting Together); past president Anne Arundel County Branch NAACP; Author of “Stop Falling for the Okeydoke: How the Lie of ‘Race’ Continues to Undermine Our Country (2017); chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) US Air Force; past president Annapolis Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (AIMA); past member of IAF affiliates BUILD in Baltimore and WIN in Washington, D.C.

I seek to represent the BWC as a GC Delegate because I am keenly aware of the political complexities and the emotional considerations to the potential schism of our beloved UMC. While I hope for a reconciliation of the various factions, I will not approach the GC, nor the related discussions with an attitude of genuflection or fear. Either we will reconcile or we will not. But we must get back to The Main Thing: making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Every moment we take away from building and enhancing the Lord’s kingdom is time and opportunity lost to tell a dying world about our living savior. I am unafraid, either to speak hard truths or to do the hard work, of becoming/remaining truly united. I am equally unafraid of new beginnings, if I will not be welcome or respected in the current setting.

 

031 Rev. Eliezer Valentín Castañón

Trinity UMC, Frederick

Conference Agencies:
Board of Ordained Ministry; District Committee on Ordained Ministry (Central Maryland and Frederick districts); Committee on Church and Society; Committee on Hispanic/Latino Ministry (chair 2008-2017); Advocacy and Action Ministry; New York Annual Conference Ministry to Ministers Program; conflict resolution team

General Church Agencies:
From 1994-2005, staff at the General Board of Church and Society; from 2005-2010, Associate General Secretary at the General Commission of Religion and Race

Other Organizations:
The National Council of Churches of Christ; NEJ Global Structure Task Force; chair of the Hispanic Staff Forum of the UMC; NAACP; Board of Directors of the Center for New Community; founding member and vice-president of the “Sociedad Wesleyana”; MARCHA, the UMC National Hispanic caucus

I believe that serving as delegate to the GC is an honor of great responsibility. As a man of faith who has personally experienced living in the margins of society because of both my ethnic origin and socio-economic background, I believe that I can bring a different perspective to the conversation about who we are, and where we are going as God’s people. I have spent years working to bring harmony and connectivity everywhere I serve. Notwithstanding our present challenges, I believe that the unity of the Church is central to our identity as an expression of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that is not based on sameness but in unity for the proclamation of the Good News that Jesus proclaimed. I believe that as UM’s we are called to witness and sustain the unity of the Church because it is God’s design for the Kingdom of God.

 

032 Rev. Timothy B. Warner

Mill Creek Parish UMC

2000 General and Jurisdictional Delegate

Conference Agencies:
Associate Council Director for Community and Economic Development (1998-2005); frequent workshop leader for UMW and Leadership Days; currently serve on Camping and Retreat Ministries Vision Team; co-founder Greater Gaithersburg Youth Ministry

Other Organizations:
Appalachian Service Project; Group Ministries Workcamp

Our church needs leaders who are relationally connected with others to discern a trajectory for the church that makes it relevant in communities, leaves its members whole as people and disciples of Christ, and is grounded in a theology that is not dominated by the politics of power.

 

033 Rev. Julie Marie Wilson

Calvary UMC, Frederick

Conference Agencies:
BWC Board of Church and Society (2012-2018); chair of Church and Society (2016-2018); Frederick District Hispanic Latino Advisory Board (2017); NEW Immigration Task Force (2017-present); BWC’s Climate Justice Team (2018-present); NEJ Call to Action Racial Justice team (2017-present)

General Agencies:
Employed by the General Board of Church and Society (2011-2013)

Other Organizations:
Board of Second Street and Hope, which serves Frederick’s poor (2017-present); WV/MD CREDO Community; BWARM

I find great value in the diversity of the connectional church. I appreciate the variety of viewpoints that we each approach our faith with due to the varied contexts we come from. However, we also all share certain elements of our faith and values in common. The work of the General Conference is to find the best combination of what works in the context of the global church while still preserving the essence of United Methodism and who we are as a people called Methodists. I believe that I have been called and have gifts which qualify me to be a part of the team which engages in this important work in 2020 with our siblings from around the globe.

 

034 Rev. Leo Yates

As a Deacon, serve as a licensed therapist and behavioral health specialist with the Division of Rehabilitation Services and Magothy UMC of the Deaf

Conference Agencies:
Commission on Disability Concerns (2013-2018); Seeds of Security committee (2018 - present); Arrangements Committee for Annual Conference (2014- Present)

General Church Agencies:
Global Ministries’ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries Committee (2014-present); Consultant on Deaf Ministry for Global Ministries (2016-present)

Other Organizations:
Liaison member with United Methodist Congress of the Deaf, the national DisAbility Ministries Committee; BWARM; United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities caucus; appointed by Maryland Governor Hogan to the Board of Trustees for the Maryland School for the Deaf

In my work as a deacon, I have compassion and frequently advocate for persons who are marginalized or underserved. For instance: persons with disabilities (differing abilities), Deaf and hard of hearing persons, those who are blind and visually impaired, those with mobility issues, older adults, persons with mental health or substance use disorders, and others. These persons are often overlooked or neglected in many of our churches. If we do not have a disability yet, then we are temporarily abled, as we will likely develop one as we age. As a caregiver for my elderly father, I see his ailments/needs and those in the church. This vital work needs a voice/vote at both General Conference and at the NEJ Conference. We need delegates committed to these. I hope to further advocate by raising awareness, and prayerfully, encourage sensitivity to these issues among individuals, churches, annual conferences, and across our denomination.

 

001 Michelle R. Baker

Oakdale Emory UMC, Olney

Local Church Committees:
Worship, Finance Chair

I have been involved at the leadership level of the local church since 1993, as I am married to an ordained UMC pastor. I love our Wesleyan traditions and desire to help all of us stay true to our roots as we share the Gospel in new and exciting ways. I desire for our churches to be vibrant and alive as we engage all people in our varying cultures. As the leadership of our denomination meets, I want to have an impact on setting direction, culture and a paradigm that will continue to lead us into the most loving and inviting people and churches that we can be. I want to help The United Methodist Church live out the Great Commission in a way that invites all to meet our Amazing God!

 

002 Megan Blizzard

Westminster UMC, Westminster

Local Church Committees:
Lay leader; Certified Lay Speaker; chair of Staff-Parish Relations and Nominations committees; member of Board of Trustees and Finance Committee; chair worship design committees; worship leader; and organized Bible studies and other small groups

Conference Committees:
Conference Young Adult Council for three years, currently serving as chair; Young People’s Ministry Board; lay member to Annual Conference for eight years

Other Organizations:
B-WARM steering committee; through my job, I work with agencies including Human Services Project and Youth Services Bureau to connect youth with housing, job-training, employment and other services

As I watched the livestream of General Conference 2019, it struck me how few young adults I saw there. In fact, only 7 percent of the delegates were under 35. Young people are vastly under-represented in our church, and as a young adult candidate for ministry, I seek to change that. I want to give us more of a voice and make our presence known. I was disheartened by the contentiousness I watched at General Conference and how little room was left for the movement of the Holy Spirit. As I prayed for our church I felt called to participate in General Conference because I feel our church needs people who respect and love one another as children of God, understand our church polity, bring diverse voices to the table, represent a younger generation of our church leadership, and, most importantly make room for God to guide us forward.

 

003 Daniel Colbert

Silver Spring UMC, Silver Spring

Local Church Committees:
4C Exploratory Committee on church properties (2018-present); Worship Committee (2014-2015); founding member and chair of ad hoc lay committee on inclusion/welcoming (2011-2012); at the University of Virginia served on the Wesley Foundation mission trip planning committee (2007); at First UMC in Pensacola, Fla., Youth Group president (2004-2005)

As a young adult, I care deeply about the future of the UMC — a future I believe must embody the diversity and radical inclusivity of the kin-dom of God. I've been a member of the UMC for essentially my entire life, not only in the BWC but also in the Alabama-West Florida and North Georgia conferences. I want to raise my children in the same nurturing church environment I experienced. Young people who feel passionately that our church must become truly inclusive should be represented at General Conference. I feel called to be their voice. My profession as an attorney gives me an understanding of legislation that will help me be an effective delegate. I also believe my familiarity with diverse conferences will enable me to work with the other delegates to build a stronger future for all members of our denomination.

 

004 Tracy Collins

Foundry UMC, Washington, D.C.

Church Committees:
Lay Member to Annual Conference (2013-present); Staff-Parish Relations Committee (2013-2016); Personnel Committee (2015-present); Foundry Church Management Board; Lay Leader

Other Organizations:
Foundry Social Justice Ministry teams including Sandwich 1000; Saturday Morning Cooking Ministry, Concert for Life Planning Committee, LGBTQ Inclusion Advocacy Ministry Team; Board of Directors of Boys Town Washington D.C.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference is a paragon of diversity and inclusion in The United Methodist Church, with few peers across our Connection. As a delegate from this venerable font of Wesleyan teaching in America, I feel called by the Creator of us all to the work of building bridges, mending the hurts, atoning for all oppression, seeking justice, and creating space for all Easter people to live into God’s loving and liberating peace! As a proud gay man of color, my life involves a continuing story of reflection, strategic involvement, faithful advocacy, and dedication of my prayers, presence, gifts and service to help make the laws and operational practices exercised on our jobs, in our communities, and in our churches, fair and just for gay and straight people, regardless of age, race, gender identity, nationality, socio-economic status or any of the other factors that serve to separate us from each other and from the love of God.

 

005 Amelia Duroska

North Bethesda UMC, Bethesda

Church Committees:
Chair, Church Council (2016-2018); Board of Trustees, two terms; Sunday School teacher; altar guild; participate in mission-related work

Conference Agencies:
Connectional Table

Other Organizations:
MSI Recreation League Girls Soccer Coach for five seasons

I believe that I have a strong and achievable vision for our United Methodist Church: a vision that will attract new, committed members to our Faith, including attracting younger members and followers of Jesus Christ. All moral, social, and economic problems in our society can be addressed through our Wesleyan heritage and the abiding truths of our social justice principles. We must be bold in proclaiming our social justice truths, stated in language and structure that resonates in the minds and hearts of women, men, and young people today.  People are searching for joy, hope, and connection in our times:  most self-help books borrow from Christian principles and thought. Infusing the love and hope of Jesus Christ could greatly reduce self-harm and suicide that are tragically on the rise.

 

006 Sarah Ford

Sharp Street Memorial UMC, Baltimore

Jurisdictional delegate 2016

Local Church Committees:
Chair of Finance and Staff-Parish Relations committees; member of Board of Trustees

Conference Committees:
Chair of Nominations Committee

Other Organizations:
I serve with the Baltimore Metropolitan District Lay Servant team that renders worship service at the Keswick Multi-Care Facility. I teach with an ecumenical Bible study group in my neighborhood to persons under court order for substance abuse

After much prayer, I feel God is calling me to continue what was started in 2016 and in St. Louis. I was a jurisdictional delegate and observed the hurt that transpired. I would like to be an agency for healing as well as bringing all of God’s United Methodist children together in the church. I will work diligently to ensure that I represent to the best of my ability.

 

007 John C. Hines Jr.

Mt. Zion UMC, Lothian

Church Committees:
Church Council Chairperson; Lay Leader; Lay Member to Annual Conference

Conference Agencies:
LGBT Dialogue Team (2005-2008)

As a life-long Methodist, I am sorry to see our Church suffering through these pangs of change. However, after 40+ years of Holy Conferencing, our discussions over scriptural interpretation have not resolved our differences. Both Progressives and Traditionalists hold onto differing core, fundamental beliefs that are not compromisable and, thus, irreconcilable. It is my heartfelt desire to see the pain, anguish, and constant struggles come to an end. Therefore, I will support those actions of General/Jurisdictional Conference that will create new and separate expressions of Methodism, providing better opportunities for all of my brothers and sisters in Christ to worship and serve as they feel lead by our Heavenly Father. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6

 

008 Chet Jechura

Foundry UMC, Washington, D.C.

Other Organizations:
Bread for the World – Communications Department

In 13 hours, over 15,000 young people, including myself, signed onto a statement of unity that was presented to the 2019 General Conference. The Holy Spirit inspired me to sign the statement and share it with my friends. It is the same Spirit that has now compelled me to be considered as a delegate to the 2020 General Conference. I believe that when we answer the Spirit’s call and are open to embrace the love of God that knows no limits, mighty things can happen that we never dreamt were possible. Only 7 percent of the seated delegates to the 2019 General Conference were young people under the age of 35. Young people have a lot of ideas about the future of the church. Please prayerfully elect young people to represent the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference at the 2020 General Conference and if it be me, then may it be so. Amen.

  

009 Nathan Jones

Epworth UMC, Cockeysville

Church Committees:
Youth representative on the ART Board; intergenerational mission team

Conference Agencies:
Treasurer, CCYM; ROCK Team; youth delegate to Leadership Board

Other Organizations:
Baltimore County Christian Workcamp; Goodwill Thanksgiving dinner

Over the past year, your churches, our conference and our denomination have gone through deep spiritual deliberation and meditation which culminated in the Special General Conference. As we move forward, countless decisions and changes will occur. As a youth, this applies to me more than ever as it will determine the future of the church I love. I feel God calling me to be a delegate to be able to provide a youth’s voice, a voice of the future, and a voice of unity to guide our churches, our conference, and our denomination in a way that will spread the love and message of Jesus Christ to everyone.

 

010 Heather H. Kraus

Severna Park UMC, Severna Park

Church Committees:
Staff-Parish Relations Committee (2000-2002), chair of Church Council (2019-2021), member Church Council, Finance and Worship committees, Lay Member to Annual Conference (2012-2014, 2016-2018)

Conference Agencies:
Annapolis District Superintendency Committee (2017-present)

Other Organizations:
I served as a mentor to women at Ordinance Road Detention Center through the Good News Prison Ministries program in 2010 through 2013. Led Disciple Bible Study classes and taught children’s Sunday School

The United Methodist Church has loved me, nurtured me and made me a better person by guiding me in an ever-evolving relationship with God and God’s children. I treasure the UM values, which encourage reliance on Scripture along with intellect, tradition and experience to meet God, accept the grace of God and grow in faith. I pray that I can use my voice to protect and strengthen our church as a place where ALL of God’ children are welcome, just as they are, and where we can lovingly learn from one another, even when we disagree on interpretation of Scripture. I pray that I can contribute to our Church’s eventual full inclusion of all humans, in all the beautiful ways God has made them.

 

011 Christie Latona

Emory UMC, Washington, D.C.

Alternate delegate in 2016 and 2019

Church Committees:
Church Council Chair; Lay Member to Annual Conference; Communications Chair; Experience chair and small group leader; as youth sang in the choir and served as secretary and VP for UMYF

Conference Agencies:
Director of Connectional Ministries; Grow Congregations Team

General Church Agencies:
Executive Committee of Path 1’s Board (2008-2016)

Other Organizations:
Northeastern Jurisdiction Vision Table (2016-present)

I am seeking to represent the BWC as a lay delegate because people asked me to do so and we are at a critical juncture in the life of the UMC. Over the past six years of serving the BWC, I have grown to understand and love the breadth, diversity, strengths and struggles of leaders, churches and faith communities in each region. I bring with me a passion for the Gospel, compassion for all God’s people and 28 years of leadership and organizational development experience (including 15 years serving as a consultant for various Annual Conferences and General Church agencies). These relationships and insights about the gifts and complexity of our connectional system allow me to see the impact and implications of legislation on leaders and congregations. I believe in the Christ-centered mission, values and theology of grace of The United Methodist Church and will work to honor these as part of the BWC delegation.

 

012 Melissa Lauber

National UMC, Washington, D.C.

2012 General Conference Delegate
2008 and 2016 General Conference Alternate

Conference Agencies:
As the Conference Director of Communications, I serve on the Commission on Communications, Discipleship Council, Council on Finance and Administration, Sessions and Arrangements committees, Connectional Table and the Conference Executive Team

General Church Agencies:
General Commission on Communications – 2 quadrennia; one quadrennia as a member of the executive board

The United Methodist Church stands at a threshold. I would like to offer my 25 years of experience with the Baltimore-Washington Conference to help craft the identity of the church as it continues to unfold. As the Conference Director of Communications, I have told the stories of thousands of United Methodists living out their faith. From these narratives I have learned that the church is at its best when it rejects the tyranny of the “or” and embraces the possibilities of the “and.” We are a people of social action and vital piety. I would like to serve as a delegate to ensure that this is the story United Methodists will continue to tell the world. As the church stands on this edge of possibility, I offer my hope, wisdom and profound belief in grace as we move forward, grounded in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

 

013 Sharon Milton

Emory Fellowship UMC, Washington, D.C.

Church Committees:
Youth Director, Evangelism and Outreach Ministry, Worship Team, Returning Citizen Ministry, Christian Education, Mission team, Church Council, four times Lay Member to Annual Conference

Conference Agencies:
Leader for Greater Washington District on BWC Youth Ministry; taught various workshops at Leadership Days; Dean, UMW Mission u Youth School (2019); Zimbabwe Pastors’ School teacher (2013, 2015, 2017)

Other Organizations:
Several VIM trips, volunteered at various prisons, shelters and community center; Anti-Gun Violence task force of Greater Washington District, March 4 Our Live Rally

After prayers and discernment, I am seeking to represent the BWC because I believe I will be a great asset to the team and help make decisions in the best interest of all. I would like to be a united voice for my conference and learn more about The United Methodist Church in the process. I’m able to commit, stay focus and complete the task. In a time when our denomination seems separated, I believe I can be a new voice at the table uniting us as one. I am able to have holy conferencing, listening and voicing my opinion and, if there is a disagreement, it will be done in love. I do believe God has equipped and is calling me to work with the team for the task and the great work to be done.

 

014 Charles E. Moore, Jr.

Community UMC, Crofton

2012 and 2016 General Conference Delegate

Church Committees:
VIM Team Leader to Zimbabwe since 2001; Currently vice chair of Finance Committee; Previous Chair of Ad Council, Finance and Stewardship committees

Conference Agencies:
Currently serving on Council of Finance and Administration (previously served as President for 5 years) and the CFA Budget Committee, and the Episcopacy Committee; previously served on several task forces relating to apportionments and the covenant relationship with The Board of Child Care, the Hope Fund Committee, the Imagine No Malaria Planning Committee, and the Love Offering Committee for Bishop Matthew’s retirement

General Church Agencies:
Currently serving on the Board of Directors of Africa University (Chair of Finance Committee) and on The Board of Governors of Wesley Theological Seminary; GBHEM Investment Committee; previously served two terms on the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) where I chaired the General Agency and Episcopal Matters Committee

Other Organizations:
The Board of Trustees of McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) since 1993

My passion for the United Methodist " Connection" through "mission," higher education and financial management has been evidenced by my extensive involvement in our church at all levels. Through these various roles, I have developed a deep understanding and appreciation for how our denomination funds its various ministries and how we fulfill our global mission. I am consistent in my focus on enabling our denomination to provide the leadership and financial resources for the local church to fulfill its mission to serve God, serve ourselves and serve others. I feel I have fulfilled these various roles with compassion, integrity and accountability. I have been honored and humbled to serve as a Lay Delegate for the 2012 GC, the 2016 GC and the 2019 Special Session. I welcome the opportunity to serve again in this important capacity.

 

015 Kenneth Ow

North Bethesda UMC, Bethesda

2016 General Conference Delegate

Church Committees:
Church Council, chair, SPRC chair, Trustees chair, Worship Committee chair

Conference Agencies:
Ex Officio Member, Council on Finance and Administration; CFA Budget Committee.  Ex Officio Member, NEJ CFA; previously: Board of Global Ministries

General Church Agencies:
Board Member, General Council on Finance and Administration; Member, GCFA Committee on Legal Responsibilities and Corporate Governance

Other Organizations:
Montgomery County Community Emergency Response Team Volunteer (2006-present):  Logistics Coordinator, 2007-2018; Federally Certified Instructor (2007-present).
AARP Driver Safety Volunteer (2014-current): Instructor (2014-present); MD State Tech Advisor (2015-present); CarFit Technician (2015-present); CarFit Event Coordinator (2016-present); Smart DriverTEK Workshop Presenter (2018-present)

Our General Conference work from this quadrennium is far from finished, and much harm has been done! I feel uniquely qualified to continue through the next four years given my experience and knowledge acquired during the current four years. After the proceedings in St. Louis, we have a couple of choices — fight or flight. Stay and continue our work or leave the denomination. I choose to stay and fight! I long for the day when we no longer need to identify ourselves as Reconciling Congregations; that UMC is synonymous with Reconciled! As a parent and grandparent, I am acutely aware of how the denomination is losing youth and young adults to the category “NONE” under church affiliation. Our focus needs to grow beyond church in the 1950s to remain relevant. We need to be attuned to the ministerial needs of the 21st century, 2020 and beyond.

 

016 Lutebula Danny Pembamoto

Hiss UMC, Parkville

Church Committees:
Trustee, Church Council, SPRC, Worship, Finance, Vacation Bible School and VIM team leader

Other Organizations:
Baltimore County Disaster Relief in Catonsville

Over the years, I have attended multiple training sessions and I learned much about my church. I participated at different occasions on very important issues and decisions which have impacted my church, such as church leader elections and supporting new clergy and Conference staff. I dedicated and continue to dedicate my time to my serve my Lord in so many ways. Today, I express my interest in becoming a lay voting member for the next 2020 General Conference because I would to expend my ability to serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the global, regional and local levels in the years ahead, on behalf of the BWC, where important decisions are made and actions are taken to change the course of The United Methodist Church. I would like to be part of this Body of Christ that will shape and define the future of our church.

 

017 Philip H. Potter

National UMC/Metropolitan Memorial UMC

Church Committees:
Chairman, Church Council; Finance Committee; Praising/Worship Committee; Merger Task Force/Trustees; Chair, Foundation Board of Trustees

Conference Agencies:
Chair, Council on Finance and Administration; Chair of Budget Committee; Connectional Giving Committee

Other Organizations:
President of Palisades Village, a Washington non-profit that organizes volunteers and funds efforts to assist seniors to remain in their homes and live both safely and maintain their social contacts in their neighborhood

The Special Session left our denomination polarized with dueling sets of beliefs and now risks schism. We cannot remain where we are. We must try to heal the pain and hurt caused for many of our members and not repeat it in 2020. During my career over 40 years as a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, I worked primarily on issues so contentious that they appeared to have no solution through the government process. Resolution was often found by acting as an honest broker, listening and discerning the core beliefs and goals of each of the stakeholders and opponents, then developing an approach with them that respected those beliefs. Methodists are charged to live like Jesus, and I believe that is our path forward on this. I believe we also need a financially viable resolution. I am retired and have ample time to be an informed and active delegate.

 

018 Mittie Theobold Quinn

Dumbarton UMC, Georgetown

2016 NEJ Alternate

Church Committees:
Currently co-chair of Worship Committee and de facto member of the Church Council; Past offices include chair of: Membership, Nominating, Education, Fellowship, Church Council, Staff Parish, and lay member to Annual Conference   

Conference Agencies:
Chair (formerly) and current member of BWC Commission on Communications; past – served on COSROW

General Church Agencies:
At large Member of the Northeast Jurisdictional Committee on Ministry (“NEJ BOOM”)

Other Organizations:
Member of Methodist Federation for Social Action; Past chair of Baltimore Washington Area Reconciling United Methodists (BWARM) and current Affirmation/Outreach coordinator

I am a “cradle” Methodist – and old enough to remember when we became The United Methodist Church. I have been a member to two different Annual Conferences (Upper New York and BWC) and am both proud and amazed by the work that our church does spreading the Good News and seeking to create the kindom of God on earth. I want to be part of our moving forward as the diverse and spirit-filled organization that we have been for the past 200+ years. Our denomination is at a critical juncture in its history and there is much work needed to continue our biblical charge to go and make disciples for Jesus Christ. I believe that work requires that ALL of God’s Children be welcome at the Table of Grace – and that NO ONE is “incompatible” at God’s Table.

  

019 Chris Schlieckert

Calvary UMC, Waldorf

Jurisdictional delegate in 2012 and 2016.
Attended General Conference 2012, 2016, and 2019 as an alternate

Church Committees:
I do not currently serve on any local church committees, but as a clergy spouse I am actively involved in a variety of aspects of the local church

Conference Agencies:
I am the Baltimore-Washington Conference’s Director of Retreat & Camping Ministries and the Director of The West River Center. I am a member of the BWC Call to Action Steering Committee

Other Organizations:
I have served as a local church youth leader, confirmation mentor, and on contemporary worship teams doing technology. I am Red Cross trainer and teaching lifeguarding and First Aid/CPR courses. I began Mission Manidokan which has worked with numerous service organizations and raised more than $22,000

As director of BWC Retreat & Camping Ministries and clergy spouse, I offer a unique perspective on the ministry of the church because I know the challenges of both leading a ministry and sitting in the pew. This gives me a depth of knowledge to help the UMC seize the opportunities before it and overcome obstacles which prevent us from fully living out God’s call. I was honored to serve as a delegate and alternate in 2012, 2016 and 2019. As father of two young daughters, I want to ensure the UMC is thriving and able to help them and all people develop their relationship with Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It is important to me that all God’s children are valued and included as we seek to genuinely live in Christian community. It would be an honor to continue to serve the BWC as a delegate.

 

020 Jennifer Shepheard

Otterbein UMC, Hagerstown

Church Committees:
Church Council, Communications intern (summer 2018) Praise band, teach middle and high school Sunday School

General Church Agencies:
General Board of Global Ministries as a Global Justice Volunteer in Nicaragua in 2016 and Zambia in 2018

Other Organizations:
Attended the Young People’s Conference in 2018 through the Global Mission Fellow Program

The United Methodist Church, like the current world, has become polarized, especially over many issues relating to people’s core beliefs. Although I have my own set of beliefs, my experiences both in the rural areas of the Baltimore-Washington Conference and abroad allow me to have a unique perspective that allows for finding common ground and cooperatively working to find solutions that will benefit all people involved in The United Methodist Church. As a passionate young adult, I hope to not only represent the youth and young adults at General Conference but to be able to put the beliefs of the Cumberland-Hagerstown District and the Baltimore-Washington Conference into the context of the global United Methodist church.

 

021 Matthew “Matt” S. Sichel

Wesley UMC, Hampstead

Reserve Jurisdictional Conference Delegate 2016 and Special Session in 2019

Church Committees:
Chair and Member at Large, Administrative Council; Member at Large, Outreach Committee; Church Historian; Sunday School Teacher; Member at Large, Building Committee; Certified Lay Servant since 2004

Other Organizations:
Eagle Scout

I consider it an honor, blessing and privilege to have served the BWC as a lay delegate in 2016 and 2019. I have learned to be a better listener, how to be more careful in constructing my opinions and views, and the value of trying to find common ground. The work before the General Conference is sacred. I would be a faithful delegate, committed to the work of finding God's future for The United Methodist Church. Those who have worked with me know that while I openly share my opinions and convictions, I am committed to listening, learning and growing in my service for Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ rescued me, and my only goal in life is sharing his love and mercy with every person I know and meet. I pledge to make Christ the center of all the work I do if elected to the delegation.

 

022 Cynthia Taylor

Mount Olive UMC, Randallstown

Delegate General Conference 2016 including 2019 Special Session

Church Committees:
Currently serve on Church Leadership Council; Youth Group Leader; UMW Charity Circle and Loaves and Fishes; served on Church and Society (chair); Discipleship Ministries (chair); VBS (chair); Sunday School teacher; Church Council; Service Ministries (chair); UMW (unit officer); Bible Study leader including Discipleship I and II

Conference Agencies:
Currently serving as Conference Secretary. Served as Church and Society District Linking Person; District Council on Ministries; Hope in the City; Chair of the Discipleship Council; Rules Committee (as Discipleship Council Chair and Conf. Secretary); Nominations, Sessions and Arrangements Committee (part of Conference Secretary duties); member of special budget committee on CFA; UMW Conference representative to the Appalachian Ministry Network.

General Church Agencies:
Resources Committee of General Board of Discipleship

Other Organizations:
Chair, Susanna Wesley House; Vice Chair, Night of Peace Family Shelter at Salem United Methodist Church; Chair, Baltimore County Department of Social Service Advisory Committee; Board member of Baltimore County Communities for the Homeless, Girl Scout Leader and Community Director

God equipped me with the ability to work with diverse people respectfully and effectively. In 2016, my first year as a delegate, I was on the Discipleship Legislative Committee. In subcommittee, I helped facilitate listening in a deeper way. I helped our group realize that while we were all United Methodists, we came from very different cultures and experiences and that “one size did not fit all” regarding changes to the Book of Discipline. A Native American Caucus observer asked me to present an item at plenary for removal from the consent agenda because of statements I made in committee regarding one of their resolutions. My competence in working cross-culturally and my mediation skills will be an asset to our delegation. As a youth leader, I bring an awareness of young people’s interests and concerns.

  

023 Richard B. WilLson

John Wesley UMC, Hagerstown

2016 Alternate to Jurisdictional

Church Committees:
I am currently serving on Administrative Council and SPRC, serving as secretary on both bodies. Previously I have chaired Evangelism and have served on Missions, Leadership Development and Trustees

Conference Agencies:
I am currently serving on the Board of Ordained Ministries, serving as chair of the License to Preach School, and a member of the Residence in Ministry Committee. As the Cumberland/Hagerstown District Lay Leader, I sit on the Conference Connectional Table, the Board of Laity and Nominations. I also serve on the District Committee on Ministry and the District Lay Servant Committee

Other Organizations:
Board of REACH of Washington County, the Government Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Co-President of the Maryland League of Women Voters

I am looking for ways to strengthen the church by focusing on what we hold in common.  To do this I will employ my training and skills as a listener and consensus builder. This has been my role in my local church and in my professional career. At the same time, I am a passionate advocate for social justice. I know the Lord is not done with me, or with our church.

 

024 Greg Witte

Cedar Grove UMC, Deale

Church Committees:
Currently serving as Lay Leader and previously serving two terms on SPRC, including a term as chairperson. Much of my focus at Cedar Grove is on teaching, especially supporting the youth; also, a member of the praise team

Conference Agencies:
Conference, district, and local church United Methodist Men; from 2010 through 2018, was the Annapolis District UMM president

Other Organizations:
Volunteer leader of ISACA, a computer security membership association, which serves 140,000 professionals in 180 countries

I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness but learned of true religion when my aunt snuck me into MYF events and UMC services. That mixed upbringing taught me to never be ashamed of the Gospel — I was speaking publicly about the Bible from the day I could talk. Ironically, that history taught me to test every word like a Berean, listening to all sides and seeking to discern God’s will. At work, I’ve served the U.S. government for 30 years, 15 at the State Department, gaining expertise in formal procedure and oral/written communications, with emphasis on diplomacy, and authorship that was commended by President Obama. As an observer at GC2019, I learned firsthand the importance of each vote. As one who feels led by the Holy Spirit, having come to love and serve every corner of the conference through UMM, I feel humbly called to serve in this important delegate capacity.