AN District News.....UMC Buzz...... May 17, 2018
Prayers of the People
The Rev. J. William "Bill" Talbott, a retired Elder, died at his home in Delray Beach, Fla., March 26. A memorial service will be held May 23, at 4 p.m. at Back River UMC, 544 Back River Neck Road in Essex. Condolences may be sent to Joanne Talbott, 220 NW 7th St., Delray Beach, FL. He was a member of the Florida Conference, but served in the BWC from 1962-1979.
Margaret D. Williams, 76, the wife of the Rev. Maceo Williams, died May 3. A funeral service was held May 12 at Union Memorial UMC in Baltimore.
Congratulations to the Revs. Melissa and John Rudolph on the birth of their seventh child, John Bentley Rudolph Jr., born May 9. Both mother and child are doing great. Send notes to , and .
We continue to pray for Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, the BWC Cabinet, and pastors and churches receiving news of new appointments this time of year. See a list of new appointments here.
Annual Conference (AC) Registration Questions -- Numerous folks have contact me concerning their AC registration but all of that is being handled by Darlene Washington, Registrar, 2018 Annual Conference Registration Office, 1.800.492.2525 ext.498 and direct line: 410.309.3498; e-mail: If you get her voice mail she will return your call.
- AC Mission Opportunity: Back on My Feet. This national organization combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources.
- Connectional run— Come out and run/walk with the homeless of Baltimore. Thursday and Friday mornings of Annual Conference, from 5:30 to 7 am, there will be one, two, or three-mile routes available around Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
- Donate Your Shoes— Bring your gently used shoes to recycle to your SoleMate! Back on My Feet accepts all types of wearable pairs of men’s, women’s and kids shoes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Don’t want to haul your dozens of shoes to Annual Conference? See the attached flyer with approved drop-off sites in the Western Region where you can Drop off your donations.
- Credential -- ALL credentials were sent out in early May to the email address on your record. See below for sample email.* Please check your JUNK or CLUTTER folders if it didn’t come into your IN BOX. This may mean your email has changed so you should log into Arena and check the address listed. If you still can’t find it, blank forms** can be downloaded, completed and brought to AC if you can’t find the email.
- All CLERGY and lay members to Annual Conferencemust complete and present a credential form in order to receive their voting unit when they check-in. Download BLANK Clergy Credential Form (PDF)**
- LAITY -- your pastor must sign the credential form before you arrival at AC to be considered complete. It is very difficult to track them do for their signature at the event! Download BLANK Laity Credential Form (PDF)**
NOTE: In an effort to make sure the information in the Conference Database and Journal is correct we sent these forms to ALL individuals even those who are NOT planning to attend AC. This includes voting and non-voting clergy/pastors, Lay Members to Annual Conference and Lay Members at Large.
So even if you are not attending AC please review the information on the pre-printed attachment that was emailed to you. Please handwrite corrections on your form and give them to your church administrator/pastor to email to me or going into your account in Arena.
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Download the BWC App -- To get the most out of your experience at AC before you leave home download the UMC Meet app from the Apple or Google Play stores; to search for the official mobile application, type in “umcmeet” [not case sensitive]. Instructions to download the app are attached. This app will give you access to Annual Conference schedules, maps, real-time updates, important documents and more on your phone or tablet. I found the map and agenda very helpful last year. You can be your own Highlighter! |
- Pre-Conference Materials --If you didn’t make it to the Pre-Conference meetings, we posted all pre-conference materials on the BWC website. Before attending AC, members are asked to familiarize themselves with the proposed budget and the resolutions, since they will voted on at AC. You may either download the material to your phone or tablet or print a copy and bring it with you.
- First-time Lay Members to AC --- This event can be a little over-whelming if this is your first time attending but never fear there are lots of resources available BUT check them out BEFORE you get to AC:
- Lay Member to AC Job Description(attached) -- The entire job description from the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) is attached. More job descriptions can be found at that link too.
- Annual Conference Primer– This is a great overview of the event and gives you tips of what to report back to your church AFTER attending AC. Be sure to read it before attending – click here to download.
- Dailies Newspaper -- Make sure to pick up a “Dailies” newspaper early each day. They list daily schedule and other pertinent information but they go fast so make sure to get one.
- Annual Conference Laity Report Form (attached) -- One of the assignments for the Lay Member to AC based on the BOD ¶251.2 is to … “Report to the congregation in the week following the annual conference session and to the church council at its next meeting after the close of the conference session. The Discipline states that the report to the church council must be within three months of the close of the session.“
I attached a Word document template to give you some guidelines in preparing your report as well as what to watch for at AC. Feel free to edit it as you see fit. Many more resources can be found on the BWC website.
- AC Overview –Following Annual Conference, a press release is posted on the website containing details about petitions that passed and other highlights from 2018 AC BUT this is not posted until AFTER the event.
* SAMPLE EMAIL WITH PERSONALIZED CREDITALS FORM ATTACHED .
From: Baltimore-Washington Conference [mailto:noreply@mail132-30.atl131.mandrillapp.com]On Behalf Of no reply
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2018 2:09 PM
To: David Schoeller < >
Subject: IMPORTANT: BWC Annual Conference Credential/Attendance Form
[Please do not reply – this message sent from an un-monitored mailbox]
Grace and peace to you,
We have attached a credential/attendance certification form for the 2018 Annual Conference. This year we are doing things a little differently so please take a second to review this message.
We are sending these forms to all individuals who may be attending conference regardless of their current conference registration status. This includes voting and non-voting clergy/pastors, Lay Members to Annual Conference and Lay Members at Large.
To improve the quality of the data maintained in our conference database and Journal, the attached form has been pre-printed with your information. Please review the information and make corrections if needed. Corrections can be made by hand writing them on your form or going into your account in Arena.
If you are attending Annual Conference, bring the signed completed form with you to the registration/check-in area indicated in bright yellow at the top of the form. Lay Members to Annual Conference must have their form signed by their pastor. As always, credential forms are required to receive clergy/pastor/lay member identification ribbons, voting privileges and voting equipment.
Please visit our Annual Conference page for event/registration information and/or contact your District Administrator if you have general questions.
We look forward to our time together at Annual Conference.
New CLM Class applications now being accepted
Applications for the Certified Lay Minister Class of 2018-2020 are now being accepted. Learn more. Prospective CLM students must consult with their pastor before beginning the process. The website contains information to be shared with your pastor and information about steps and deadlines that must be taken before you can register for the first class. This application process includes meeting with the pastor, the local SPRC, and the district superintendent before July 1. The next step will start in September and is a two-year commitment.
Fund Balance Reports
Local Church Fund Balance Report (Audit): Word | PDF | Excel
This audit needs to be in your District Superintendent’s office by June 30. If you need further assistance, please
.
Southern Region Baseball Game Day
Our District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Evan Young, invites the Southern Region/Annapolis District to the Bowie Baysox Stadium on Friday night, June 15, to enjoy a Bowie Baysox baseball game, and to fellowship with each other in a great, fun way.
Food items include: Grilled All-Beef Hamburgers, Grilled All-Beef Hot Dogs, Pulled Chicken Barbeque, Sliced Tomato, Lettuce, Onion & Pickles, I will choose two of the four options as a side item: Homemade Italian Pasta Salad, Country Baked Beans, Fresh Farmer’s Slaw or Homemade Macaroni & Cheese PLUS Kettle Chips, Fresh Chilled Watermelon and Ice Cream Cups. The buffet opens at 6:35 PM, the game starts at 7:05 PM.
Tickets must be purchased through the BWC website. The price includes the game ticket and the picnic with Adult tickets priced at $30, and children under age 5 are priced at $10. The link to purchase tickets is: https://arenaweb.bwcumc.org/default.aspx?page=3452&event=3809. One person will be able to purchase as many tickets as needed for a group. All tickets must be purchased by June 1, 2018.
The address of the stadium is: 4101 Crain Hwy, Bowie, MD 20716
Any questions, please contact me at .
We look forward to this time of fellowship and entertainment.