Washington East District News & Updates 9_27_19
Church Conference News & Information
Previous FAQs: More information on the topics below can be found in the Training PowerPoint
- USE WORKSHEETS TO GATHER INFORMATION -- Use these worksheets to collect the necessary information you will need to complete the electronic forms in Arena. These are only worksheets and CANNOT be turned in at your church conference. These Word documents can be filled out digitally and then email them to the Church Administrator OR print them out, to be completed by hand.
Go to the Baltimore-Washington Conference Websiteand scroll down past Schedules and Agendas to Worksheets; download, enable editing and print out the ones you need. DO NOT print all of them; just the ones you need to complete. Give them to committees to collect the necessary information you will need to complete the electronic forms in Arena. Make sure to set a deadline for them to be back to you. - Annual Clergy Evaluations and Benefits -- information at the same place. Evaluations are until Dec. 1, 2019.
- SOME FORMS AUTO-POPULATE FROM 2018 -- Good news – some of last year’s forms “auto-populate” to this year’s reports. The forms in question are Accessibility, Trustees, Parsonage, Inactive Membership and all Lay Servant/Speaker/Minister Reports. To print out the report to be reviewed open the document and enter “TC” To Come – in the mandatory fields. Note: it will not let you submit it without something in ALL MANDATORY FIELDS. Select “In Progress” and hit SUBMIT. Now the report will show up under Progress so you can print it. Don’t forget to go back in and revise the “TC” answers.
- FORGOTTEN USERNAME OR PASSWORD --- To log into o Arena use the SAME username and password as last year. If you forgot both, make sure to retrieve the Username first; Once you have the Username go back and select Forgot Password. A temporary Password will be sent to the e-mail address in the Arena record. Make sure to write down both for future reference because you will need it when you register for events and to enter reports for Church Conference and Evaluations.
- PRINT CHURCH CONFERENCE FORMS FROM PDFS -- MOST IMPORTANT! – Make sure to Print the forms for the CC packet from the Church Conference landing page NOT from within the document. Printing this way makes the documents MUCH SHORTER. Ex from within the document a report is 17 pages but in the Print column it prints ONLY 10 pages.
- PRINT NOMINATIONS REPORT -- When you log in to Church’s Record there is a link that enables you to print the Nominations report.
Helpful Hints: Before you start, print out the CHURCH CONFERENCE CHECKLIST
- Log-in: https://arenaweb.bwcumc.org
- Click the blue button that reads “You are not logged in. Click here to log in.”
- Enter your Arena ID and password.
If you need to reset your password, please use the “Forgot Password” option. You will need your Arena login ID and the email address associated with your Arena account.
- REMEMBER -- Use ‘Church Conference Forms’ if you are logged in as the church and ‘My Conference Forms’ if you are logged in as yourself.
- Pastors and Church administrators should login with the CHURCH’s Arena account to access and monitor the completion of ALL required Church Conference forms.
- NOTE: All Lay Servant/Speaker/Minister Reports must be entered Arena. Handwritten copies will be returned to the submitter and Church Administrator/Pastor to be entered into the database. It appears that some information may auto-populate from last year’s report to the new one.
One on One Benefits Consultations for Annual Election
Are you prepared for Annual Elections? It is just around the corner, October 30 to November 14. Do you have questions about your pension?
Attention Active Clergy and lay employees, the BWC Benefits Office will spend an entire day in each of our eight districts to meet you where you serve. Tuesday, October 1, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm – Washington East District Good Shepherd UMC, 305 Smallwood Drive, Waldorf, MD 20601
Gatherings with Bishop LaTrelle Easterling 
Join Bishop Easterling at these gatherings in October:
• October 3—Bishop meets with the Order of Elders from 1:30-3 pm (Reisterstown UMC, 246 Main St., Reisterstown, MD)
• October 3—Bishop meets with the Order of Deacons from 6:30-8 pm (BWC Mission Center, 11711 E. Market Place, Fulton, MD)
• October 5—Bishop meets with Fellowship of Local Pastors at 9:30-11:30 am (Linden-Linthicum UMC, 12101 Linden Linthicum Ln., Clarksville, MD)
• October 15—Bishop’s Day on the Washington East District: Clergy at 2 pm & Laity at 6:30 pm. Location: Journey of Faith UMC, 2900 Smallwood Drive West, Waldorf, MD 20603
Living Your Call Summit
Learn more about the practical steps to consecrated, licensed or ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church at the Living Your Call Summit Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Mission Center. This event is designed for those experiencing a call to ministry and for pastors and church leaders who are assisting those discerning their call. The keynote speaker will be Chaplain Stephen Faller, author of "Christianity and the Art of Wheelchair Maintenance: A Dialectical Inquiry at the End of the World."
Fall Youth Worker
Training, Saturday, Oct. 12, at Asbury UMC in Arnold, 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Led by Kyndra Davis, this training will provide you with the basics of mental health, what it may look like, how it can affect you, how to manage it, as well as managing your own self-care amid caring for others. You will also learn information about the different populations that are affected and how to help. Cost: $10. Learn more and register. Registration closes Thursday, Oct. 10.
reCall Summit
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019 - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019
LOCATION: ST. MARY'S SEMINARY AND ECUMENICAL INSTITUTE, 5400 ROLAND AVENUE, BALTIMORE, MD US 21210
GROUP: STAFF
The reCall summit, which will be held Oct. 18 and 19, is a time of brave conversation as the church explores racial justice and reconciliation at St. Mary's Seminary and Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore.
EXPERIENCE PRIVILEGE, POWER AND POVERTY: A SOUNDTRACK IN FOUR MOVEMENTS
Movement #1
Intro
Fri., Oct. 18
1 - 5 p.m.
St. Mary's Seminary and Ecumenical Institute
Baltimore
Plenary with Dr. David Anderson Hooker and workshops
Movement #2
Chorus
Fri., Oct. 18
5 - 9 p.m.
St. Mary's Seminary and Ecumenical Institute
Worship and Keynote with David Anderson Hooker
Movement #3
Bridge
Sat., Oct. 19
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Plenary, Table Talks, Panel Discussion
Movement #4
Outro
September 2020
United to Love Baltimore
#BMoreProud
Downtown Baltimore
SUMMIT REGISTRATION - $99 per person
LODGING INFORMATION - Limited number of rooms are available at St. Mary's Seminary at a rate of $87.00 per night. Reservation information provided at registration.
You’re Invited to the DS Installation Service on Sunday, October 27, 2019
Please join Bishop LaTrelle Easterling and members of the Washington East District as we welcome Rev. Dr. Johnsie W. Cogman as our District Superintendent on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 3;00 pm at Westphalia UMC, 9363 D’Arcy Rd, Upper Marlboro, MD.
Click here to see invitation
Who Are We?
An Introspective Analysis of Head and Heart
As the church faces an uncertain future, churches in the Baltimore-Washington Conference are called to explore the heart of their faith with this 18-week resource on who we are as a people of God, as United Methodists, and as the people of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. This interactive resource can be used in a variety of ways in congregations.
Youth: Your voice matters! As the BWC seeks to create its Student Leadership Cohort program, we are seeking the input of high school students. High school students are invited to take this 90-second survey.
Leading Ideas: A Spiritual Approach to Community Assessment
Take a Risk This Stewardship Season From the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
Luke Edwards says we can explore our communities with the same spiritual practices that deepen our understanding of God's Word. He has adapted the practice of Lectio Divina as a tool for "reading" the neighborhood surrounding a church in a new, more prayerful way.
Looking Ahead
From Franchise to Local Dive: Multiplying Your Church by Discovering Your Contextual Flavor - Friday, November 8, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, BWC Mission Center, 11711 East Market Place, Fulton MD and Saturday, November 9, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, St. Matthews UMC, 14900 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD.
Jason Moore will lead a workshop to assist churches in learning to multiply ministry by starting a new worship service, new campus, or some other expression of faith. The cost is $35. Learn more.
Evaluations are due December 1st!
Each year United Methodist clergy and congregations are to engage in an assessment process for increased effectiveness. These evaluations—when done in a spirit of love and desire to align ministry and leaders more fully with God’s purposes—can be a powerful tool that helps everyone get (or stay) on the same page and work together toward excellence.
About the Evaluation Forms
Pastoral Ministry Evaluation & SPRC Appointment Advisory
This evaluation is completed for each pastor serving in the church by the SPRC based in part on performance goals set in the previous year.
» The Lewis Center for Church Leadership has developed some free resources that help SPRCs improve their own understanding and skills in giving feedback.
Connect Leadership Summit (formerly Leadership Days)
In 2019-2020 we have re-cast Leadership Days into two elements:
Teaching Tuesday Webinars for New Leaders: November 2019-January 2020
Training Tuesdays
Training Tuesdays is a new online training experience to inspire and equip local church leaders to connect more people with Jesus.
Using Zoom, leaders call in and connect from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to learn from an expert about their committee and its ministry. The calls are videotaped and can be accessed later online.
The Training Tuesdays sessions listed below replace the committee training previously offered at Leadership Days. This will prepare leaders to serve before they begin (or resume) leadership positions in January 2020.
November 5th: SPRC and Pastor
November 12th: Trustees
November 19th: Finance
November 26th: Church Council
December 3rd: Nominations
January 7th: Unified Board
How to participate:
- Register for one of the trainings to the left to obtain the meeting link.
Download ZOOM - After launching Zoom, click Join a Meeting or Sign In. To sign in, use your Zoom, Google, or Facebook account. If you don't have an account, click Sign Up Free.
- Refer to your registration confirmation email for a direct link to the training or for the meeting ID.
- You can choose to have video on or off, but make sure you DO connect audio so you can ask questions. You will have the ability to mute yourself /turn your video on/off during the training through the tools at the top of your screen after connecting.
- To ask questions, click on Participants at the top of your screen, then raise your hand. You may ask questions aloud or via the Chat tool at the top of your screen.
Additional help getting started with ZOOM
The Connect Leadership Summit for leader and congregational development at two times and in four locations: Baltimore Washington Region March 7 and Southern & Western Regions March 14, 2020. Check out our website for more details https://www.bwcumc.org/events/leadership-days/
Registration is now open for ROCK 2020, which will be held Feb. 7-9 at the convention center in Ocean City. Learn about this life-transforming event at www.bwcumc.org/rock.