2020 Annual Conference

 Laity Session, on Nov. 14, is open to all

Register here.

The Laity Session of Annual Conference has been expanded to include a Time for Equipping and Celebrating for the people of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. The session, which is free and open to all clergy and lay people, will be held online Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon.  

A special feature of the event will be an immersive experience by Fear+Less Dialogue, a grassroots organization committed to creating unique spaces for unlikely partners to engage in hard heartfelt conversations that see gifts in others, hear value in stories, and work for change and positive transformation in self and others. Participants will leave the session with renewed energy to value the strength and solidarity of an inclusive society that embraces all individuals. This portion of the session begins at 10 a.m.

 In addition to the time of equipping, the gathering will include:

  • A time of worship and welcome from BWC Lay Leader Delores Martin 
  • An address to BWC leaders by Bishop LaTrelle Easterling
  • Honoring the BWC's 11 new Certified Lay Ministers
  • Presentation of five awards to churches and individuals that honor outstanding discipleship. Learn more at  www.bwcumc.org/resources/grants-and-awards.

The event will be live-streamed, with the exception of the interactive conversation segment. This is why registration is required and limited. Registration is open.

Register here. 

From the Sept. 12 Session

In a Sept. 12 session that was hailed as historic, more than 1,330 clergy and lay people participated in the 236th session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, which was held online to ensure social distancing and wellbeing during this season of the coronavirus pandemic.

 See a video of the full plenary session and the Ordination and Commissioning Service.

At the session:

 Budget Passed: Conference members acknowledged the financial challenges COVID-19 is presenting to many local churches and approved a $17,700,253 budget for 2021 that reflects current stewardship realities. Members also heard a report from the Board of Pensions and voted to affirm the closing of seven churches. Read the story.  See a video of:

 Ordination Celebration: Eight people were ordained Elders and eight were commissioned as Provisional Members at a service where Bishop LaTrelle Easterling preached on acts of love and the real transformation that takes place "when the head and heart grasp the central message of the cross." Read the story.  See a video of Bishop Easterling’s sermon

 Ministry Spotlighted: The twin pandemics of the coronavirus and racism in our nation opened doors to a variety of new mission and ministry. Read how the BWC and local churches are "Going out in Mission." Read the story. See a video about the BWC in ministry.

 Addressing Racism: As the BWC devotes itself to ministries of anti-racism, the conference's delegation to General and Jurisdictional Conference has committed to "give voice, witness and action to the insidious acts and existence of racism that continue to infect the society and the church, our nation and the world, and to give impetus to fresh vision and ways of re-imagining a church structure, governance and way of existing in which all of God's people are treated fairly and justly, and are fully valued." Read the story.  See the video of the delegation's statement.

 See a video of the Board of Ordained Ministry report

See a Flickr album with photos from Annual Conference.   

Read A Closing Prayer by Rev. Tony Love

 Links from the session
 Ministry videos

The ministry videos show at Annual Conference  are posted in a playlist on the BWC's YouTube page.  They include: