Discipleship Opportunities

A federal Legislative Action Day will be held on Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Capitol Hill UMC in Washington, D.C. Participants will meet with members of Congress in the afternoon and advocate for Supporting the Call for a Ceasefire in Israel and Palestine and Prioritization of SNAP in the 2024 FARM Bill Reauthorization.    Learn more and register.

Building Beloved Relationships: The Baltimore-Washington Conference's Advocacy and Action Ministries invites you to join them for the Building Beloved Relationships Training Webinar Series led by K Scarry of the People's Supper. This series of four webinars will provide a pathway to leading amidst change and having brave conversations, along with time for further discussion so that you can best understand how to build beloved relationships within your congregations and wider communities. Each class begins at 7 p.m. and will have a unique Zoom login.

• September 12 | Let’s Talk About It -- How to have a conversation across political lines in your congregation
• September 26 | Let’s Talk About It -- How to have a conversation about gender/sexuality in your congregation
• October 10 | Let’s Talk About It -- How to have a conversation about race in your congregation 

Wellness and Missions

ASL Workshop: The Rev. Leo Yates will host a Deaf Ministry 101 workshop at Saint Mark UMC in Hanover on Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon in conjunction with Deaf Awareness Month. Register Here. See a flyer. Contact Rev. Leo Yates with any questions.

Applications for the BWC’s Quality of Life retreats for people living with HIV/AIDS, which will be held Sept. 12, and Dec. 9, are now online. Learn more and apply.

Young People's Ministry

 IGNITE is a new life-changing experience for youth, coming in March to Ocean City. Registration opens Sept. 15. See a video to learn more.

Youth will have a place to shine this fall at the IGNITE Bonfires -- Sept. 22 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Camp Manidokan; Oct. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at West River Center; and Oct. 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Camp Pecometh. Each event will have its own vibe, but all of them will light the sparks that lead to IGNITE, a youth conference in Ocean City, March 7-9, 2025. The bonfire at Camp Manidokan, near Harper's Ferry, will include the 75th-anniversary celebration of the camp; the West River Center bonfire in Churchton will include traditional camp activities, including the bungee trampoline and giant swing; and the Camp Pecometh bonfire in Centreville will feature a time of mission. The events will also include a worship experience and opportunities for fellowship and revival. Register today for the bonfire at Camp Manidokan or West River Center or at Camp Pecometh. 

New Faith Expressions

Season six of Training Tuesday, an online learning experience for United Methodists kicks off Oct. 8, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with the Rev. Micheal Beck, the denomination’s director of Fresh Expression, providing an introduction to Fresh Expressions and speaking on cultivating healing communities in everyday life. A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture. When these new kinds of faith communities commit to reaching new people, in new places, and in new ways, revitalization and communal transformation are taking place. Register. 

The Training Tuesday on Oct. 15 will feature the Revs. Chelsea Spyres and Lucinda Kent, who will focus on "Reimagining Outreach & Stewardship" as they share information on how you can start to build community partnerships, start to get to know your neighbors, and move towards creative modes for worship and building use. Register.

So You Want to Repurpose Church Property?  The event has been rescheduled. The new date is Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Emory UMC in Washington.  Repurposing church property effectively is more than just a real estate transaction to make more money. There are several elements required to see a successful effort come to pass. Join the Rev. Joe Daniels and leaders from Emory UMC in Washington, D.C., as they share their story of going from a part-time appointment and a congregation that was presumed dead to a revitalized congregation that facilitated the construction of a $60 million multi-use building project with 99 units of affordable housing.  Register.

Innovation Grants: Do you have an innovative and exciting idea for a New Faith Expression or new worship service? Do you have a plan for a new ministry that will help your congregation go to the “next level”? Are you developing a way to reach new people who are not yet a part of any church? The Baltimore-Washington Conference Congregational Development Grants, offered through the Unified Funding Task Force, can assist you with a grant to launch your new ministry initiative, congregational renewal project, leader development ministry, or to reach new people. The application period opens Sept. 3 and closes Oct. 1. Learn more and apply.

Level Up! -- The Susquehanna, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia annual conferences are sponsoring Level Up, a two-day learning experience designed to empower your ministry as you take your next steps in 2025 and beyond. The event will be Nov. 8-9 at Christ UMC 44 Highland Road in Bethel Park, PA, near Pittsburgh. Learn more and register. If you have questions, contact the Rev. Bill Brown.

Registration is now open for the second Fresh Expressions Academy, which launches in November. The year-long Academy will combine presentations, regular coaching, peer-to-peer discussions, immersion experiences, and an online group to help facilitate the cultivation of Fresh Expressions. It is designed to equip clergy and laity to innovate and take risks to engage people who are not yet part of a faith community.

 Important Dates Include:
Gather: Nov. 2 -- The opening training day provides an overview of Fresh Expressions and the blended ecology.
Grow: Feb. 27 to March1 - Together, we will travel to the The FXUMC National Gathering 2025 in Atlanta, Ga. for a deep dive into practical guidance and shared learnings as we are actively engaged in cultivating fresh expressions and other innovative forms of ministry.
Go: Nov. 1, 2025 - The closing gathering will be a day of “reverse mentorship” in which students will do a presentation on their new expression and share key learnings.  Learn more and register

Leadership

The Fall Clergy Day Away, a time of retreat and renewal will be held Oct. 17 at Camp Manidokan, located at 1600 Harpers Ferry Road in Knoxville. The morning will include coffee and fellowship from 10-11 a.m., gathering and worship. Lunch will be served. In the afternoon, you choose your pace from options including: relaxation and conversation, time for making art, hiking and zip line experiences.  Dinner will be followed by worship.  We will close our day with s'mores and fun around a campfire.  The $40 registration fee includes lunch, dinner & the campfire. Register before Oct. 8. You can also extend your stay!  From October 17 to 18 -- extend your time away by spending the night after the day’s activities. Lodging with shared bath/bedroom and a continental breakfast is provided.  In the morning, enjoy and claim your sabbath time how you choose on our beautiful grounds. The extension is $100 for a double room with continental breakfast. No private rooms are available. This event is sponsored by the Board of Ordained Ministry, Culture of Call Committee. Register.

Non-Anxious Leader Course: The key to effective leadership is the ability to be a non-anxious presence. This is deceptively simple but tremendously difficult. If you take this journey, you can lead change in even the most challenging contexts. The Non-Anxious Leader: Family Systems Basics is a four-week online course, held online Oct. 7 through Nov. 3, that will help you learn the principles behind this approach, and how to put them into practice. 3.0 CEUs are awarded for successful completion. There is no cost to lay and clergy members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Learn more and register.

Living Well Clergy Renewal Retreats: The Living Well Clergy Renewal Initiative is a seven-month cycle comprised of two retreats as well as monthly cohort meetings between the retreats to process learnings and support each other throughout the journey. This brand new spring-to-fall cycle will meet at West River Center on October 29-31, 2024. Successful completion of the Living Well program qualifies for 3.3 CEUs. Learn more and register now

ASL Lay Servant Couse: A new Introduction to Lay Servant Ministries, the Basic Course, will be offered in ASL for deaf laity on Sept. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Magothy UMC, 3703 Mountain Road in Pasadena, Md. The class, which is open to people from the Peninsula-Delaware and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences, will be taught by Karen Miller, a Certified Lay Minister. The cost is $40; scholarships are available.  Register.

The workshop C.A.L.L.E.D., (Challenging And Leading Laity Every Day) sponsored by the Cumberland-Hagerstown District, will be held Nov. 6, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Otterbein UMC at 108 E. Franklin Street in Hagerstown. The workshop, led by Cindy Reeder, will explore the concept of call and how to more fully engage the laity. Learn more and register.

Clergy Sexual Ethics and Boundaries Training will be held Thursday, Nov. 7, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Mission Center in Fulton. The training will focus on “Boundaries, Power and Well-Being: Approaches for Healthy Leaders and Congregants,” presented by Linda Crockett with Safe Communities PA. This is an in-person training, with two hours of asynchronous learning required prior to the training date. This will be the last Conference-provided Ethics Training for the quadrennium. Register here by Oct. 18.

On Fire … or Burned Out? A Clergy Renewal Day will be held Nov 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Calvary UMC in Annapolis. During this day of renewal and self-care. led by physician-theologian Dr. Pat Fosarelli, pastors will learn the difference between good stress and bad stress, how bad stresses affect people physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and what they can do to address their reaction to stress. In addition to the presentations, there will be time for solitude, prayer, and conversations with others experiencing similar challenges. Register by Nov. 13.