Discipleship Opportunities

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Memorial Service: The BWC Creation Care and Peace with Justice Advocacy and Action Ministries will hold a special worship service to acknowledge the increasing threat to humanity of nuclear war and advocate the negotiated, phased and verifiable abolition of nuclear weapons. The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Memorial Service will be held at the BWC Mission Center in Fulton on Aug. 6 from 11 a.m. to noon. Learn more and register.

Sign Up for the BWC Advocacy & Action Newsletter: The BWC’s Advocacy & Action Newsletter is a bi-monthly email with updates regarding the Advocacy & Action ministries, including our social action teams, legislative action, events, and announcements. This is a great way for individuals to stay updated on ways to get involved in the Advocacy & Action ministries. Sign up for the newsletter.

Mark your Calendars: 2024 Legislative Advocacy Days for federal legislation on Sept. 18; and for D.C. legislation on Oct. 23. 

Wellness and Missions

Mission u: The Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences United Women in Faith and the BWC's Wellness and MIssions ministries will host Mission u at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum on July 20. Early bird registration, which closes on June 21, is $80 for adults, $40 for youth and $30 on Zoom. After that, the cost is $90 for adults, $45 for youth and $35 on Zoom. Learn more.   Register.

Disability service video: The Baltimore-Washington Conference Commission on Disability Concerns has created its first Awareness Worship Service, which is now available to view on YouTube. See the video.

Accessibility Coordinators: Participants from United Methodist churches and ministries in the Baltimore-Washington Conference are invited to attend a free, two-hour class to learn some of the fundamentals of being an accessibility coordinator. This training offers a pathway for churches to be more welcoming to persons with disabilities and differing abilities. Volunteers, staff, and/or members of the board of trustees are welcome to attend. The class is led by Rev. Leo Yates and is from 10 a.m. to noon. Register for the training.

• July 20 - Annapolis - Arnold UMC
• 27 - Frederick - Trinity UMC
• 3 - Washington, D.C. - Silver Spring UMC
• 10 - Virtual training (open to participants from the BWC and Pen-Del)
• 7 - West Virginia - Asbury UMC in Shepherdstown
• 14 - Cumberland - Cresaptown UMC

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.

 Save the Date for the fall IGNITE bonfires!  The bonfire events will be a time for worship, fellowship, and getting excited about Ignite:

• At Camp Manidokan near Harper's Ferry: Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. 
• West River Center in Churchton: Saturday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m.
• Camp Pecometh in Centreville: Sunday, Oct. 20, at 2 p.m.

Campus Ministries: In an effort to make good transitions for United Methodist students heading from high school to college, campus ministers are seeking information using the College Registry Report, found in your church conference forms. Churches are asked to complete the report before Aug. 1. Learn more about our current Campus Ministries within the BWC:

• Howard University
• American University
• Frostburg State University
• University of Maryland
• Gallaudet University

We are excited to start two new ministries at the campuses of Towson University and Morgan State University.

If you're a student, or know a student, attending Towson, Morgan State, or UMD College Park this fall, consider applying to be a student intern. The time commitment is six to eight hours a week during the school year. The pay is $16 an hour. Complete this form to apply.

New Faith Expressions

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.

Ignite Your Leadership Journey with SCD 2024: The School of Congregational Development is returning to Chicago this summer as SEE//CREATE//DISCIPLE (SCD) on Aug. 4-7 at the Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg,  IL. Learn more and register. Contact Rev. Bill Brown, Director of Innovative Evangelism if you have questions. Scholarships available.

The Fresh Expressions Academy launches in November and lasts for 12 months. The 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 & laity to innovate and take risks to engage people who are not yet part of a faith community. Important Dates Include:

• Gather: The opening training day provides an overview for Fresh Expressions and the blended ecology: Nov. 2.
• Grow: The cohort of innovators will gather for a deep dive into practical guidance and shared learnings as they are actively engaged in cultivating fresh expressions and other innovative forms of ministry: February 2025.
• Go: 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: Nov. 1, 2025

For more information and to register.

Leadership

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

Lay servant ministry classes: The Washington Region will host four lay servant ministry classes on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Aug.4, from 2 to 5 p.m. in-person at First UMC at 6201 Belcrest Road in Hyattsville. Learn more. Space is limited, there are 10 slots per class.

Level Up: provides lessons in church leadership from the Rev. Jack Shitama of the Center of Vital Leadership. In these short videos, church leaders will discover some of the best and most influential principles in today’s secular writing about leadership. Learn from the experts about how to transform yourself and the world.  A new video will premiere each Monday.