News and Views

The word is… reclaim
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Ancient church mothers and fathers often greeted one another with the phrase, “Give me a word.” This greeting led to the sharing of insights and wisdom. Today we continue this tradition with this monthly column.

ROCK youth retreat leads many to Christ
Posted by Erik Alsgaard on

What do you call it when 4,500 youth, young adults and their leaders gather for a weekend retreat in Ocean City, Md.? In the Baltimore-Washington Conference, we call it ROCK. The event, which will celebrate its 25th gathering next year, is consistently the largest group of United Methodists in...

Frances Deane Thomas McDonald
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Frances Deane Thomas McDonald, 88, wife of the late Rev. Ramon E. McDonald Sr., an Elder in the BWC, died Feb. 5, 2017. A funeral service was held Feb. 9 at Mt. Zion UMC in Lothian. Frances Deane Thomas was born April 25, 1928, in Moorefield, W. Va., to the late John and Elizabeth Thomas. She...

Rev. Elgar Clyde Soper
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The Rev. Elgar Clyde Soper, 102, died Dec. 20, 2016, at Homewood Continuing Care at Crumland Farms in Frederick, the oldest surviving pastor in the conference. A memorial service was held Jan. 14, in the chapel at Homewood at Crumland Farms. Elgar Clyde Soper was born Nov. 3, 1914, in Olney. He...

Francis Jay Fisk
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Francis “Jay” Fisk, 80, who served as a Local Pastor, died Jan. 25, 2017, in New Oxford, Pa. No information was received about his funeral service. He was born Dec. 25, 1936, and served Boring UMC from 2004-2008. His address prior to New Oxford, was listed in Ellicott...

A Highway… to HOPE
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Life has already been in the fast lane for many of us and we haven’t even gotten out of January. Let’s recap what has happened for the past few weeks or so, starting with Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and moving forward.

A Joint Statement from the NEJ College of Bishops
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"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, . . .” These words, written by poet Emma Lazarus and posted on pedestal of the Statue of Liberty have, for decades, welcomed the foreigner to the shores of our land. They are words that have described the...