News and Views

Annual Conference Session ignites spirit of vitality
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By Melissa Lauber The theme of the 240th session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference was “Like Fire Shut Up in My Bones.” It could also have been “Grand Slam!” The conference opened as a thousand United Methodists cheered on Bishop LaTrelle Easterling as she threw...

Council unveils ministry data tool
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By Erik Alsgaard Have you ever wondered if there’s a United Methodist church near yours that has a feeding program? Or, perhaps your youth group needs a van for a field trip but you don’t know where to turn? Thanks to a new interactive data tool offered by Discipleship Ministries of...

Statement and Prayer from the BWC Queer Clergy Caucus
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Offered by the Rev. Chet Jechura on May 30 Bishop, I rise in the company of the Baltimore-Washington Conference Queer Clergy Caucus – beloved friends and faithful colleagues in ministry with whom I’m blessed to serve. Some of us, including myself, once banned from ordained ministry...

Ordination service kindles new fire in set-apart servants
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By Erik Alsgaard “May our love for You shine so brightly that we would need sunglasses.” Recited as part of the opening prayer for the Service of Ordination and Commissioning at the 240th Annual Conference Session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, the nearly two-hour...

General Conference budget impacts local churches
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By Charlie Moore Prior to General Conference, I was asked to go to Charlotte to observe all of the deliberations around the proposed 2025-2028 General Conference budget and provide some informal interpretation on the impact on our United Methodist  “Connection” over the next...

Reddix-McCray tends to bodies and souls
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By Eleanor Meeks You Can’t Feed Someone’s Soul If Their Body is Hungry: A profile on Rev. Dr. Irance Reddix-McCray and Her Journey of Faith On a Tuesday afternoon at approximately 1 p.m., the Adullum Community Healthcare Center sits in calm stillness. Located in the Waverly UMC...

The BLESS model for evangelism
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By Bill Brown Evangelism is a word that often elicits mixed emotions, especially for those of us who are United Methodists. For many, it conjures memories of encounters with judgmental zealots, overly aggressive preachers, and individuals who seem more focused on converting others than on...