Dear friends, My heart breaks with grief for my Perryman community today in the wake of the mass shooting at the Rite Aid Distribution Center. As of right now, we know that four precious lives were lost, and three others are in the hospital. Many others are dealing with deep wounds of trauma...
Beloved, As I attempt to process the reality that another shooting has occurred within the bounds of our Conference, taking the life of three persons and ending with the self-inflicted death of the shooter, the words of Thomas Moore's hymn, "Come, Ye Disconsolate" (UM Hymnal, #510), rose in...
By Heather HahnUnited Methodist News Service A tree fell on the parsonage of the Rev. Thomas M. Greener and his wife shortly after his wife came downstairs for dinner. No one was injured. The Greeners are among the thousands of people whose lives have been upended byFlorence’s wreckage in...
By Erik AlsgaardUMConnection Staff “Look, new things have arrived!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17b For the first time in decades, ministry within the Baltimore-Washington Conference is being organized in a new way. Thanks to a vote at the 2018 Annual Conference Session...
By Linda WorthingtonUMConnection staff In July, Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg became the first retirement facility in the Washington region to be certified as LGBT-friendly. It was certified by SAGE, a national advocacy organization specifically focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual...
The Rev. Theodore "Ted" Daniel Marsh, Jr.,64, an Associate Member serving a three-point charge in Morgan County, W. Va., died Friday, Sept. 7, 2018, under the care of Hospice of the Panhandle. A funeral service was held Sept. 12, at Mt. Zion UMC, in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. The Rev. Michael...
As pastor of Fallston UMC, the Rev. Karin Walker, like many pastors in the BWC, have been responding to people caught in the opioid epidemic. Recently, she issued a letter to the first responders in the community who are the front lines of addressing the pain and tragedy that can accompany...
Marilyn Raker, 80, the wife of the Rev. William “Bill” Raker, a retired Elder in the BWC, died Sept. 5, 2018 after a long illness of dementia and related ailments. A Memorial Service was held Sept. 15, at Towson UMC with the Rev. Mark Johnson officiating. Inurnment was in...
By Chris Schlieckert* Two campers practice canoe safety in the pool at Manidokan Camp and Retreat Center before hitting the river. I have been to approximately 150 weeks of summer camp as a staff person. I have been a dishwasher, a lifeguard, a counselor, a wilderness guide, an...
By Beth Ludlum* "You just might be God’s answer to the question your community is asking.” This sentiment, articulated by a ministry partner in London, captured one impulse that drives the Change Maker’s Project. Launched this summer, the Change Makers Project supports young...
