Loving Boldly: Darren Fenwick Comes to Conference with a New Heart Full of God’s Love
By Nora Meeks
When Darren Fenwick found out he would be missing the 2025 Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, he was disappointed. Never mind the fact that he had just had 2 open heart surgeries and was about to undergo a heart transplant, and he wanted to be there. Before undergoing surgery, he said to his medical team, “If I can’t serve, don't give me the new heart.”
Fenwick is a lay member of Silver Spring United Methodist Church (SSUMC) in Silver Spring, MD. When he started going to the church three years ago, he did not know he had any issues with his heart. His father died when he was 16 years old from an aortic dissection, so his heart health has always been something he monitored. In February of 2025, he underwent his first open-heart surgery to treat an aneurysm that had grown. As he was sitting in the hospital, he saw Carol Whitney, a retired nurse he knew from SSUMC. Carol became his mother's medical translator, explaining the terminology to her and ensuring she understood what was happening with her son.
Fenwick saw this as God’s plan in action.
“God brought me to that church for this purpose, and for this time,” he said. He also saw God in the person whose heart he has received. Fenwick's father was in and out of jail throughout his life, and the person whose heart he received was also incarcerated. Fenwick was only on the transplant list for one day before receiving this new heart.
“The person who helped give me life, and the person who gave me a new life, had that connection…it was nothing but a miracle.”
Fenwick explains that the church was there for him throughout his journey, through each of the surgeries and his recovery. Fenwick grew up going to a United Methodist church in South Carolina with his grandmother. But there was a long period after moving to Maryland when he did not go to church. One day, while on the phone with his mom, Fenwick looked up United Methodist churches near him and found Silver Spring United Methodist Church.
“God was like, 'I need you to be there,' and so I am. That’s where God wanted me, and now here I am [at Annual Conference].”
Fenwick sees Annual Conference as an opportunity to be fully present in the church.
“It’s being part of the community, and it’s helping grow that and be God’s hands.” This is why Fenwick was determined to be at the Annual Conference this year, a little over a year after receiving his new heart.
“I like the connection [of conference]; I like bonding with folks. Given how divided the world is now, if we can’t do it then who can? The church is supposed to be that, and this is an opportunity to do that.”
A year after receiving the gift of a new heart, Fenwick’s presence at Annual Conference stood as a testament to faith, community, and the life-changing power of showing up for one another.