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We welcome the Rev. Trey Daniel as our new Protestant University Chaplain and Campus Minister with United Campus Ministries at Frostburg State University. 

We celebrate the twelfth anniversary of our time in the BWC Mission Center in Fulton. We also celebrate the new non-profit tenant, Center for Watershed Protection, who moved into the building on Sept. 1.

The Rev. Amy McCullough, pastor of Grace UMC in Baltimore and chair of the BWC’s Board of Ordained Ministry will be the featured preacher on Day 1, a weekly Protestant worship broadcast on Oct. 9.

Registration for Living Well, an innovative retreat and wellness experience for clergy, is open. See the story of how Living Well is affecting United Methodist pastors.

The annual Mission Innovation Grant Applications for Advocacy & Action, Wellness & Missions, and Young People’s Ministry are now open. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to faith communities that have a proven ministry idea in one of these ministry areas. The deadline to apply is Nov. 1. Learn more and apply.

The application period for the BWC’s Congregational Development grants is now open. The grants, offered through the Unified Funding Task Force, assist congregations in launching new ministry initiatives, new or renewed congregation development, leader development and reaching new people. The deadline is Oct. 10. Learn more and apply.

Journey to Beloved Community is an eight-session online course that focuses on six actions you and community partners can take to create inclusive spaces of belonging and becoming. An orientation will be held Thursday, Sept. 15. The classes run Thursday evenings from Sept. 22 to Oct. 27, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Registration closes today. Learn more. Register.

A clergy pre-retirement planning session will be held Sept. 22 and 27. The first session, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., covers benefits with Wespath. Register. The second session, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., will address financial planning. Register.

It's Your Story to Tell: Storytelling for Advocacy Training is a special event led by SPACEs in Action. It takes place Saturday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the BWC Mission Center and online. Through storytelling, participants will be guided to articulate what they value and then connect their problems or issues into bold solutions and actions. See a promotional video. Learn more and register.

Introducing the Brave Conversation Resourcers: The Baltimore-Washington Conference and The People's Supper are excited to introduce Brave Conversation Resourcers, a group of people trained to help congregations across the conference have brave conversations that contextually advance inclusion, diversity, equity and antiracism. These individuals have facilitation experience, are culturally aware, emotionally intelligent, have a non-anxious presence in times of trouble, and are good listeners. Resourcers are now available to walk alongside congregations who need their support. Click here to learn more about the Brave Conversations Resourcers and request their facilitation services in your congregation.

Christians Engaged in Faith Formation (CEF), a gathering of paid and volunteer clergy and laity will gather Thursday, Sept. 22, at 11 a.m. at Looney's restaurant near the BWC Mission Center in Fulton to talk about current realities for churches, goals, and ministry ideas.

The Strawbridge Shrine Association will hold its annual meeting Saturday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. at  New Hope UMC/Bethel Church in New Windsor. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Bonnie McCubbin, the Director of Pilgrimage & Museums for the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Learn more.

The Peninsula-Delaware Conference United Women in Faith invites you to its 2022 Spiritual Growth Retreat, a virtual "ZOOM" event hosted by the Delaware District on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m. Register.

Just Neighbors is looking for immigration assistance to register Cameroonians for TPS (Temporary Protected Status). Contact Just Neighbors right away to conduct a preliminary screening for one of our upcoming Maryland clinics. Call 703-979-1240, Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to complete the telephone screening. Just Neighbors will also celebrate its 25^th anniversary with a party on Oct. 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Historic Blenheim in Fairfax, Va.

Church conference season is underway. Get the information you need to complete the required reports. All forms should be completed in Arena by October 1, or 10 days before your church conference, whichever comes first. This includes acquiring the necessary signatures and uploading the documents.

The BWC’s United Men's Ministries will hold their annual gathering and business session on Oct. 15 from 9 to 11 a.m. Learn more.

We are the Church Resource: As a denomination, it’s important that pastors, church staff and members have a common understanding of the core background of The United Methodist Church. The new "We are the church together" resource from United Methodist Communications helps congregations dig into shared beliefs, history, mission and ministry to stand strong and face the future — together. This Google slide presentation aids leaders in walking their church through what it means to be United Methodist and answering questions that members are asking.

Training Tuesdays, a webinar series that draws on experts to assist local church leaders, will focus on growing in vitality this fall. See a story on this important resource. Learn more about the Pillars of Vitality. The first gatherings this fall include:

Deaf Awareness: The denomination’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries Committee invites you to observe International Deaf Awareness Week, Sept. 19-25. The committee is offering $500 microgrants to churches to promote and celebrate Deaf awareness. Applications are due Aug. 25. Learn more.

Accessibility Conversations: The BWC's Commission on Disability Concerns will hold three "Accessibility Conversations" this fall. The committee seeks to support churches and ministries to become accessible and inclusive for persons with disabilities (differing abilities) in the church or ministry setting. The webinar meets on the first Friday of the month at 11 a.m. Topics include: in October, National Disability Awareness; and in November, best practices for disability. Register.

Justice for our Children: Healing for Our Communities: The BWC Committee on Native American Ministries invites United Methodists to observe a special time of prayer and action from Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, as they remember the atrocities perpetrated on tribal children when they were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools. Learn more.

Naloxone training: St. James UMC, 1901 Lexington Street in Baltimore, will offer free training on How to Use Naloxone, a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose on Sept. 17 at 10 a.m.

Community game night: New Waverly UMC, 644 E. 33^rd St. in Baltimore, is hosting a game night Sept. 17 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Implicit Bias Training: Camp Chapel UMC in Perry Hall will offer a spiritual retreat to anyone who is interested in learning about implicit bias on Sept. 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Learn more and register.

Sharp Street UMC in Sandy Spring, the oldest African-American church in Montgomery County, will celebrate its 200^th anniversary this year. The year-long festivities will include church and community members coming together to reflect and celebrate with prayer, song and fellowship at the Sandy Spring Slave Museum on Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. Learn more.

Is your Congregation Ready to Thrive? The Source Collaborative is a two-year program of Wesley Theological Seminary designed to help local congregations thrive in the midst of social, cultural, and denominational change. Applications are open for the final cohort of regional UMC congregations. The application deadline is September 15, 2022. Learn more and apply.

Learn more about 100% of churches at 100% vitality.

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