The Baltimore-Washington Conference is meeting in Baltimore for four days of learning, worship, service, and conducting the business of the church. It has been a sacred time of holy conferencing. A Bible study by Bishop Peter Weaver has centered us each morning in the knowledge that we are all children of God – Spirit-filled and Spirit-sent.
As part of our deliberations, conference members voted to approve the disaffiliation of 23 churches seeking to leave the denomination. A handful of conference members have expressed disappointment over the BWC Trustee’s requirement that churches must pay 50 percent of the assessed value of church property to disaffiliate. One member acted on his disappointment by writing a letter to the churches of the BWC and handing it out to the members. When he began to violate conference rules by not remaining the required distance from the meeting space while distributing his message, a security consultant, hired for the session, asked him to observe the required distancing.
Upset by this encounter, the person wrote and distributed an email to conference churches, presenting a version of facts that differs from those of the security personnel and other observers. We regret that this incident and the response to it detract from the important work being done by conference members, both at the session and back in our churches. While it is unfortunate that a small number of people choose to act to further personal agendas, the conference has policies, procedures, and channels that allow individuals and groups throughout the connection to express themselves and their thoughts in constructive ways. These channels seek to assure that Conference leaders understand the whole story and can properly care for all involved.
One of the strengths of United Methodism is that we are a connectional body that councils together to live out a covenant of grace and discipleship. It is imperative that during these times of ongoing challenge and change, we embrace a prayerful attitude that builds up the body in love. So many positive things are unfolding at this Annual Conference Session, all revolving around making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Today, more than a thousand conference members put love into action when they went out to four area schools and two community sites to serve, and packed bags full of supplies and two books for students in eight other schools. In these moments of mission, the church is living out God’s call for transformation, serving in partnership with the community. We hope you will not be distracted by other incidents that diminish our call to vitality and love.
For some, these are challenging times. We are looking forward with hope, and are glad to be on the journey with you.
