May 2, 2025

Come, let us Rejoice in the Lord as we Dwell in Joy at the 241^st Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference!

Pre-Conference Session is tomorrow

On Saturday, May 3, clergy and lay members will gather at an online Pre-Conference Briefing from 9 a.m. to noon to learn about the important matters coming before the Annual Conference.

Attend the session via Zoom at https://bwcumc.zoom.us/j/86933883305

The BWC’s 241^st session, which will be held Tuesday, May 13, through Thursday, May 15, at the Hilton Hotel in Baltimore, will be filled with opportunities for fellowship, worship and shaping the future of the church. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on May 13.

All the information you’ll need to navigate the session is at www.bwcumc.org/events/2025-annual-conference/. See the agenda. See a PDF of the BWC program book.

Some of the highlights of the session include:

• The Rev. Kris Sledge, author of “Followers Under Forty,” will speak at the Laity Session on May 13 at 3 p.m.
• Bishop LaTrelle Easterling will preach at the Opening Worship service on May 13 at 7 p.m. (This and all worship and plenary sessions will be livestreamed at www.bwcumc.org if people from your church want to watch.)
• Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, a daughter of the BWC who now serves as the episcopal leader of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey Area, will lead Bible study at 8:30 on Wednesday and Thursday mornings and preach at the Service of Commissioning and Ordination on Thursday, May 15, at 4 p.m.
• Members will vote on four amendments to the United Methodist Constitution. Information on the amendments will be presented at the 9:30 a.m. plenary session on Wednesday. Learn more.
• Members will also vote on eight resolutions and several stewardship recommendations, including a proposed $18 million 2026 budget. A report on Compass, a new retirement plan for United Methodist clergy, will also be unveiled.

You’ll also want to know:

• A conversation on the new structure and creating vital change will be held Tuesday, May 13, at 1 p.m.
• Two special offerings will be taken this year: for Just Neighbors, to assist immigrants with legal matters; and for the Board of Ordained Ministry Renewal Leave scholarships.
• A Service of Remembrance will be held on Wednesday, May 14, at 1:45 p.m. The Rev. Herbert Brisbon will preach.
• A retiree luncheon on Tuesday, May 13, will honor 20 clergy retirees, who together represent 572 years of service.

If you are new to Annual Conference, a comprehensive Primer, to assist you is online.

Churches are also invited to bless their clergy and lay members who will be attending annual conference with a special commissioning prayer. And, as always, you are invited to pray for the leaders and members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference as together we live out the vision that “Transformed Lives Transform Lives.”