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The Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo, an Elder in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, was installed as the General Secretary of the denomination's Commission on Religion and Race on Oct. 14. He is the first Latinx leader of a United Methodist agency. See the story.

Finding Peace During Uncertainty: 40 Life-Changing Devotions, a new book by John C. Mayden, Jr. is now available in paperback and Kindle. Mayden is pastor of the Martinsburg Cooperative Parish.

The Rev. Susan Duchesneau, a retired BWC Elder who now lives in Punta Gorda, Florida, sent a letter home about her experiences following Hurricane Ian. Read her note. Support the recovery efforts in Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico by giving to UMCOR.

Faith leaders gathered for a press conference on Oct. 13 to call for the just treatment of migrants. The denomination’s National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry in collaboration with the Board of Church and Society and Commission on Religion and Race and others called for further support from government leaders for migrants in DC and nationally. Watch the press conference.

At a special session Oct. 15, delegates to the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference voted to elect two bishops when they meet Nov 2-4 at The Hotel in College Park.

See the story.

Bishops Sudarshana Devadhar of the New England Annual Conference and Mark Webb of the Upper New York Annual Conference have announced their retirement. The new bishops will take office Jan. 1. Among the seven candidates endorsed for the episcopacy in the Northeast Jurisdiction is the BWC's Rev. Giovanni Arroyo, who was endorsed by MARCHA, the church's Hispanic caucus.

The Rev. Sarah Schlieckert, Annapolis District Superintendent, provides outstanding summaries of the Jurisdictional Conference on Facebook.

The three Congregational Vitality Pathways for churches in the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences are designed to help congregations engage in missional action planning and doing. Learn more about the Readiness, Catalyst and Launch initiatives. Churches must submit their intent to apply to one of these Pathways by Nov. 1 to be eligible to apply by Feb. 15. Learn more and submit your intent to apply.

Today is your last chance to register for the in-person session of the Next Level Speakers Series. All local church leaders are encouraged to join Bishop LaTrelle Easterling and Tod Bolsinger, the author of Canoeing the Mountains and Tempered Resilience, in a conversation on leadership Oct. 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Register today for the Next Level Speaker Series.

Registration for the Diverse Church by Design: Cross-Racial and Cross-Cultural Leadership Certificate Program has been extended to Oct. 22. The CRCC program is a biblically-based experimental approach to diversity and inclusion. It has been informed by the survey the BWC conducted this year with pastors and lay leaders in 80 CRCC congregations, and best practices learned, to date. It is designed to provide tools for fostering a culture of appreciation, respect, and inclusion, and for making evangelism culturally effective in a diverse world. Learn more and register.

United Women in Faith will hold their annual celebration, “Acting Boldly,” online, Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be Deaconness Joy Prim, a missionary to Hong Kong. Register.

The United Campus Ministries at Frostburg State University invites you to a time of fellowship and devotion as they celebrate 45 years of ecumenical campus ministry and welcome the Rev. Trey Daniel, the university’s Protestant chaplain, on Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. at Frostburg UMC. RSVP by Nov. 7.

The deadline to apply for mission innovation grants for advocacy and action, wellness and missions, and young people’s ministry is Nov. 1. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to faith communities with a proven ministry idea in one of these ministries. Learn more and apply.

The ninth annual Rev. Callie Matthews Scholarship Walk will commence at 9 a.m. on Oct. 22 at 1 Dock Street in Annapolis. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. Learn more, register and donate.

Action Alert: For more than 200 years assimilation processes at government-run Indian boarding schools stripped American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children of their Indigenous identities, beliefs, and languages. The BWC Native American Ministries Team and the Legislative Action Team have put together an Action Alert so that you can learn more about the Truth and Healing Commission Act, why we as Methodists should support this, and what you can do to advocate for this cause. Learn more.

Asbury UMC in Washington, D.C., will hold its 2022 Oral History Showcase on Friday, Oct. 21, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. It will feature video clips and interviews with five Asbury leaders sharing their stories. This Zoom event will be recorded. To get the link, please email communications@asburyumcdc.org with the subject line "Oral History Showcase."

Emmanuel UMC in Beltsville will hold its monthly food drive and distribution on Oct. 22 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. for seniors and from 9:30 to 11 a.m. for the general public. Anyone who needs food is welcome. Food distribution will also be held on the third Saturday of November and December.

National UMC will hold its seventh annual Silence the Violence Concert on Oct. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the sanctuary of its Metropolitan Memorial campus at 3401 Nebraska Ave., NW, in Washington. The performers include Accord Symphony Orchestra, the Borisevich Duo and Christian Simmons. Buy your $20 tickets at nationalchurch.org/concert to benefit the TraRon Center.

Wes Moore, the Democratic candidate for the governor of Maryland, will be the guest speaker at Men’s Day at First UMC in Hyattsville on Oct. 23 at 10 a.m.

Mount Olive UMC in Randallstown received an Urban Tree Planting Grant and will be planting 20 trees on church grounds on Oct. 25 from 4 to 6 p.m. Holes will be dug and volunteers will fill in the dirt around the trees. This is a great project for families with young children. Contact the church to volunteer at 410-922-2853. Increasing the tree canopy is important to our environment. Learn more about the Chesapeake Bay Trust program.

Journey UMC will host a hybrid three-month Navigating Grief & Suicide Series. The dates are Oct 29, from 10 a.m. to noon; Nov 16 from 7 to 9 p.m.; and Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon. A meal will be served an hour before each session. For more information, contact the church office at 301-894-8622.

Jerusalem-Mt. Pleasant UMC will hold its second annual Warren G. Crutchfield Memorial Scholarship 5k run/1 mile fun walk on Oct. 29 at 8 a.m. at Montgomery County Public School Board, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. The event fee is $25 for adults, $15 for those ages 12-18 and free for those under 12. Register.

Save the Date -- Rooted, Renew and Restore, a youth and children’s ministry conference, will be held March 24 - 25, 2023, at Wesley Freedom UMC in Eldersburg. Registration opens soon.

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