October 6, 2025 | "Transformed Lives Transform Lives" | | |
Our 28 Days of Prayer began on October 1. Each day, a "Prayer Hold" is offered. This is a prayer to repeat throughout the day. Today's prayer hold is "Wait for God's dunamis..."
"Waiting in prayer is a disciplined refusal to act before God acts." – Eugene Peterson
We pray for all workers affected by the federal government shutdown. In addition to prayer, there are a series of additional actions to help Marylanders impacted by the federal shutdown. Furloughed workers in D.C. can file for unemployment insurance benefits through the Department of Employment Services (DOES). Initial claims can be filed online at dcnetworks.org. Visit does.dc.gov for more information.
We pray for the Rev. Arthur Kent as he grieves the loss of his wife of 56 years, Mrs. Ruth Kent, who died on September 23. A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 11 at 3 p.m. at the Rainbow Family Christian Center, 2120A Industrial Parkway, Silver Spring, MD 20904. The service will be live-streamed. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Rev. Arthur Kent, 609 Avon Square Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905.
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United Methodist deacons are discussing best practices now that General Conference has approved their new responsibility to preside at baptism and communion “when contextually appropriate.” Read more.
The Baltimore-Washington Conference had the largest cohort of graduates at this year's Financial Leadership Academy, gaining practical tools to strengthen church finances and inspire generosity. Through hands-on training, participants learned strategies for stewardship, fundraising, and long-term ministry sustainability. Read more.
In this Candidacy Process webinar, members of our Board of Ordained Ministry dive into the different stages of the candidacy process, offering practical steps and helpful perspectives. Watch the recording now to gain valuable knowledge and join the conversation. Learn more.
The October 4 Connectional Table gathering was held at the BWC Mission Center. It was filled with music, prayer, reports, and a call to mission. “We are not gathered to simply hear reports," Bishop Easterling said. "We have the opportunity to fulfill the mission and ministry of this Historic Conference.” Read more.
| | Six young adult women ages 18-35 (one per district) will receive full sponsorship to attend the 2026 United Women in Faith Assembly, including travel and registration. Don’t miss this chance to connect, worship, and grow in leadership. Learn more. Email kwalker@bwcumc.org by December 31 to request to be nominated as one of the six women sponsored. | | In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) | | |
Our 28 Days of Prayer began on October 1.
How to Join:
- Get your copy of Dynamite Prayer (if ordering 10 or more books, use code INNOVATE50 for 50% off your order).
- Commit to pray daily from October 1–28.
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RSVP and let us know you’re ready to pray boldly, listen deeply, and move forward together in love.
- Optional: Join others in live prayer from 7 to 7:30 a.m. via Zoom.
- If joining the 7 a.m. Zoom, download the calendar reminder to add the daily prayer time directly to your schedule.
| | Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 - October 15. Local church resources have been provided by the General Commission on Religion and Race, including a book study on “Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity” by Robert Chao Romero. See Hispanic Heritage Month Resources. | | |
Spark interest and community about the IGNITE Youth Conference being held in March 2026 in Ocean City by attending an IGNITE bonfire. While each site will have its own unique twist, youth, young adults and chaperones will find fun, fellowship, s’mores and camp activities. Bring friends from the community and start fanning the flame toward the IGNITE Conference. RSVP.
Locations:
Camp Manidokan - Saturday, October 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Please bring your own chair)
Camp Pecometh - Sunday, October 19, 4 to 7 p.m.
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Training Tuesdays return on October 7. Training Tuesdays offers accessible and practical training to clergy, laity, and ministry teams. These sessions are designed to foster church vitality, deepen spiritual leadership, and inspire innovative responses to the evolving needs of our communities.
See the fall lineup. Download flyer.
Wesley Nexus presents the 2025 Faith & Science Weekend on October 10-11. On Friday, October 10, at 7 p.m. (Trinity UMC, Germantown), astrophysicist Dr. Jennifer Wiseman presents New Discoveries in Our Universe: Stars, Earth, and the Future of Faith. On Saturday, October 11, at 4 p.m. (BWC Mission Center, Fulton), Dr. Francis Collins will speak on the Harmonies of Science & Christian Faith. These are free and open to all. Register. Download the flyer.
Deaf Ministries is offering a seminar: "Introduction to Signing Music." This seminar will be held on October 11, 9:30 a.m. to noon at St. Mark United Methodist Church, 1440 Dorsey Rd. Hanover, MD 21076. Download the flyer. Register.
| | Join us for our Annual Confirmation Pilgrimages on Saturday, October 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday, March 8, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. You will see four historic sites and learn about your Methodist Roots. New this year: Junior Circuit Rider Program and interactive touch boxes. Please RSVP to Rev. Bonnie McCubbin, Director of Museums & Pilgrimage. Groups are limited to 40 people from multiple churches. | | |
The key to effective leadership is the ability to be a non-anxious presence. This is deceptively simple, but tremendously difficult. We invite you to embark on this journey, where you can lead change in even the most challenging contexts. The Non-Anxious Leader: Family Systems Basics is a four-week online course, beginning October 13, that will help you learn the principles behind this approach, as well as how to put them into practice. There is no cost to lay and clergy members of the BWC.
Learn more and register.
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Wesley Theological Seminary invites you to the Yu-Lee Lecture on Tuesday, October 28, at 11 a.m. in Oxnam Chapel. This lecture celebrates the contributions of the Asian American community. This year’s speaker, Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Bishop of the Ohio Episcopal Area, will deliver a lecture titled “Messianic Hope and Liberating Missions Among the Korean Diasporas.”
Download the flyer.
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Registration is LIVE for the IGNITE Conference in Ocean City
Too many of our young people feel disconnected, unseen, and uncertain of their worth in a divided world. IGNITE 2026 responds with "belong" - a theme that grounds youth in their identity as God’s beloved, equips them to embrace their own sacred worth, and calls them into a just and loving community with others.
"You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”
– 1 Corinthians 3:23
Learn more and register. Watch the video.
| | Featured Resource: Training Tuesdays | | |
As Training Tuesdays is set to begin a new season this week, we want to remind you that all of our past Training Tuesdays can be viewed in our online resources section of the Baltimore-Washington Conference website.
Training Tuesdays is an online training experience to inspire and equip local church leaders to connect more people with Jesus. Using Zoom, leaders connect from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to learn from an expert about a topic that helps 100% of our congregations become 100% vital.
Categories range from Statistical Reporting, SPRC, Church Administration, Living Well, Stewardship, Fresh Expressions, and more.
Explore the resources on our website. You may also scroll through the nearly 70 previous trainings on YouTube.
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Submissions?
Alison Burdett, Interim Director of Communications
11711 East Market Place, Fulton, MD 20759
410.309.3428 | aburdett@bwcumc.org
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