April 6, 2026 | "Transformed Lives Transform Lives" | | We lift in prayer the family and friends of Rev. Nancy Lorraine Green, a retired Local Licensed Pastor who passed away on Monday. We give thanks for her faithful service at Pleasant Walk UMC and her compassionate leadership of Quality of Life retreats at Manidokan. A celebration of her life will be held Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m., at Benevola UMC, Boonsboro, MD. Read her obituary. | | All seven active African American female bishops of The United Methodist Church gathered at St. Mark UMC in Hanover for a historic Good Friday service, proclaiming the Seven Last Words of Christ. Through powerful preaching rooted in Scripture and lived experience, each bishop connected Christ’s final words to the realities of today’s world, offering reflections on forgiveness, justice, discipleship and trust. Read the full story. | | |
Council of Bishops President Tracy S. Malone, on behalf of the bishops, offers a message and prayer to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. “As Easter people, we are not called to ignore the realities around us, but to face them with resurrection faith,” she writes. Read more.
| | The Beginning Well Online Course offers thoughtful guidance for clergy moving to a new appointment or retiring, as well as for SPRCs navigating an appointment change. This self-paced, asynchronous course provides practical tools for leaving well, preparing a congregation for a successor, and setting healthy structures for the next chapter of ministry. | | |
Become a Financial Leadership scholar. Through this 11-month program, you will lead real change in your church with support from instructors, coaches, and your own church leadership. Learn more at the Financial Leadership Academy Information Session on Thursday, April 9, at 6:30 p.m. Register. Download brochure.
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Training Tuesdays has announced its lineup for this spring:
- April 14: Developing a Ministry of Advocacy - Where to begin?
- April 28: God is Calling
- May 5: Rooted and Renewed: What Does Sunday Morning Have to Do with Leadership and Change?
Learn more and register.
| | The Canal District is launching its first Mission Project to help a Big Pool, Maryland, widow return home after a devastating fire. Servant leaders are needed April 10–12 to help clear rooms, deep clean, and repaint, and churches are also invited to contribute financially toward the $1,400 project cost. Serve for a day or the whole weekend; every hour makes a difference. Sign up. Donate. Learn more. | | We invite you to share a creative expression for our Annual Conference worship booklet inspired by this year’s theme: Rooted in Christ: Love Boldly. In gardens, growth begins with deep roots nurtured by care, connection, and time. In the same way, our lives of faith are rooted in Christ’s love. Where do you see signs of rootedness and growth in your life or in the world around you? How is Christ’s love taking root in you? What is growing from that foundation? Your response may take any creative form, such as visual art, photography, poetry, fiber art, or another medium, and may draw on imagery of plants, gardens, or creation as a reflection of your faith. Please include a few sentences answering the questions above with your artwork by April 17, and email it to communications@bwcumc.org with the subject line "AC Artwork." | | Join us for a Confirmation Pilgrimage on Saturday, April 18, 2026. 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. Groups are limited to 40 people from multiple churches. | | |
Join the Seeds of Security Golf Tournament on April 20, for a day of golf, fellowship, and impact supporting the people directly impacted by Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence. Registration is $150 for individuals or $500 for a team of four, and golfers of all skill levels are welcome. Organizations and individuals can also support this important work through sponsorship opportunities ranging from $100 to $50,000. Your participation helps fund collaborative efforts to prevent violence, support survivors, and create lasting change in our communities. Learn more and register.
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You are invited to step away from the noise and into a sacred space of prayer, reflection, and connection at the Beloved Community, United in Prayer event on April 21 at Wesley Theological Seminary. In a time marked by division, we gather to center ourselves in God’s love that restores, reconciles, and unites. Together, we will listen deeply, pray boldly, and open our hearts to the Spirit’s movement within and among us. Hate divides. Love unites. Learn more and register.
| | Join the United Methodist Endorsing Agency for an Endorsement 101 Webinar on April 23, from 4 to 5 p.m., to learn what endorsement is and how United Methodists called to chaplaincy and other specialized ministries can serve beyond the local church. Endorsement is available to Licensed Local Pastors, Deacons (provisional and full connection) and Elders (provisional and full connection). Learn more. | | |
Registration for the 2026 Annual Conference Session is now open. This year, we gather around the theme “Rooted in Christ: Love Boldly,” the first year of a three-year journey that invites us to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously as disciples of Jesus Christ. The session will be held May 27-29, with a preconference virtual session on May 9. Learn more about the theme and our guiding Scripture from Ephesians 3:16–19, and join us in Baltimore as we grow deeper in Christ and in our shared mission. Learn more and register.
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2026 marks the 300th Birthday of Bishop Philip William Otterbein, one of the founding Bishops of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ strand of our denomination. On June 6-7, learn about this great history, view for the first time the artifacts from the 2023 archaeological excavation of Bishop Otterbein's cabin, visit Bishop Otterbein's grave, take a trip to the first United Brethren Cemetery in Keedysville, and more. Clergy who were ordained in the EUB and their spouses can attend for free. Email Rev. Bonnie McCubbin, Director of Museums and Pilgrimage, for a registration code or with questions. Register.
| | Applications for the next class of Certified Lay Minister, the Baltimore-Washington Conference Class of 2026-2028 are now being accepted. Visit the website to learn more and see the online CLM application package. The deadline to submit the application is July 1. The next cohort will start in September and is a two-year commitment. Questions can be directed to Min. Linda Flanagan, Conference Director of Lay Servant Ministries. | | |
Submissions?
Alison Burdett, Director of Communications
11711 East Market Place, Fulton, MD 20759
410.309.3428 | aburdett@bwcumc.org
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