e-connection 8|26|2024

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August 26, 2024 | "Transformed Lives Transform Lives"

Prayers of the People

As we approach the celebration of Labor Day, we offer this prayer for workers and their labor. Let us pray:

Blessed are you, ever-creating God,

in your image, our lives are made;

in your glory, we offer all the work of our hearts and hands and minds.

Blessed are you, O God, now and forever!

Blessed are you whose work is repaid,

for by your work, and by the payment you receive

your lives and the lives of others around you and around the world are blessed.

We thank God for you day by day.

Blessed are you whose work is unpaid,

who offer what you can to enrich the lives of others,

through time, talents, skill, strength, and love.

We praise God for your generous labor!

Blessed are you who seek work but have not found it,

or whose work now is not yet what it may be

yet still you seek, that your gifts may be shared more fully.

We praise God for your diligent seeking and pray you may soon find!

Yours is the glory in their labors.

Yours be the glory in all our lives, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Creasaptown UMC is learning more about vitality as they harvest vegetables and flowers and a spirit of discipleship and community outreach. Church, they are learning, is more like a hospital, than a museum, as they as they join in a conversation of active faith, with voice and action together. Read the story.

Gather, Grow, Go with the Fresh Expressions Academy

Registration is now open for the second Fresh Expressions Academy, which launches in November. The year-long experience will combine presentations, regular coaching, peer-to-peer discussions, immersion experiences, and an online group to help facilitate the cultivation of fresh expressions. It is designed to equip clergy and laity to innovate and take risks to engage people who are not yet part of a faith community.

Important Dates Include:

Gather: Nov. 2 -- The opening training day provides an overview of Fresh Expressions and the blended ecology.

Grow: Feb. 27 to March 1 -- Together, we will travel to The FXUMC National Gathering 2025 in Atlanta, Ga. for a deep dive into practical guidance and shared learning as we are actively engaged in cultivating fresh expressions and other innovative forms of ministry.

Go: Nov. 1, 2025 -- The closing gathering will be a day of “reverse mentorship” in which students will do a presentation on their new expression and share key learnings.

Learn more and register

Quilt Show coming to Lovely Lane UMC

A quilt show featuring Baltimore Album quilts will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 10:30 a.m. at Lovely Lane UMC, at 2200 St. Paul Street in Baltimore.

The largest private collection of Baltimore Album Quilts, owned by Lovely Lane Museum & Archives, will be on display, and a lecture on the history of quilt making will be given by Baltimore quilt expert Marylou McDonald and her team. Registration is $25. Register. For more information, contact the Rev. Dr. Bonnie McCubbin.

New and Featured Ministries

The next EarthKeepers class will be held Oct. 3-6 at the Maritime Center in Linthicum. This opportunity from Global Ministries enables people to live out their passion for the natural world, God’s creation and environmental justice. Global Ministries EarthKeepers is a training and incubator program that provides a collaborative space for United Methodists to develop and grow environmental projects in their communities. Topics include eco-theology, antiracism, community organizing, and project planning. During the training, all participants will plan a bold, action-oriented project. The trainers include the BWC’s Rev. Cary James and Thea Becton. Youth, ages 13-18 may participate with an adult. Learn more and apply.

Blood Drives: The American Red Cross has declared a national blood emergency, noting a shortfall of 19,000 blood donations in the last month causing the blood supply to plummet by 25 percent since July 1.

Wesley Theological Seminary will be a site for a blood drive for on Sept. 4, “National Blood Drive Day.” Click here to register .
You can also donate blood at the Christopher Gipson Sickle Cell Moya-Moya Foundation Blood Drive on Sept. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nichols Bethel UMC in Odenton. Register.

Fall Day Away for Clergy: The Board of Ordained Ministry's Culture of Call Committee is hosting a Day Away for Clergy on Oct. 17 at Camp Manidokan near Harper's Ferry. The day will include time for fellowship, relaxation, renewal, and optional art, hiking, and zip-line experiences. It can also be extended for an overnight stay. Learn more and register.

ASL Workshop: The Rev. Leo Yates will host a Deaf Ministry 101 workshop at Saint Mark UMC in Hanover on Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon in conjunction with Deaf Awareness Month. Register Here. See a flyer. Contact Rev. Leo Yates with any questions.

Study materials on Social Principles available: The United Methodist Social Principles, as adopted by the 2024 General Conference, will officially take effect on Jan. 1. The Board of Church and Society is offering online resources for churches and small groups to explore these foundational resources. Learn more.

Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., will hold an open house for prospective students on Sept. 10, beginning at 10 a.m. Dean Carla Works will preach in Oxnam Chapel at 11 a.m.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference's Advocacy and Action Ministries invites you to join them for the Building Beloved Relationships Training Webinar Series led by K Scarry of the People's Supper.

This series of four webinars will provide a pathway to leading amidst change and having brave conversations, along with time for further discussion so that you can best understand how to build beloved relationships within your congregations and wider communities. Each class begins at 7 p.m. and will have a unique Zoom login.