Lent Begins with Call to Prayer and Action
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Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church • BecomingConnection fully alive in Christ and making a difference in a diverse and ever-changing world • www.bwcumc.org • Volume 27, Issue 02 • February 2016 UM More than 5,000 youth, young adults, and their leaders gathered in Ocean City, Md., in early February for the annual ROCK retreat. Our coverage continues on page 12, and we have posted dozens of images from ROCK on the BWC Facebook page, www.facebook. com/bwcumc. BWC giving reaches 91.7%; 15-year high By Melissa Lauber UMConnection Staff 91.66 percent!” The Council on Finance and Administration meeting are usually serious times of reporting and reflection. However, in the recent meeting on apportionment giving in “2015, the numbers danced. They literally twirled in the PowerPoint presentation. 91.7 percent is the highest collection rate for apportionment giving in 15 years, as congregations gave money to fund ministries beyond their local churches. “This is definitely cause for celebration,” said Baltimore- Washington Conference Treasurer Paul Eichelberger. Eichelberger singled out the Cumberland-Hagerstown District for its faithfulness in paying 98.4 percent of its apportionments. Eighty of its 83 churches paid 100 percent. He also praised the Greater Washington Photos by Melissa Lauber District, which had its highest collection rates in five years and the Baltimore Suburban District, which rose from 89.1 percent in 2014 to 96.3 percent in 2015. Lent begins with call to prayer and action He also lifted up seven local churches who gave significantly more than they originally projected they By Melissa Lauber would be able to. The churches that gave more than UMConnection Staff $5,000 than they initially reported they might include Sharp Street Memorial UMC in Baltimore; Ellerslie –St. uring the season of Lent, Bishop Marcus suffering brought on by the drought,” he wrote in an Ash Andrews in Baltimore; Calvary in Mt. Airy; Cresaptown Matthews is calling upon the people of the Wednesday letter to the Conference. UMC, Lincoln Park UMC in Washington; Emanuel Baltimore-Washington Conference to enter “This Lent, I encourage you to let God empower you in Catonsville and Francis Asbury National Korean in to a spirit of repentance, prayer, self-reflection to make a difference in the lives of others every day. Cast Rockville. and bold ministry. away the fears that may be keeping you from stepping D While there was much cause for celebration, it was This year, Bishop Matthews spent Ash Wednesday out into bold ministry and mission. Claim hope. Claim noted that the annual conference members voted to set at a Board of Directors meeting at Africa University in Christ, and then act in a way that serves your loved ones, the collection rate at 92 percent when they adopted the Zimbabwe. There, his heart was moved by the nationally your community and the world,” he wrote. $17,331,386 budget. The collection rate of 91.7 brought declared disaster caused by severe drought. Official “Lent is a season of confession and repentance,” the the budget within $52,000 of its goal. estimates are that 2.4 million people, a quarter of the bishop said. “It is also a time to claim the power and In 2014, the churches paid only 90.77 percent of their country’s population, currently need food aid. potential that God grants each of us and put it to work in apportionments, causing a $264,000 shortfall. “The people of the Baltimore-Washington Conference the church and the world. God is calling out for us to go This year’s giving really is a great news story, Eichelberger have a covenant partnership with the people of the deeper to use our minds, our imaginations, our passions said. “It acknowledges the great capacity of our conference.” Zimbabwe Episcopal Area. I hope you will join me in and our deepest yearnings to make a difference in our A church-by-church report on 2015 apportionment praying for our partners and for an alleviation of the ever-changing world.” giving is on pages 8-11 of this issue. 2 UMConnection Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church February 2016 Ancient church mothers and fathers often greeted one another with the phrase, “Give me a word.” This greeting led to the sharing of insights and wisdom. Today we continue this tradition with this monthly column. By Mandy Sayers By Daryl Williams Pastor, Covenant UMC, Gaithersburg Pastor, St. Paul UMC, Oxon Hill Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else he word “lift” has always had a magical could help, love lifted me!” meaning for me. No matter what the context The hymn writer uses the image of lifting to was, there was never a time that “lift” meant describe Jesus’ rescuing him from sin and the something bad. quagmire of life when left to his own devices. Psalm 40 “ As a member of the football team, a couple times a week, talks about a God who lifted the psalmist out of the miry T we would all go lift. We’d head to the gym and workout clay and set his feet upon a rock. and try to get bigger and stronger in preparation for the big Perhaps you have known the feeling, either in your game. We would lift for hours trying to get better. spiritual life or in your personal life, where you have needed When we turned 16, we were all waiting for someone to a “hand up,” or a “lift” from where you are to where God is get a car and then we would be able to get a lift anywhere calling you to go. Sometimes God’s hand comes through a we wanted to go. As opposed to taking the bus or the train, person who provides the lift that is needed. we’d now be able to get a lift. It is in these spaces, where need meets love, that we see You see, lifting always makes things better. No matter the wonder of grace, giving love we didn’t earn, lifting us if it is lifting weights to increase body strength, or giving when we are least able to help ourselves. When I went off someone a life to get from a less desirable place to a more to college, my parents got smarter in my eyes very quickly, desirable one, when lifting takes place things get better. as I began to see what they had done for me, the sacrifices Think of the things we try to lift. We want to lift people they had made for my education and as an investment in out of lives of poverty. We encourage people to lift their God’s future for me. I said to Daddy one day, “I… I… will sights to higher heights. Psalm 121, one of my personal never be able to pay you back for all you have done for me.” favorites, tells us, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from His response was, “Oh honey, of course not. That’s not how whence comes my help?” In all cases and in all things, love works. One day, your child will have that same look lifting leads to better things. on her face, and you will explain to her about grace and The question you have to ask yourself is: What are you extravagant love.” willing to lift in this season of life? This Lent, what is God calling you to do to show God’s Maybe it is time to lift your sights. Lifting your sights extravagant love? Perhaps God is calling you into a prayer allows you to begin to look for the bigger, better and greater life more focused on gratitude and less on complaining. out of life. Perhaps God is calling you to “lift” someone through Maybe it is time for you to lift your spirits. Lifting your visiting the lonely, or feeding the hungry, or writing a note spirits gets you out of the doldrums, ends pity-parties and to someone who has “lifted” you. sets you closer to God. Maybe God is calling you to “lift” someone in love Finally, maybe it is time to lift someone else. When we through a gift to Africa University, where you will invest in take the time to lift someone else we get the benefit of someone you may have never met, but whom God knows seeing them become closer to who God would have them to and loves intimately. be combined with the joy of helping them to get there. I know very well how it feels to be able to say, “Love No matter if it is for you, or for someone else, its time to lifted me!” Lent is a time to share God’s gifts and love to lift get or give a lift. others. May you observe a holy, and breathtaking, Lent. EVENTS Leadership Days BWC Scholarships Fantastic opportunities for training Deadline is March 1 ASBURY BICENTENNIAL OBSERVANCE Visit bwcumc.org/leadership-days/ The BWC is accepting applications for college scholarships. To learn more, visit • Feb. 20 and March 5 - “Navigating http://bwcumc.org/finance/scholarships/ It was 200 years ago this spring that Francis Asbury, the first bishop of the Discipleship,” Southern Region Methodist Church, died. His life and legacy will be • Feb. 27 - “Guiding Today’s Disciples to Be Bold and the Growth Will Be celebrated Sunday, April 3. The observance begins at Become Tomorrow’s Servant Leaders,’ Told Leadership Training Lovely Lane UMC in Baltimore, where the Rev. Fred Western Region March 11 (7-9:30 p.m.) and Day of the General Commission on Archives and • March 5 - “Dare to Lead,” Washington March 12 (8 a.m.