Charge Conference
The charge conference schedule has been emailed to each pastor and church office. If you did not receive this information, please go to http://www.bwcumc.org/ChargeConference2010 to view the schedule. The charge conference forms for this fall’s season are up on the website. http://www.bwcumc.org/content/charge-conference-landing Please remember that you will need your username and password to log onto Gateway. If you do not have your login information, please contact Pam Mullay at pmullay@bwcumc.org. To log into Gateway go to www.bwcumc.org and sign in. Once you have signed in the menu will appear on the left of the screen (your name should be above it). Scroll down to charge conference, please click on the words “Charge Conference” not the + sign beside the words. If you click on the words the landing pages with the instructions and the list of forms will appear. If you click on the + sign the instructions will not come up. Please remember that you MUST have your forms completed one week on-line prior to the scheduled charge conference, except for the forms that require a vote at the meeting. These forms (clergy compensation, lay speaker vote, Certified Lay Ministers voting form, Ministry to Disciples and candidate for ordained ministry) must be completed except for the vote count one week prior to the scheduled charge conference.


Gateway Training Events
The regional administrators are conducting training for those who are new to the Gateway system (the database system used by BWC) or who want a review of the requirements to access the forms and navigating the system. The events are free and do not require online registration. On September 8, at Mt. Zion UMC, (12430 Scaggsville Road, Rt. 216, Highland, MD) we will have training specifically for SPRC chairs and treasurers covering evaluations/advisory; clergy compensation, and paying bills. There are several trainings for lay speakers on completing their annual reports online. All of these trainings are in September from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. A lay speaker may attend whichever event is most convenient. The training dates are September 14 at Messiah UMC in Glen Burnie; September 15 at Towson UMC in Towson; September 16 at Melvin UMC in Cumberland; September 21 at First UMC in Hyattsville; September 22 at Christ UMC in Frederick; and September 23 at Good Shepherd UMC in Waldorf. Please share these dates with the lay speakers in your church. Please share with your congregation all of these learning opportunities.

Clergy Benefits for 2011
As your local church begins to look at budgeting for 2011, you will need to consider the obligations of the local church for the pastor, not only cash salary, but also medical insurance and pension. Please go to http://www.bwcumc.org/files/2011PensionHealthFlexRate.pdf to view the information from the BWC benefits office with specific information for the local church in regard to their pastor’s benefits for the upcoming calendar year. If you have further questions, please contact Francess Tagoe (ftagoe@bwcumc.org) in the benefits office.

Apportionment Postings
You may access the chart summarizing the apportionment payments on the BWC website under “Finance.” Click on “apportionment contribution report”. That chart is updated with each posting. ACH payments are recorded immediately, whereas check posting takes more time. The goal of the treasurer’s office is to complete posting for the previous month by the 10th of the following month (e.g. all September payments should be posted by October 10. However if there is a delay in the mailing of a check to the lock box and then from the lock box bank recording to BWC, there may be a delay in the posting.) If you think there is an error in the report, we need to know the check number, the date of the check, and the amount of the check before we can ask the treasurer’s office to research the error.

Special Sunday Offerings
General Conference created six unique Special Sundays to help congregations work with communities, rebuild shattered lives, strengthen self-sufficiency, encourage partnerships, nurture Native American ministries, model peace and justice, provide scholarships and loans for United Methodist students, and much more.

In The United Methodist Church, we have six annual opportunities to share beyond our regular gifts through church-wide Special Sundays with offerings.

The Special Sundays remaining for 2010 are as follows:
· World Communion Sunday: October 3, 2010
· United Methodist Student Day: November 28, 2010

You can go to the United Methodist Communication website at http://www.umcgiving.org/ and select Special Sundays to download the order form OR you can call 888-346-3862 to place an order. It takes about one week to get the order!

Useful resource for local churches for Special Sundays: The 2009-2012 Pastors' Guide lists ALL of the dates, leaders’ resources, and related information for the Special Sundays through the end of 2012. This is FREE download but will not be sent out via the US Mail.

'Youth Life After ROCK’
The second of four video resources developed for youth to follow up on their weekend experiences at the ROCK Retreat last January is now available. The video, designed to strengthen the connections and commitments made that weekend, are available free online or on a DVD for $10. This resource builds on the preaching and teaching of the Rev. Stephen Gallaher of Salt and Light Ministries. To download or order, go to http://www.bwcumc.org/youthministryresource. For additional information, contact Pam Bowen at pbowen@bwcumc.org.

UPCOMING REGIONAL EVENTS
Discipler Groups begin again September 7, 8, 9. The groups will meet from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. For more information about Discipler Groups, please go to http://www.bwcumc.org/files/Final_Discipler_Groups_2010_2011.pdf.

Fall Discipleship Academy registration is online. For more information go to: http://www.bwcumc.org/microsites/g/discipleship-academy.

OTHER UP COMING CONFERENCE EVENTS
Bishop Day Apart with Laity: September 25 at Bethany UMC. More information can be found by clicking on this link to the BWC website: http://www.bwcumc.org/bishopsdaywithlaity.

Be sure to keep up with events and news through the econnection, an online newsletter than can be accessed through the BWC website, by clicking on “news”, then scroll to “econnection”.