October Discipler Group Make-up Date Correction
The NEW October make-up date will be on Tuesday October 26 from 9:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m. at the Baltimore-Washington Conference Mission Center.


Evaluation Process (Please pass on this information to your SPRC and Council Chairs)
Grace and peace to you in this busy time of year as Charge Conferences are convening and the people of the Baltimore Washington Conference are meeting and worshipping together. Another piece of our work each Fall as pastors, SPRC, and Councils is to complete the evaluation instrument.

           

Training was provided two years ago for staff parish relations committees and a DVD given to each congregation. Please show that DVD to your SPRC so that all are working together and agree on the process. If you do not have the DVD, it is on the website and can be viewed or copied from there. http://www.bwcumc.org/Resources/Church+SPRC/Evaluations_Appointments

             

Each year, the question about whether the pastor should be present for his or her evaluation arises. There are clear recommendations on the form encouraging congregations to meet for a maximum of one hour prior to the meeting with the full committee including the pastor. Please then have the meeting with the pastor immediately contiguous to the initial conversation.

             

The due date is December 1, 2010 for completion of all the forms. Please print a draft copy of each part from the website for the committees and pastor to use for conversation. Following those dialogues, the SPRC chair goes onto Gateway and fills out the forms and submits. You may wish to make a hard copy of the completed instruments prior to sending them in, particularly the pastoral evaluation. By January 31, 2011, you may view comments from your guide on Gateway. Advisory forms are also available to be completed by the pastor and SPRC chair.

             

We  thank you for your diligence and commitment in working through this process and invite you to call your guide if there are any questions regarding the way it is to be completed.

Discipleship Academy
Registration is still open for Discipleship Academy. Please go to http://www.bwcumc.org/microsites/g/discipleship-academy for more information about classes.


Registration - all classes are for 6 weeks. Online registration ONLY: $35 if registering online and paying by credit card. You will need your Gateway user name and password to log in or you may create a new online account. If you have forgotten your user name click "forgot" and it will be sent to your email account. Online registration deadlines are listed with the location. Paper registration is available for a $5 surcharge. If you need a paper registration form, please contact Darryl Campbell at dcampbell@bwcumc.org.


General Information
Space is limited - no walk-in registration the day of the event.
There will be no refund once registration is closed. In the case of any emergency contact your Associate Dean. You are responsible for obtaining your own required materials and books.


Reserving Conference Rooms at the Conference Mission Center
If you would like to reserve a room at the Conference Mission Center for a meeting, please contact our new coordinator for radical hospitality, John Gauthier at jgauthier@bwcumc.org. When sending the email, be sure to include the following information:

• Date of the meeting
• Start and end time
• Name and number (or email address) of the main contact person for the meeting
• Audio visual requirements
• Seating requirements (number of people and style you want the room set up - class room, banquet style, etc.)

If you need any local catering, John also has a list of local caterers or places where you can order food.


Audit Forms
If you have not submitted your 2009 audit forms, please send them to dcampbell@bwcumc.org.


Fully Alive DVD still available

This four-part Immersion Series provides sermon helps, small group study material, and a DVD with video illustrations to enable your people to discover God’s call. Cost is $19.95. Learn more or order yours today at www.bwcumc.org/fullyalive.

Our Brothers' Keepers

We are inviting you to a ground-breaking, county-wide event:

O U R   B R O T H E R S’   K E E P E R S

A Gathering of Howard County Faith Groups

To Brainstorm How We Can Work Together to Better Aid Our Neighbors in Need

(Without Killing Our Staffs or Budgets!)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2010 ~ CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

PLEASE RSVP BY OCTOBER 12:

410-465-2919  or  email: ChristChurchLink@gmail.com

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You should attend if you . . .

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Ø      Get requests from those in need of financial assistance to avoid evictions or utility turnoffs, to buy food, or to pay for a place for them to sleep.

Ø      Have an outreach program to assist them – or wish that you did, but don’t have sufficient staff, funds, time, or intake experience.

Ø      Are overwhelmed with requests – or your outreach budget is falling short.

Ø      Wish you knew of more resources to help residents in crisis.

Ø      Are concerned about how to separate legitimate need from scams.

Ø      Wonder if there’s a way to provide assistance more effectively and equitably.

Bottom line:  Do you wish you could do a better job of being your brothers’ and sisters’ keeper?

If you do, you are not alone. Many faith groups are struggling with similar issues.  Please mark your calendar and call or email right now to RSVP to join us for this can’t-miss event.

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Program Note:  County human service agency and nonprofit experts will join the discussion to help us get a better picture of the real need and explore how we can more effectively, equitably work to meet it. See the enclosed flier for more details -- and feel free to share it with others.

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Please join us to break bread and be a part of this critical discussion. It will be a unique opportunity to share our experiences, strategies, concerns and questions. Perhaps we can even brainstorm an action plan or two that will ease the burdens of the needy, as well as our staffs, our budgets, and our hearts.

World Methodist Conference
The World Methodist Conference is an occasion for churches that are part of the Methodist Family to gather every few years for inspiration, teaching, connecting, mission awareness and celebration. Methodist Bodies are asked to send delegates as representatives to the Conference. For the last WMC, held in Seoul, Korea in 2006, several persons from BWC attended, each person registered and paid their own expenses.  

For the 2011 conference, persons are welcome to register and pay their way.

The BWC would like to know how this event will help you grow disciples and lead congregations to bear Acts 2 fruit. 

Are you interested in attending the World Methodist Conference in Durban, SA on August 4-8, 2011?  We would like to know if you plan to attend.   Please fill out the information below and forward it to Darryl Campbell at dcampbell@bwcumc.org. 

Name:                                                                  Email:

Church:                                                                Position(s):

Guide:

What is your intention for attending the WMC?

How do you anticipate this experience benefiting your local church and our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?

Spiritual Leaders Self-Care Program 2010 - 2011
Bounce: Living the Resilient Life and Prayerfulness: Awakening to the Fullness of Life by Robert Wicks will be the two primary resource books for the 2010 – 2011 Spiritual Leaders Self-Care Program (SLSCP). While still examining all aspects of self-care and setting individual goals in areas where improvement is desired, each of our five overnight retreats at West River will have a focused time for meditation, spiritual and theological reflection. Participants will take the Spiritual Mindfulness Questionnaire (SMQ) to get a “clearer sense of how open, present, and prayerful you are in your daily life.” Using a reflection guide, we will chart our individual courses to improve our sense of prayerfulness and awareness. From this perspective we will take stock of how we want to improve other areas of care for self as we care for others.

New participants are needed to join the Spiritual Leaders Self-Care Program!  Earn 3 CEU’s while you deepen your spiritual life and commit to taking better care of yourself! The five overnight retreats are held at West River United Methodist Center, West River, MD 20778.  The retreats begin with 5:30 p.m. dinner on the Thursday evenings and end mid-afternoon on Fridays:  October 28-29, 2010; Dec. 16-17, 2010; Jan. 27-28, 2011; March 17-18, 2011; May 6-7, 2011.

During the time between retreats participants may also choose to use The Spiritual Leader’s Guide to Self-Care by Rochelle Melander and Harold Eppley throughout the year. Themes explored in the book include: Creating a Life Vision, Caring for Yourself at Work, Nurturing Your Relationships, Caring for Your Physical and Material Needs, Caring for Your Spiritual and Intellectual Needs, and Sustaining a Life Vision.

Prospective participants are invited to email Anne Stewart at RevDrAnne@comcast.net to register or ask additional questions.

Tuition for the entire program is $450, payable in two installments of $225 in October 2010 and February 2011. Overnight lodging and breakfast and lunch at West River cost $45 for each retreat and is payable at the time of each retreat, or may be paid in full ($225) in October.

The facilitator for the retreats is Rev. Dr. Anne Ross Stewart.  A retired member of the BWC of the UMC, Dr. Stewart currently works part-time at Cornerstone Pastoral Care and Counseling Center in Edgewater, MD. She is in her 26^th year as a faculty member of the Pastoral Counseling Department of Loyola University Maryland, and is a Past President of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC).  Dr. Stewart is a Diplomat in AAPC, a licensed professional counselor, and a licensed marriage and family therapist in MD.

If you have questions, please contact Anne by email RevDrAnne@comcast.net or by phone at home, 301-812-0112, or at her office, 410-266-8596, extension 308.

New Discipleship Academy Class
Deepening Your Effectiveness: A new approach for a Discipleship Academy class!  Checkout!

An in depth class on the book:

Deepening Your Effectiveness  by Dan Glover and Claudia Lavy.  This book offers a fresh perspective on developing disciples and reaching the unchurched. Purchase the book and begin the class online on Nov. 1 with your first assignment and online discussion. Class concludes with a two day workshop at BWC Mission Center on Fri. Dec. 3 (1-6pm) - Sat. Dec.4 (9-3pm). 

Taught by Rev. Victoria Starnes, Guide Annapolis Southern Region. Cost $35, plus $10 for lunch on Saturday. Watch for registration at bwcumc.org/Academy. Order book from Cokesbury or www.deepeningyoureffectiveness.org.