Today, I am at the 241st session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, along with pastors and lay persons representing 632 United Methodist congregations in Maryland, Washington, DC, and a small part of West Virginia. There will be worship, lively conversation, presentations, and voting on the conference’s policies, budget, and priorities for the coming year.
This year, the annual conference will undergo a major restructuring as we move from 8 districts to 6 districts. We will create new programs and ministry positions to advance vitality and discipleship and organize churches into collaborative hubs for planning cooperative ministry.
Calvary is currently part of the Frederick District. With the new alignment, we will belong to the Lakes District. Calvary UMC will participate in the Downtown Frederick Hub, made up of 8 churches: Asbury UMC, Brook Hill UMC, Calvary UMC, Centennial Memorial UMC, Jackson Chapel UMC, Trinity UMC, and Walkersville UMC. For more information, see
https://www.bwcumc.org/100-at-100/creating-vital-change/
This year, all the annual conferences that make up the United Methodist Church worldwide will vote on four amendments to the denomination’s constitution. The amendments deal with regionalization, inclusion in church membership, racism, and clergy-delegate elections. To be ratified, these amendments need the support of at least two-thirds of all annual conference voters worldwide. The results won’t be known or announced until after all 127 United Methodist annual conferences in Africa, Europe, the Philippines, and the United States have voted. These amendments were first approved last year at the General Conference meeting. They are intended to update the way that the whole denomination operates. For more information, see: https://www.bwcumc.org/events/2025-annual-conference/proposed-constitutional-amendments-2025/
I am here with Ray and Karen Gebhart, who are new members of the conference representing Calvary Church. Each time I have participated in these conference sessions, I see how the United Methodist Church reaches much further than any of us could on our own. We gather with over a thousand other people who love God and are doing good things in and through the church.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Steve