Hughes Memorial UMC Weekly Blog (12/9/19 - 12/15/19)

Church Calendar

HMUMC - 12 Month Look Ahead

Weekly Calendar

Monday - 12/09/19

• No Scheduled Events

Tuesday - 12/10/19

• (5:30pm - 6:30pm) Free Community Meal
• (6:00pm - 7:00pm) Hour of P.O.W.E.R.
• (7:00pm - 8:00pm) Board of Trustees Meeting

Wednesday - 12/11/19

• Zoom Bible Study - Revelation {Videoconference https://zoom.us/j/688985940 / Teleconference (646) 876-9923; Meeting ID: 688 985 940}

Thursday - 12/12/19

• (Noon - 2:30pm) Senior Fellowship

Friday - 12/13/19

• (7:00pm - 9:00pm) NA - Narcotics Anonymous

Saturday - 12/14/19

• (11am - 12:30pm) Clothes Closet
• (11am - 1pm) Food Pantry
• (10am - Noon) Men's Fellowship
• (Noon - 2pm) United Methodist Women
• (2pm - 4pm) Taste of Christmas
• (11am - 4pm) Berean Bible Study

Sunday - 12/14/19

• (9:30am - 10:30am) Bible Study - Revelation
• (11am - 12:30pm) Worship Service

December Birthdays

Michelle Bates - December 3rd
Debra Williams - December 4th
Sandra Faggins - December 7th

Constance Tynes - December 14th
Ryan Jones - December 14th
Willie Davies - December 17th
Martha Robinson - December 17th
Joyce Mathis - December 21st
Carol Bain - December 31st

December Anniversaries

James and Pauline Woolfolk - December 10th (48 years)
Harold and Madlyn Fisher - December 26th (33 Years)

Prayers of Comfort

Family of Inez Robertson

Family of Carol Isaac

Sharmayne Miller

Prayers of Protection

Tristan Watkins (Southern Maryland Community College)

Daisha Walston (St. Andrews University)

All our Children                                                      

Prayers of Healing

Steven Hamlin (Home)    Diana Walker (Home)


Anna Walker (Home)        Carleen Murray (Home)

Carmen Mosby (Home)   Delores Jones (Home)

Jacqueline Burnette (Home)    James Isaac (Home)   

Winifred Stanford (Home)   Rubye Smith (Home)

Kathyrn Smith (Home)     William & Jacqueline Eley (Home)

Constance Tynes (Spring Hills Assisted Living)

Julius Williams, Sr. (Sunrise Assisted Living)

Julia Tuten (mother of Melvin Tuten)  

Michael McClain (son of Yvonne Stitt)

Community Resources 

• Checkout the latest  Hi-Lites October 2019
• Checkout the - Fellowship Hall Calendar

Community Information   

HI-LITES

Hi-Lites time is approaching. The winter issue is scheduled for distribution the first Sunday of January 2020. It would be greatly appreciated if you could get your inspirational items, ministry news (past and future), family pieces and all other articles to Maggie at your earliest convenience, or by Sunday, December 22^nd.   Emails should be sent to mboydwms@aol.com with Hi-Lites in the subject line. Many thanks!

2020 Northeastern Jurisdiction Conference

The Baltimore Washington Conference is the Host Conference of the 2020 NEJ Conference, July 13 -17,2020 at the Delta Hotel, Hunt Valley, MD. I am privileged to be serving as the Local Host Chairperson. We will be hosting 192 delegates, our Bishops, Bishops' Spouses, Bishops' Assistants and countless guests. Hosting invites the help of many hands and hearts. If you are interested, please email me at pastorp527@gmail.com. 

Some of the servant opportunities include: greeting, welcoming (at the airports/train stations, light rail), knitting (more info later) pages, tellers and runners. If you don't see an area of serving that interests you, don't let that stop you...email me with how you are willing to serve.

When you email, provide your name, best email contact, your region or district, and how you are willing to serve. Spread the word!

Rev. Dr. Patricia Allen, Local Host Chairperson

Oxon Hill UMC, Pastor

2019 BWC Annual Conference Report

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NOVEMBER BWC EVENTS

·· November 5-January 7 ~ Training Tuesdays provides training by local experts for leaders of local church committees. There are six topics and these unique, personalized, online-trainings will be provided through Zoom. All presentations are scheduled from 7-8:30 p.m.  Register online and share the full schedule with others.  

DECEMBER BWC EVENTS

· Due December 1 ~ Pastors, Deacons and SPRC Chairs are asked to complete evaluations by December 1.   Please visit the Evaluations webpage for worksheets.  All Evaluations are completed in Arena. 

Register for a Statistical Report Training:  Multiple Locations, Dates and Times -- https://arenaweb.bwcumc.org/default.aspx?page=3452&event=5459 
If you are responsible for completing the 2019 Statistical Report, you are encouraged to register for this training.  During our time together, you will learn what system to use, what information is used to calculate your Apportionment and what figures should and should not be included.  Choose a location, date and time that works best for you:

• December 5 ~10 am-noon (BWC, 11711 E Market Pl., Fulton, MD)
• December 9 ~ 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm (BWC, 11711 E Market Pl., Fulton, MD)
• December 10 ~ 10 am-noon (St. Luke's UMC, 700 New York Ave., Martinsburg, WV)
• December 10 ~ 2-4 pm (Trinity UMC, 703 W Patrick St., Frederick, MD)

__________________

2020 BWC EVENTS (Save the Dates) 

·  January 14 ~ 2019 Mission Shares (Apportionments) Due

·  January 28 ~ Statistical Reports Due

·  February 7–9 ~ ROCK

·  March 7 ~ Connect Leadership Summit (Leadership Day)

·  May 5 –15 ~ General Conference

·  May 27 –29 ~ Annual Conference

·  July 13 –17 ~ Jurisdictional Conference

·  September 12-13 ~ Washington Region Lay Servant Ministries Academy

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Love.

      In what seems like a very long time ago, two friends, Grace and Knowledge met at a Christmas Conference in Baltimore. They hit it off right away despite their vast theological differences. There were and still are so many things they did not agree on but they both had a deep abiding love of God. So, as the Christmas Conference ended, they agreed to stay in touch with one another and pray for one another. They also promised to pray that the new Connection that was formed in Baltimore would move on to perfection.

      Grace lived in the North and Knowledge lived in the South, so they did not see each other that often but they stayed in touch and prayed for one another just as they had promised to do. They cherished the moments they were able to be with each other even though they often fought. In the early days of their friendship most of their fights revolved around slavery. Knowledge owned slaves and justified his right to own slaves by quoting verse after verse after verse from the Bible.

Regardless of how many times they met and discussed why Knowledge should set his slaves free, he would not relent. This greatly distressed Grace especially since she believed Knowledge knew better. 

Grace would remind Knowledge over and over again that we are all made in God’s image. She would also make it clear that God would not consider slavery a form of love. Perhaps, Knowledge knew that slaves were made in the image of God, but he was so blinded by his desire for power and wealth accumulation that he could not see a future without his slaves.

      It also distressed Grace when some of the brothers and sisters they met at the Christmas Conference in Baltimore left the Connection because Knowledge and the people who thought like him refused to affirm the full humanity of African Americans.

And yet, Grace did not give up on her friendship with Knowledge. She kept praying that they would move on to perfection. But Knowledge and his friends dug in their heels and during a General Conference in Louisville they decided to split from the Connection over the issue of slavery.

It was a strained relationship, but Knowledge and Grace remained friends and continued to pray for one another even though they no longer belonged to the same Connection. Grace and Knowledge rarely saw one another anymore so they were both happy when their Connections reunited at a General Conference in Kansas City.

Nevertheless, Grace was still dismayed and disappointed because Knowledge remained hard-hearted. Knowledge refused to fully affirm African Americans even though he could no longer legally own slaves. But they kept praying for one another and praying the Connection would move on to perfection.

Grace finally confronted Knowledge about his unwillingness to fully affirm the humanity of women. She asked him, “Why don’t you support the ordination of women?” Once again, he cited various Bible verses to support his stance and he refused to soften his heart.

Finally, at a General Conference in Minneapolis women were granted full clergy rights which meant they could be ordained.

Later on at a General Conference in Dallas the Connection dissolved the Central Jurisdiction and at least in principle affirmed the full humanity of Black people. Grace and Knowledge seemed to be on the road to reconciliation until they saw one another at the General Conference in Atlanta ...

During this General Conference, Grace was pleased that the Connection affirmed the sacred worth of all human beings including homosexuals but she was dismayed and dumbfounded when Knowledge led a charge to relegate homosexuals to a status of less than by deeming their human sexuality as being incompatible with Christian teaching.

Once again, he quoted various Bible verses to justify his stance. Since that General Conference in Atlanta, the relationship between Grace and Knowledge has steadily drifted apart again. They still pray for one another and they still hope the Connection is moving towards perfection. But yet again, they are wondering if they should be a part of the same Connection given their vast theological differences.

This week they are attending a Special General Conference in St. Louis. Let us pray that regardless of the outcome that Love will win and the Connection will move on to perfection! Love.