24 May 2008 by Glen Lauber.

Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, Oxon Hill, MD

May 24, 2008

Good morning from the shores of the Potomac River. We finished business this morning, resolving two leftovers from Friday and two potentially controversial issues all in the spirit of holy conferencing. The conference wrap-up is available on the conference website.

First, Bishop Schol presented a compromise on the BOOM nominations issue (see entry from day 2), which was accepted by the body. The BOOM executive committee and the cabinet agreed to add four more members.

Once that was settled balloting for endorsing a candidate for bishop commenced (see entry for day 2 on issues opened that day). Using the process agreed to on Friday, four nominations were made from the floor. Members of the conference voted for either the delegation-endorsed candidate, four candidates nominated from the floor, and “no nominee.” With 66 percent required for endorsement, a candidate was selected on the third ballot. The Rev. Peggy Johnson of Christ UMC of the Deaf in Baltimore (the delegation’s choice) will be the candidate for bishop from our annual conference when the jurisdictional conference convenes in Harrisburg, PA in July.

What remained were three petitions: a motion to change the pension system, one to encourage support of pregnancy centers, and another to support the continuation of dialog teams on sexual orientation and gender identity (see the pre-conference journal pages 58-60). The pension resolution failed and the other two passed with small amendments.

That afternoon, 18 women and men were ordained as Elders (like Andy and John) and one woman was ordained a full member Deacon (like Al and Ruth). There were also 15 provisional members who were commissioned (people working toward ordination).

The next session of annual conference will be held June 4-6, 2009 at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore.

By and large, this was one of the better annual conferences. It was a good moment for holy conferencing. The bishop set the tone from the start of the conference that gave the Spirit priority over agendas. That became evident this morning when all the controversial issues came to a head. Tomorrow I might have some reflections to share.

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23 May 2008 by Glen Lauber.

Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, Oxon Hill, MD

May 23, 2008

Greetings from Prince George’s County. Today was mostly about reports and some legislation from the two major organs of the annual conference, Discipleship and Stewardship. You can read the conference daily newspaper covering today’s events on the conference website. Some things I mention below may require further elaboration, but I wanted to keep this under 50 words. If you are curious about any of these things I suggest searching the conference website.

There was more than usual discussion over the nominations report (officers of the annual conference are elected for a quadrennium). The report was accepted except for the part covering the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOOM), which oversees the ordination of clergy. The BOOM slate was referred to the conference cabinet and BOOM executive committee for resolution by tomorrow.

You may be interested to know the Al Hammer will serve on BOOM for the first time, and I will start my second term as a member of the Board of Laity, and my first as an lay alternate member of the Committee of Clergy Investigation. Ruth Bell will serve on the Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministries, and John Nupp will chair the Commission on Disability Concerns. Andy Lunt will serve as an alternate on the Committee on Administrative Review.

In legislation, the conference agreed to continue the study of male-female clergy “Remuneration, Mobility and Retention” inequities. The conference did not approve making the Safe Sanctuaries Committee permanent.

Also, the conference approved the 2009 budget of $18,829,745, an increase of 2.97 percent (see more in the Pre-Conference Booklet). The conference receives money from local churches through apportionments. A church adds up how much of their operating budget was spent on themselves (not mission or ministry, but salaries and utilities, for example). Then that figure is multiplied by a “benevolence factor.” The result is what they pay to the annual conference. The benevolence factor for 2009 was set at 22 percent, reduced from 22.5 percent for 2008. Glen Mar Church is paying $186,348 in apportionments this year, based on 2006 data.

The conference conducted a comprehensive study of the apportionment formula and will report its findings at a special session of annual conference in the fall. They were also instructed to explore the rising costs of utilities and how they affect apportionments.

The last bit of business surrounded the process for endorsing a candidate for bishop from our annual conference. Every four years new bishops are elected to replace retiring bishops. Each annual conference may nominate or not nominate somebody for consideration. Normally, the delegation of people elected last year to represent the annual conference at worldwide and regional quadrennial meetings select somebody, that person is presented to the annual conference for endorsement, and that person is endorsed. This year, there was interest in nominating people from the floor (perfectly legitimate), but the process to handle this was unclear. Considerable time was spent today perfecting the process. We decided to start nominations and voting tomorrow.

In other events, we celebrated the full inclusion of the Bermuda churches, Centenary UMC and Marsden UMC, into the Northeastern Jurisdiction, following action at the 2008 General Conference; and as two new churches in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, and Bishop Schol led a participatory exploration of the history of the church through small groups answering, “What would be some key markers or milestones for the Baltimore-Washington conference and what have we learned from them?

There was an update on Nothing But Nets. The conference distribute more than 7,100 nets in Zimbabwe and raise thousands of dollars more for the next shipment of nets. Also, the Rev. Byron Brought campaigned for stopping slots in Maryland when it comes up as a referendum this fall.

Members of the conference shared a number of things about the conference’s stewardship efforts for which they are thankful. Among the causes for gratitude were: loans and grants given to local churches, the HOPE Fund, the United Methodist Foundation; and the fact that this is the 11th year that the Baltimore-Washington Conference has paid its full apportionments to the General Church. The day was capped off by a multicultural festival celebrating the conference’s diversity, which includes Hispanic, Korean, Russian, Deaf, African-American congregations.

It was a long, good day. Reflection will come later.

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22 May 2008 by Glen Lauber.

Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, Oxon Hill, MD
May 22, 2008

Andy Lunt, Dottie Byers, Al Hammer, Karol Hess, John Nupp, Lynne Phillips, and I are here at the Gaylord Hotel at the National Harbor in Prince George’s County, participating in the annual session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church. It’s a nice hotel. Ruth Bell is recovering from knee-replacement surgery and is unable to be present this year.

My intent is to write a Blog entry for each day of the conference while I am here. However, I may decide to go back and update a day’s entry (not add a comment, but edit the initial entry) if I get more information, have more to say, or perhaps decide to add a link to a website, so be sure to check entries you may have already read for changes.

An Annual Conference is a region of hundreds of churches led by a bishop (ours is Bishop John Schol of the Washington Episcopal Area). All of the clergy in that region and an equal number of lay people, who are “Members of the Annual Conference,” meet annually to make decisions about ministry in the conference, and approve the budget to support that ministry. Our four clergy are members of the annual conference by ordination. The other four of us are those who are elected and sent by Glen Mar Church to be lay members alongside the clergy.

Preparation for this conference started over a year ago. To read about the issues coming before the conference, read the conference daily newspaper for Thursday.

Clergy and laity met in their separate sessions this morning for worship, fellowship, lunch, and business. Delores Oden is the conference lay leader. The laity heard reports from the United Methodist Women, United Methodist Men, lay speaking leaders, deaconesses and home missioners. Our guest speaker (whose name I have lost) preached on the importance of preparation for the hard work of ministry, especially a Gethsemane experience for spiritual preparation, and a Calvary experience that challenges our mettle.

An excellent afternoon worship experience was organized and led by young adult clergy and laity. The preacher was Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the Desert Southwest Episcopal Area. Bishop Carcaño preached on, “Do We Dare to Have the Mind of Christ,” with specific application to immigration policy.

Business began at 4 p.m. with the convening of the conference and Bishop Schol’s State of the Conference. He described how United Methodists throughout the Baltimore-Washington Conference are living out their discipleship in bold, audacious and extreme ways, serving like Christ as they grow mission, disciples, spiritual leaders and churches. An article on the address and its full text are available on the Conference website. The bishop cited many exciting ministries in the conference, including PATH, in which Glen Mar Church actively participates.

After dinner, Bishop Jane Middleton of the Harrisburg Episcopal Area taught the conference on “Living the Wesleyan Way.” The Wesleyan Way is practicing John Wesley’s three simple rules: Do No Harm, Do Good, Stay in Love with God.

In particular, I want to bring to your attention, The Advance, a mission support tool of the denomination, which uses 100% of your contribution in mission. Its overhead costs are born by the denomination. See their video.

The last piece of legislation was the approval by the body of a committee proposal to reduce the number of districts from nine to eight. Districts are sub-divisions of an annual conference led by clergy appointed by the bishop to help the bishop oversee hundreds of churches and clergy. The bishop has approved the committees proposed realignment of churches between the eight districts. The impact on Glen Mar is that we will move from the Washington-Columbia District to the new Central Maryland District.

Well, that’s enough for the first day. Today will be longer and harder, 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. I already know that I will be updating this entry…there are details I will be tracking down. 

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29 March 2008 by Glen Lauber.

 This entry is by Melissa Lauber

They that go down to the sea in ships shall see the works of the Lord, we’re told in Psalm 107.

This coming fall, clergy and laity of the Baltimore-Washington Conference will be able to experience some of God’s more remarkable works and wonders on a cruise sponsored by Bishop John Schol.

The 11-day cruise will trace the fourth missionary journey of the apostle Paul to the city of Paul’s destiny – Rome.

The study cruise, Nov. 12-25, will explore the places, events, theology and implications of Acts 27 and 28 with stops in the ancient and story-filled cities of Athens, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Malta, Sicily and Corinth.

While seeing the sights in these cities through the eyes of the Acts 2 church, people will gain new understandings of the biblical narrative. But even more importantly, the cruise opens up an opportunity for pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage, a spiritual discipline that goes back thousands of years, involves setting off on a journey in which the traveling is often more important the destination.

But pilgrimages usually have a destination in mind. After Jerusalem and the Holy Lands, Rome is the most popular Christian pilgrimage site.

Journeying with a wide-open soul, pilgrims leave the cares of everyday living at home to open themselves to the thoughts and experiences that God provides.

In medieval times, going on a pilgrimage could open the doors of heaven. For today’s disciples, such experiences allow a chance for the sacred to stir within our lives in unexpected ways.

Medieval pilgrims wore scallop shells as a badge to alert those whom they encountered that they were traveling outside the traditional map, on a more divine path. Traveling with others, in community, shaped the road as they moved, allowing the spirit to be their compass.

To pilgrims, horizons matter.

The bishop’s cruise brims with possibility for spiritual transformation and adventure.

The itinerary includes the renowned Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, temples, and palaces, and  views of Mt. Etna from Syracuse, once known as the most beautiful of all cities. A tour of Vatican will reveal artistic masterpieces that rival any throughout history, including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Pieta. A tour through ancient Rome will spotlight the Circus Maximus, the Arch of Titus and many other sites; and following a sail to the rock cost of Naples, Pompeii, the city that was buried for more than 1,500 years in the volcanic dust of Mt. Etna, will be seen uncovered.

In addition, throughout it all, the life and faith of Paul, one of the architects of the Christian faith, will be examined in the sites, sounds and sharing of stories.

The tour is sponsored by Educational Opportunities Tours. The inclusive cost is between $2,298 and 4,148, depending upon the ship cabin that is chosen.

While it is possible to be a tourist on this trip, tourists often get caught up in the anxiety of schedules and of finding the new and curious. Traveling as a pilgrim is different.

A pilgrimage insists that we approach the things we see and experience with wonder, awe and faith. It allows you to discover the life you think you ought to be living and allows new doors to open.

At some point, we all should go down to the sea in ships to see the works of the Lord. For in the end, it’s always better to travel well, than to arrive. Or, as coach and philosopher Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  

For more information on Paul’s Fourth Missionary Journey Cruise into History, visit www.eo.travelwithus.com or contact Olivia Gross at ogross@bwcumc.org or 410-309-3430. Remember to mention Melissa Lauber when you call. If enough people sign up in her name, she will get a free trip.

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7 March 2008 by Glen Lauber.

The worst thing anybody can do to Sabbath is legislate it, either in civil government, or church law. Reflect on where that has put Sabbath in the minds of Christians, never mind everybody else. Sabbath today is grotesquely misunderstood and taken for granted; one of those things that only religious Jews and “whacky” Christians do. Sabbath is often seen as a quaint old custom, belonging to an earlier time when people weren’t so busy. But Sabbath is also remembered with longing, thinking back to the good old days of the Blue Laws, where others decided what Sabbath was for you. But, I am not interested in how we got here, just how we get out of here. Sabbath is not a joke, and it is not something to be either ignored or endured. Sabbath is a celebration, and a form of worship. 

Here at Glen Mar Church, we have had experiences with two books on Sabbath. The first, Keeping Sabbath Wholly, by Marva Dawn, was the basis for a five-sermon series in the fall of 2006 by Andy Lunt called, “Life in the Fast Lane,” the first of which can be found here. Audio copies of the sermon series may be purchased in the church office. The second book is being studied now by the Sunday 9:15 adult Bible study class lead by John Nupp, and is called, The Rest of God, by Mark Buchanan. While the two books are different, they are complimentary. The common starting point for each is the heart of the matter; that Sabbath is not a time but an attitude; it has a heart. Do we as Christians (or Jews, or Muslims) have a Sabbath heart, or do we continue to see Sabbath as an item on a checklist to be “done?” 

“Legalism” is an excuse many of us enjoy using to avoid doing inconvenient things, such as observing Sabbath, or tithing, for example. Legalism is what we (Christians, Jews, and Muslims) do to a commandment from God. God never intended for us to do what was commanded without heart. God always intended for us to obey commandments with love for God and for each other. This is what it means for Christ to not abolish the law, but fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). In confronting the religious leaders, His argument was not that the law was invalid (it came from God, after all), but that our application of it was corrupt, heartless, loveless, judgmental. Try this sometime: when you come across a piece of Scripture that is a list of behaviors, laws, or rules (such as Ephesians 4 or Exodus 20), read it, and then go read 1 Corinthians 13. Put them in a bowl and mix well. That’s my idea of justice and mercy; of law and love. 

How do you see Sabbath? What was your experience when it was forced on you, or when you were free to choose it? Are you willing to consider developing a heart for Sabbath? 

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