There is Hope for the City

(The following is the Hope for the City report to the 224th Session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference in May 2008.)

In November 2006, the Connectional Table directed that there be a study of the state of the United Methodist churches in Baltimore. The study was to be designed to take a comprehensive look at what has and is occurring in the life the churches of the Baltimore metropolitan area, and to offer recommendations as to how we might strengthen the United Methodist presence in Baltimore as we have moved into the 21st century.

Over the course of the next year, the Baltimore Strategy Core Team, comprised of twelve persons representing the Baltimore region, engaged in the task of analyzing the state of the churches and communities of Baltimore, and developing a comprehensive plan for urban ministry in the metropolitan area. The document, Hope of the City - Adventure Pathways towards Transformation (A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR MINISTRY IN BALTIMORE) was presented to the Discipleship Council and Connectional Table in November 2007.

A number a learnings emerged from the study. First, it was learned that persons in the churches of the Baltimore region and across our conference continue to appreciate the historic significance of Methodism in Baltimore. In-fact, Baltimore is the home of Methodism in America, and the city which served as the place of impetus for the early Methodist movement. We learned that Methodism in Baltimore traces its roots back more that 230 years. Churches like Lovely Lane, Sharp Street Memorial, Old Otterbein, and Centennial-Caroline are some of the oldest worshipping communities in all of Methodism, and today continue to offer vital ministry to their respective communities.

We also learned that the churches of the city continue invariably to be community congregations. Baltimore is a city of 26 distinctive communities. Each of these communities have specific histories and identities, and the 48 United Methodist congregations that minister in each, have continued in their efforts to address the particular spiritual and social needs of these distinct communities.

We learned that there are many cases of congregations that are bearing Acts 2 fruit in the city. Many churches continue to offer worship that is vital and relevant to their settings, develop ministries that help to make and grow disciples of Jesus Christ, and engage in mission and outreach to those in need.

We learned of the tremendous faithfulness, resourcefulness and spirit of United Methodists across the city and the entire region. This spirit can be summarized in hope. People invariably expressed a hopefulness that the United Methodist churches in Baltimore and the surrounding communities would continue to actively engage in ministry that would transform lives.

This hope, as found in our churches, is to be viewed against the backdrop of a city that is in many ways in peril. Baltimore continues to rank near the top in the nation in rates of HIV/AIDS infection, heroine and cocaine addiction, and murder and other violent crimes. In 2007, there were over 270 persons murdered in the city, making Baltimore the second most violent city in the nation. Baltimore also ranks near the top in the rate of high school dropouts, poverty, and infant mortality.

On December 7, 2007, Bishop John Schol led us in a prayer vigil and press conference at John Wesley United Methodist Church in west Baltimore. On that day, more than 350 persons gathered from churches and communities across our conference to pray, worship, and commit to engaging in efforts to in address violence in the communities of the city, and bring about the shalom that God intends for us.

As a part of our prayer vigil on that day, we visited three sights where persons had been murdered within the previous 12 months. Two of the persons who had been murdered at these sights were 18 year old men, and the other was a 36 year old man. On that day last December, what we were reminded of most is that the church’s presence in the city is still vitally necessary if we are to experience God’s shalom.

The implementation of the Hope for the City Ministry Plan and the Bishop’s Initiative to address violence in the city, have begun to give impetus and evidence to the hope shared across our churches. In partnership with the Board of Childcare and our Conference Camping ministries, we have committed to providing a camping experience this summer and in years to come to children across the city who have experienced the death of a loved one due to violence.

We have developed the framework and have begun to offer pastoral counseling to persons victimized by violence. We are in conversation with city police officials to establish a process for churches to assist in the turn-in of guns and other weapons across the city. Recently, one of our congregations in Northeast Baltimore – the New Life United Methodist Church – hosted the first city-wide forum of gang violence in the city.

There’s hope for the city. Through the Hope for the City Ministry Plan – with the coordinating leadership of the Hope Council and Dr. Bruce Haskins – eight congregations in Baltimore are in the process of becoming new communities of Shalom in partnership with the National Communities of Shalom and Drew University. These congregations and their teams will begin Shalom Zone training in June.

One of our existing Shalom Zones in Baltimore, the Christ Church of the Deaf and Dr. Peggy Johnson, recently received an award from the state of Maryland for their leadership and involvement in transforming communities across the region. At our recent General Conference in Ft. Worth TX, two of our Baltimore congregations, which are shalom sites, Christ Church of the Deaf (an existing site) and Christ Church east Baltimore (one of our 8 new sites) were privileged to lead the General Conference in worship. Our efforts in piloting eight new shalom sites received recognition at the gathering for the National Communities of Shalom in Ft. Worth.

There’s hope for the city. The strategic ministry plan has also served as an impetus of us being at the forefront of an emerging partnership between churches and the Baltimore City Department of Social Services. The Baltimore-Washington Conference recently received recognition for our leadership in establishing Family Asset Centers in several churches in various parts of the city. At least three of our Baltimore congregations have recently partnered with the Patterson Memorial Association to engage in innovative projects in their churches. The partnership between the Baltimore Hispanic Congregation and Justice for Our Neighbors provides a vital ministry with immigrant persons in the city.

There’s hope for the city. Recently, in response to a rash of violence in the public schools in Baltimore, a call went out for at least 500 volunteers to commit time to working with children in the schools. We give thanks that two of the persons providing leadership in this effort, among many others, are United Methodists – Mr. Michael Carter of Unity United Methodist Church, and Rev. Giovanni Arroyo of Salem-Baltimore Hispanic Ministries.

The United Methodist Men of the Baltimore region and across the conference have heeded a call to help restore hope. The Men have recently made a commitment to consolidate their volunteer efforts to work on the upkeep of historic Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Southwest Baltimore.

There’s hope for the city. As together we continue to our efforts to implement the short-term and long-range plans for ministry in the metropolitan Baltimore area, we are committed to strengthening and developing urban lay and clergy leadership, partnering to strengthen existing congregations and start new congregations where opportunities may arise, and identifying resources that we will assist congregations and leaders in our ongoing efforts to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

There is hope for the city. Our prayer is that all of us will share in this hope, and that together, and with God’s help, we will work toward the vision of Baltimore becoming a model for urban ministry across our connection.