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Maryland
Maryland regulators advise short-term halt to utility shutoffs after energy assistance runs out
With the state facing a shortfall in energy assistance funds, Maryland’s electric and gas utilities have been ordered to give customers who’ve been denied help with bills additional notice before shutting off service for nonpayment.
The Maryland Public Service Commission is requiring utilities to give an additional 15 days notice on affected terminations through July 31. But the regulators stopped short of placing a moratorium on turn-offs as called for by the Office of People’s Counsel, which advocates for the state’s ratepayers.
In an order issued late Tuesday, the commission decided against a moratorium because most utilities have voluntarily halted disconnections for account holders denied assistance from two state utility programs. But commissioners strongly encouraged gas and electric companies to put terminations on hold through at least July 31.
Two federally funded programs run by the state Department of Human Services ran out of funds in April, the commission said in its order.
Since April 17, the Office of Home Energy Programs has denied applications to the Maryland Energy Assistance Program and the Gas Arrearage Retirement Assistance Program. Funds are unavailable at least through June 30, the end of the current fiscal year.
The state ran out of money after it received an unprecedented increase in applications in fiscal year 2023, combined with higher energy costs and budgetary constraints. Additionally, more people were eligible for grants under legislation passed in 2023. The programs are funded through a federal block grant, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
The commission’s order was issued the same day the Office of People’s Counsel filed an emergency petition asking the commission to halt all power shut-offs until Sept. 15 because of extreme summer heat. The People’s Counsel asked the commission to waive fees and deposits for customers who had their power cut off but want to reconnect during the summer. As an alternative to a full moratorium, the office recommended barring utilities from terminating service for non-payment unless doing so won’t threaten the occupants’ health.
The emergency petition was filed separately from the funding shortage case, and the commission is expected to issue a separate ruling.
The commission began seeking input on the utility bill assistance shortage and the potential need for a moratorium at the end of May and received feedback from utilities, consumer advocates and community resource organizations.
“The Commission recognizes that, while moratoriums on service terminations may be necessary, sometimes the potential negative consequences may outweigh the benefits,” the order said.
The Fuel Fund of Maryland told the commission that a moratorium — and a resulting accumulation of charges — can make it difficult for low-to-moderate-income households to catch up on overdue bills once the moratorium ends.
Utilities told the commission they were taking actions to protect affected customers, including halting service disconnections and collections and referring customers to other financial assistance programs.
BGE, which has its own bill management programs and has referred customers to others, said it has halted service disconnections for affected customers until July 15. Potomac Electric Power Company and Delmarva Power and Light also said they have put protections in place until July 15 to keep affected customers connected.
The commission adopted a recommendation from the Maryland Energy Assistance Program to have utilities add 15 days to termination notices sent to customers denied assistance between April 17 and June 30.
The Office of People’s Counsel had recommended a short-term moratorium on service disconnections, through July 15.
“Most of the utilities have agreed to hold off on terminating customers who have been determined eligible for the two programs, so we’re happy about that,” People’s Counsel David S. Lapp said. “We’re hoping to get some insight as to when the federal funds will arrive and be distributed to qualifying customers.”
The order requires the state Department of Human Services to report back to the commission on the status of the energy assistance programs’ long-term funding and timing of future distribution of funds, for instance whether a delay is expected after the state’s fiscal year begins July 1
Under the order, utilities are required to give the commission a status report within 30 days confirming the additional notice time as well as efforts to lock accounts and halt disconnections for the affected group of customers.
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There’s no change at the top of the latest Maryland high school boys basketball Top 25 rankings. Bullis School, DeMatha Catholic, Georgetown Prep, St. Frances Academy and Glenelg Country School maintain their positions in the Top 5.
Edmondson-Westside is the biggest mover this week, going from 24th to No. 21 after knocking off then-No. 21 Baltimore City College. Prince George’s Christian Academy debuts at No. 22, thanks to its win over then-No. 20 Clinton Grace Academy.
Previous rank: 1
The Bulldogs, who lost in the Signature Series final at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, will play at the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic starting Friday.
Previous rank: 2
The Stags will play at the Governor’s Challenge in Salisbury, Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 3
The Little Hoyas will play at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego starting Thursday.
Previous rank: 4
The Panthers, who defeated No. 7 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in overtime, will play at the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic in New York, Saturday and Sunday.
Previous rank: 5
The Dragons will play at the Governor’s Challenge Saturday and Sunday.
Previous rank: 6
The Cavaliers will play at the Governor’s Challenge Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 7
The Cougars, who lost to DeMatha Catholic and St. Frances Academy, will play at the Mid Penn Bank Classic in Pennsylvania Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 8
The Gaels will play at the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Florida starting Friday.
Previous rank: 9
The Warriors will play at the Governor’s Challenge Saturday and Sunday.
Previous rank: 10
The Lions will play at the Governor’s Challenge Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 11
The Bengals have scored 90 or more points four times.
Previous rank: 12
The Patriots, who dropped close decisions to No. 5 Glenelg Country School and No. 6 Archbishop Spalding, will play at the Benedictine Capital City Classic in Virginia starting Friday.
Previous rank: 13
The Lions rebounded from loss to SIdwell Friends School (D.C.) with victories over Mount Zion Prep-Blue team and New Hope Academy.
Previous rank: 15
The Dons, who’ve won three straight, will play at the Blue Jay Christmas Classic in New Orleans starting Friday.
Previous rank: 16
The Eagles will play at the Benedictine Capital City Classic starting Friday.
Previous rank: 14
The Mustangs, who went winless at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, will play Archbishop Wood (Pa.) at the Governor’s Challenge Monday..
Previous rank: 17
The Eagles will play at the Severna Park Winter Jam Tournament Thursday and Friday.
Previous rank: 18
The Lions have lost two of their last three decisions.
Previous rank: 19
The Crusaders knocked off District of Columbia No. 3 St. John’s College.
Previous rank: 22
The Pumas will host the Lou Wilson Holiday Tournament, Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 24
The Red Storm, who defeated then-No. 21 Baltimore City College, will play at the Governor’s Challenge Thursday and Friday.
Previous rank: Not ranked
The Flyers, who defeated then-No. 20 Clinton Grace Christian, will play at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina starting Friday.
Previous rank: 21
The Black Knights, who dropped decisions to then-No. 24 Edmondson-Westside and West Catholic Prep (Pa.) will play at the Governor’s Challenge, Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 23
The Seahawks will play at the Governor’s Challenge, Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 25
The Hubs will play at the Skip Fowler Memorial Tournament in West Virginia, Friday and Saturday.
We are fools for Christ’s sake.
So believed the apostle Paul when he penned a letter to the Corinthian church. And so, too, believed Maryland’s pioneering clown ministry.
This niche style of Christian outreach is as outrageous as it is earnest, and traces some of its roots back to Columbia. It’s perhaps a legacy that James Rouse never imagined when he founded the Howard County town, with its distinctive urban plan, efficient use of land and commitment to diversity. Rouse included a series of interfaith centers intended to bring people of different beliefs under one roof. The model inspired one local pastor at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church to pursue his own experiment blending liturgy with laughter.
These days, Rev. Floyd Shaffer is remembered by some as the “clown father” of modern Christian clowning. Though liturgical clowning already had a history in Europe, Shaffer spent his time in Columbia in the 1970s dabbling in clown ministry and eventually became known as a leader of the movement in the United States. He died three years ago, his wife Marlene Shaffer confirmed.
Even though the whimsical ministry’s heyday was in the 1980s and ’90s, some Christians continue to answer the call to clown. And the practice has captivated new audiences on TikTok and YouTube.
Earlier this year, the Columbia Maryland Archives put together an online exhibit about the town’s nondenominational clown ministry, called Faith and Fantasy, which Shaffer founded in 1974. Archivist Erin Berry said staffers were inspired after stumbling across a popular YouTube channel’s episode on Christian clowning.
Shaffer’s idea for a clown ministry came to him in 1964 on a beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The pastor was in town for a Bible study and leafing through some books when he stumbled across the etymology of the word clown. He connected it with Jesus’ command to be a servant.
That same year, Lutheran church leaders were getting creative with clowns — and it wasn’t going over well.
The National Lutheran Council produced the short film “Parable,” which depicted Jesus as a white-faced clown and the world as a circus.
The film’s 1964 debut at the New York World’s Fair roiled event organizers, some of whom resigned in protest. One “disgruntled minister threatened to riddle the screen with shotgun holes if the film was shown,” the Library of Congress noted when it announced that it had selected “Parable” for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012.
Six years later, Shaffer debuted as a clown minister for the opening day of Abiding Savior’s vacation Bible school, according to a news article preserved in Columbia’s archives.
“I don’t think that something that’s so controversial — I don’t know what other word to use — as clowning ministry could flourish in another place other than Columbia,” Berry said. “You could just try what you wanted to try.”
Other leaders within Columbia’s interfaith centers encouraged Shaffer to keep at it, said 86-year-old Marge Goethe. Her husband, Rev. Jerry Goethe, the pastor for Kittamaqundi Community Church, suggested to Shaffer that he teach a class on clown ministry. Together, the two men designed a seven-week course that covered theology, the history of clowning, skits and games to encourage playfulness.
Many local residents, including Marge Goethe, enrolled in the classes, embraced clown ministry and set out to visit children’s hospitals, retirement homes and domestic violence shelters. She learned how to silently deliver sermons with gestures and humor, but never mockery. Goethe used lipstick to draw a red circle — a symbol of the liturgical clown — on her cheek.
Goethe developed her clown persona and named him Harry, after a man she knew as a child who lived on the streets. He was a reminder that she could either be the kind of person who brushed him off or helped him out.
Howard County’s clown ministry eventually grew to include as many as 300 clowns, The Baltimore Sun reported in 1994. Members of the Faith and Fantasy ministry went on to teach clown ministry around the country and internationally.
Not every audience loved the routine.
During a worship service at a Virginia college’s youth convention, Goethe and other clown ministers offered to draw the mark of the clown on people’s cheeks.
“What is that, the mark of the devil?” one man asked.
Goethe couldn’t reply while she was in character.
“All I had to do was accept what he was feeling at the time and hope it changed at some point,” Goethe said.
Goethe still attends Kittamaqundi services and performs clown ministry. When people ask her about the decades she spent cheering up strangers, she worries she won’t find the right words to explain how rich clown ministry turned out to be.
“I did more good for people being silent,” Goethe said.
Shaffer eventually moved to Ohio and authored several books with titles such as “If I Were A Clown” and “Clown Ministry.” He produced instructional videos on clown ministry that lately have found a rapt audience on the internet.
Jen Bryant realized she had a personal connection with clown ministry while putting together an episode on the subject for her YouTube channel, Fundie Fridays, which features cultural commentary on aspects of fundamentalist Christianity in the United States. The Missouri resident’s grandfather, a Catholic, performed for a time as a clown minister under the name “George-o.”
Every community seems to have its subcultures, Bryant said, and she found that was also true for clowns. There are classical clowns like Joseph Grimaldi, a Regency-era entertainer who introduced the white face makeup. There are dark clowns like Juggalos, a nickname for fans of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse. And there are scary clowns like Pennywise, the shapeshifting antagonist in Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel “It.”
At first, Christian clowns sounded like a meme to Bryant. The full story, she said, turned out to be “way more interesting.”
Bryant and her husband James Bryant ordered copies of Shaffer’s books and collected a variety of research on clown ministry for their episode, which posted in April. The hourlong segment earned an “overwhelmingly positive” response from their audience, many of whom are in the midst of deconstructing their faith and understanding of Christianity, Bryant said.
“Everyone just thought this was just the most pleasant little novelty,” James Bryant said.
Maybe Christian clowns are even the original deconstructors.
“They’re people who went, ‘faith wasn’t working exactly how we wanted it to, so we broke it down and changed it,’” he said. “It worked. It has a legacy.”
Appearing in a video on Kittamaqundi’s YouTube page, Shaffer said clown ministry gives people a new way to live out and enjoy theology, “instead of being so glum and gloomy and solemn, as much of the church has become.”
Many Bible stories defy rational thought and that’s sort of the point, Floyd said in the video.
Scripture, Floyd noted, often suggests that God has a sense of humor.
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