Janet Sowers writes that St. James United Methodist Church plans to sponsor another community craft and yard sale July 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call the church at 410-442-2020 to reserve a free space. The address is 12470 Old Frederick Road (Route 99), in Marriottsville.
Once the first thrill of summer vacation dissipates, parents often hear the dreaded whine, “There’s nothing to do!” Our local churches offer a sure-fire boredom-buster in the form of Vacation Bible School.
Friendship Baptist invites children and teens to participate in Truth Trek, an archaeological expedition to discover God. Adults, meanwhile, can participate in a video-led Bible study that is archaeologically based. Both programs are free.
The week begins with a kickoff barbecue July 12 from 5:30-6:45 p.m. and then the activities run from 7-9 p.m. every evening through July 16. To register, go to www.fbcmd.org, or call the church office at 410-442-5506. Friendship Baptist is located at 1391 Sykesville Road (Route 32) in Sykesville.
Chapelgate Presbyterian, at 2600 Marriottsville Road in Marriottsville, offers Upward Bound Summer Camp July 13-17 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. This program serves elementary school children who have completed kindergarten through Grade 5 as of June 2009.
The church considers the camp a gift to the community and thus does not charge a registration fee. Participants must bring a lunch. To register, go to chapelgate.org/camp-registration and click on the images to view the printable PDF forms. The updated registration deadline is July 1.
St. James United Methodist invites children to attend Camp E.D.G.E. (Experience + Discover God Everywhere) July 20-24 from 9 a.m. to noon. The program costs $10 for the first child and $5 for each additional sibling. Call the church office at 410-442-2020 by July 1 to register; space is limited. The church address is 12470 Old Frederick Road (Route 99), in Marriottsville.
West Liberty United Methodist, at 2000 Sand Hill Road in Marriottsville, also offers Camp E.D.G.E. July 27-Aug. 1 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. To register for this free VBS, call the church at 410-442-2969 or e-mail generalmail@west-liberty.com.
St. James United Methodist Church, at 12470 Old Frederick Road (Route 99) in Marriottsville, invites the community to attend a coffee house Friday, June 26 from 7-9 p.m. The evening is free of charge and includes coffee, tea and live music. Call the church at 410-442-2020 for more information.
St. James United Methodist Church offers its very own stimulus package in the form of a yard sale Saturday, June 6, with free spaces for those selling yard sale items or crafts. Food will be available for purchase.
The event takes place, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., at 12470 Old Frederick Road (Route 99), in Marriottsville. Call the church office at 410-442-2020 to reserve a space.
Twenty-five years ago, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, located in Ft. Worth, Texas, recruited seminarians to visit the state of Maryland in hopes of establishing new churches. Mark Massey, now a senior pastor, answered the call and soon founded Sykesville Baptist Church, which met at locations as varied as local schools, the Sykesville Hardware Store, and even Springfield Hospital Center.
In 1990, the church settled into its current location at 1391 Sykesville Road (Route 32) and changed its name to Friendship Baptist Church. The congregation has grown from 25 members to over 550 and has become a fixture in the community. In addition to Massey, Associate Pastor John Hevey, Discipleship Pastor David Miller, Worship Pastor Phil Respass, and Youth Pastor T. J. Johnson now serve the ever-growing flock.
Although perhaps most widely recognized greeting visitors to the Howard County Fair, FBC also coordinates a community yard sale each May and supports county organizations such as God’s Trucking Ministry in Jessup, Young Life of Patapsco Valley, the Christian Jail Ministry, and the new Crosslife Community Church in Elkridge.
The church also aids those in need statewide through a Food Pantry Mission, Lunch for the Hungry, and the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore City. At the nationwide level, FBC has performed disaster relief after Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, and internationally, it partners twice annually with Hananeel Baptist Church in Puebla, Mexico, to assist with construction, medical clinics, and Vacation Bible School. The church has also sent members to Rwanda, Viet Nam, China, Scotland, the Philippines, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Burundi, Nicaragua, and Moldova.
The congregation of Friendship Baptist plans to celebrate its 25th anniversary Friday, June 5 with a banquet and special program.
For more information about the church, call 410-442-5506 or go to www.fbcmd.org.
Our local churches celebrate Holy Week with many special services.
St. James United Methodist has a Good Friday Tenebrae. Congregants will gather at the “cross” for this “service of shadows” and extinguish their candles until the sanctuary darkens. Easter morning celebrations begin with a 6:30 sunrise service in the Outdoor Chapel, followed by breakfast and then a full service at 10 a.m.
West Liberty United Methodist, at 2000 Sand Hill Road in Marriottsville, offers a Good Friday service at noon, and two opportunities to worship on Easter: a ‘Sonrise’ service at 6 followed by breakfast, and a 9 a.m. Easter service.
Friendship Baptist Church, at 1391 Sykesville Road (Rt. 32) in Sykesville, offers a Good Friday service at 7 p.m. and three Easter morning services at 8, 9:30, and 11.
Chapelgate Presbyterian, at 2600 Marriottsville Road in Marriottsville, offers two Easter services, at 9 and 10:30 a.m. The church also invites the community to an Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Remember to bring your own basket.
The youth of St. James United Methodist Church also plan a fundraiser for Saturday, March 14. They are hosting a lasagna dinner in support of their annual Camp Hope mission trip, where they will perform home repair for needy families in western Maryland. The youth offer two dinner seatings, at 5 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $7 per person and children younger than 5 are free. Call the church office at 442-2020 to make your reservation. St. James is at 12470 Frederick Road, in Marriottsville.
This year, Shrove Tuesday (also known as Fat Tuesday in New Orleans) falls on Feb. 24. ‘Shrove’ is the past tense of ‘shrive,’ which means to confess one’s sins. Historically, this holiday marked the final time to consume perishables like meat, milk, eggs and butter prior to the 40-day Lenten fasting period. The pancake supper arose as a means of using up these forbidden foodstuffs.
Two local churches invite the community to their Shrove Tuesday pancake suppers. St. James United Methodist, at 12470 Frederick Road in Marriottsville, will serve pancakes, sausage, baked apples and beverages from 5-7 p.m. The youth of the church will accept a love offering to help support their annual mission trip to Camp Hope in western Maryland, where they will perform home repair for those in need. Call the church office at 410-442-2020 with any questions.
Glenelg United Methodist, at 13900 Burntwoods Road in Glenelg, will serve its free supper from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The menu includes pancakes, bacon, and other assorted breakfast dishes. For more information, call the church office at 410-489-7260.
What could be sweeter than a father/daughter Valentine celebration? Friendship Church, at 1391 Sykesville Road in Sykesville, invites dads and their girls, ages five through high school senior, to participate in a free Father/Daughter Sweetheart Dinner from 4:30-6:30 on Feb. 14. Call church secretary, Paula Berry, at 410-442-5506 by Feb. 8 to make a reservation.
Chapelgate Presbyterian Church, in partnership with Grassroots in Columbia, will host the Cold Weather Shelter for the homeless of Howard County during Christmas week, Dec. 23-29. This endeavor requires volunteers to drive, serve food, wash laundry, and the like. If you can help or would like more information, go to www.chapelgate.org and select the “Cold Weather Shelter” link in the upper right-hand corner. The church phone number is 410-442-5800.