| After 19 years, a baby remembered  LAUREL Nineteen years ago in North Carolina, the infant son of Frederick and Patricia Phillips died. On Oct. 6, the Rev. Dennis Whitmore of Laurel UMC held a memorial service for the baby. Counselors at Reality House, an alcohol rehabilitation center, across the street from the church, approached the church to help with treatment of a client, Frederick Phillips, in whose arms the baby had died. Staff and clients from the center, community and church members filled the sanctuary at the appointed time. The United Methodist Women provided a reception after the service. Whitmore presented Phillips with a teddy bear that had been hugged by every member of the church and had a special prayer tucked inside a zippered pouch on the bears back. Church hall areas favorite restaurant PATAPSCO On a recent Wednesday, Gail Blizzard-Hale and her mother, Dorothy Blizzard, prepared 60 pounds of potatoes and cooked 95 pounds of roast beef for the weekly lunch at Patapsco UMC. Guests come from many miles away to the church hall that is transformed into the areas favorite restaurant 24 weeks of the year. The last of this years meals will be Nov. 20. Its all home-style, Blizzard said. Its good old home cooking. In the 1930s, about 30 railroad workers would come to the church for lunch with a few women who gathered to quilt. Today, as many as 15 women serve 100 or more guests family-style during a two-hour lunch period. Though food is the main attraction, a few women still come for quilting, their fingers flying through the stitching in the back of the hall while the lines form for lunch. Each customer pays $7 for the all-you-can-eat meal. Each table is set with real dishes and a church-shaped wooden box for tips and donations. This year the church has netted $12,000. Eagle brothers are flying  MITCHELLVILLE The three Patterson brothers earned their Eagle Scout awards at different times, but they were honored together at a ceremony in September at Mt. Oak UMC, where they worship and are active in the youth group. Stephen, 17, who graduated from high school this year, tore down and rebuilt Bowie High Schools baseball dugouts three years ago. Jordan, 15, organized a community cleanup of the woods and stream behind the Belair Town Houses and Free State Mall and planted 60 trees two years ago. Brian, 13, the youngest Eagle in Scout Troop 1688, remapped 20 miles of Bowies bike trails and wrote a gbwc_superusere for bikers and trail travelers, reported the Bowie Blade-News. Bill and Tricia Patterson, the boys parents, who home school their children, who also include three daughters, are pleased with the way their sons have combined Scouting with their faith. Their father and I have worked so long and hard with them. Its just so satisfying to see the end result, Patterson said. Small town holds big festival  DARLINGTON More than 50,000 people jammed the Harford County town of Darlington Oct. 5 for the Apple Festival, one of the countys largest events. The annual fall fling used to be an event of Darlington UMC. In 1986 the church festival merged with a craft show and today the event includes 200 crafters selling their hand-made wares. The event gained international attention when the BBC interviewed some community leaders for a radio broadcast in England. Jim Calcutt, co-chair of the festival, spent the days before the festival ferrying apple fritters, cakes and pies from freezers to bake table. His wife Margaret Reeves, who grew up at Darlington UMC, said they used to bake the prize-winning pies in the church kitchen, but since fire damaged the church last Christmas Eve, she and her two sisters now bake at home. Everyone in the church pitches in and the church makes 20 to 25 percent of its budget at the event, said the Rev. Gary Sieglein. | 
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