CUMBERLAND ? In 1905 Charles Sturtz Sr. wanted a Christian education for his eight children, so he started a Sunday school. Soon, neighborhood children joined in the Sunday lessons and then their parents began participating, said church historian Bonnie Troxell. 
COURTESY OF BONNIE TROXELL
| The Rev. Daniel Taylor welcomes the newest member of Melvin UMC, Charles Benjamin O?Boyle, and his mother, Angela O?Boyle, chaplain at the Memorial Campus of Western Maryland Health System. |
'The next thing you know, we had a congregation,' said Cora Jane Sturtz Mercer, Charles Sturtz' granddaughter. Melvin UMC is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Named in honor of the woman who gave the money to build that original church, the mother of the Rev. William A. Melvin who was pastor of Bedford Street Methodist Protestant Church, over the years the congregation has made several moves. The current church was built in 1955, next to Melvin Chapel. The Rev. Daniel Taylor will preside over the official 100th anniversary celebration during church services April 17. There will be a fellowship luncheon and musical program that afternoon.
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