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Congregation moves from pews to street

FREDERICK – Nearly 50 people from New Hope UMC brought new hope to dozens of people and places in the community Sept. 19 as they took their faith from the pews to the streets in their first “Be the Church: Faith in Action Event.”

“It is time to become the church God created us to be – the church our world needs us to be,” said the Rev. Katie Bishop. “If New Hope is not active in our community, sharing the love of Christ, we are not really being the church.”

The church members did home repairs; visited shut-ins, people in hospice care and the hospital; landscaped the church yard and worked in Park Heights Cemetery. Eleven volunteers also power washed the CASS building where many of the area’s social services are located. The congregation intends to continue the ministry throughout the year. “The need in our community is so prevalent and New Hope has both the ability and the desire to serve,” Bishop said.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Most of the staff of the Baltimore-Washington Conference spent the day Sept. 20 on a VIM-like mission to two churches in Washington.

At the end of the day, Franklin P. Nash UMC in Northeast D.C., had the old tile removed from the kitchen floor and bathrooms and a nearly completed paint job in the fellowship hall next to the sanctuary on the second floor.

At Bradbury Heights UMC in Southeast D.C, a couple dozen staff people worked on a number of projects to improve the facility. The bulk of the work was prepping and painting four stairwells, said Pam Mullay, the project chair. But others sanded and painted the railings outside the church, while others helped with weeding, mowing and landscaping.

Church opens community center

MT. AIRY – The new preschool at Mt. Carmel UMC opened this fall with 40 students.

The Hope Community Preschool is on the ground floor of the two-story extension to the limestone and quartz church. The second floor multi-purpose room with its high baffled ceiling will be home for children’s fitness classes, community recreation, half court hoops, and church suppers. The loft overlooking the second level will house the youth center, complete with a coffee house feel, technology and mentors. The teen center and gym will be open on Wednesday evenings and other times for the youth in the community.

As part of the launch of the new facility, the church began holding Saturday night worship services Aug. 28.

Capps honored for 20 years serving

COLLEGE PARK – During worship Sept. 12, the front of the sanctuary at University UMC was filled with Wesley Foundation students, who sang a prayer of thanksgiving to celebrate the ministry of their campus minister, the Rev. Kim Capps. The occasion marked her 20th year as chaplain at the University of Maryland.

Alumni spanning her two decades of ministry e-mailed their prayers, and the students created a wrap from them, symbolizing that “she is always wrapped in our prayers,” said Emily Berkowitz. “(She) makes a powerful impact on many, many young adults.”

BCC expands to Southern Maryland

BALTIMORE – The Board of Child Care, an outreach ministry of The United Methodist Church, a 135-year old human services agency, recently acquired Alternatives for Youth and Families, a 35-year-old agency that provides treatment foster care, residential group homes and youth independent living services in St. Mary’s, Charles and Calvert counties.

“The Board of Child Care is thrilled to be expanding our mission and broadening our services to children in Southern Maryland, where more mental health service options are needed for youth,” said Thomas L. Curcio, president and CEO.

Growing from three orphanages in the late 19th century, BCC today serves more than 1,300 children and families in facilities in Baltimore, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and now Southern Maryland. It also has community-based group homes in Montgomery and Washington counties. To learn more, go to www.boardofchildcare.org.