UM churches buoy distressed community By Melissa Lauber
UMConnection Staff At Patapsco UMC in Dundalk, they still sing the Amens. This final refrain to every hymn was removed from the United Methodist hymnal 13 years ago. But the congregation sees nothing strange about singing something thats no longer written on the page. Were amen people, said Clara Overton, a resident of Dundalk for more than 40 years. Overton, and many other United Methodists in this blue-collar community of Dundalk, in southeastern Baltimore County, believe this old-fashioned, amen mentality also reaches out into the community. I mean you cant swing a dog-eared hymnal around here without hitting a church. The sheer number of our houses of worship adds to the fabric of the rich tapestry of our community, wrote J.K. ONeill in his column in the Dundalk Eagle. Four United Methodist churches belong to the Dundalk cluster. They include: Dundalk, Graceland, Patapsco and St. Matthews UMCs. The churches open their doors to the community throughout the week, serving as gathering places for the meetings of civic groups, Weight Watchers, Scouts, the American Association of Retired People, sports teams, jazzercise and ceramics classes. Dundalk UMC also operates a daycare center during the week, with prices that make it available to the working poor. Graceland and St. Matthews teamed up last summer to offer a Saving Station tent ministry in the ODonnell Heights neighborhood. Graceland also offers a Vacation Bible School that draws 60 community children to the church. Dundalk and Patapsco UMCs each host meals for the poor each week. The closing of major industries in the area has brought economic decline to Dundalk. According to the Maryland Department of Planning, Dundalks median income is more than 25 percent less than Baltimore Countys median income. However, there are not many homeless people in Dundalk, the pastors report. County statistics indicate that only 6 percent of Dundalks 65,000 residents live in poverty. But as the old steel town rusts, the church is finding different challenges. One major issue facing the community is the graying of many of Dundalks congregations, which are increasingly made up of people age 65 and older. The Rev. Cliff Webner, pastor of Patapsco UMC, sometimes jokes about his bad back and the stooped-over stance required to meet many of his parishioners who arrive in wheelchairs and walkers. Bill Gregory, a member of Patapsco who is saving pennies to give to the churchs fledgling youth group, sees positives and negatives in the fact that Dundalk and the church are made up of older, long-time residents. People can get insular, he said at a coffee hour following a worship service. Around him, others agree, claiming the church used to be cold toward newcomers. But on the opposite side of the coin, Gregory pointed out, is that the United Methodist churches in Dundalk tend to see themselves as close-knit families. When Clara Overton was 65 she got married a second time and invited the entire congregation. Why wouldnt I, she asked. Theyre my family. Bonnie Leisure oversees Patapsco UMCs annual ham and oyster dinner, which draws more than 700 people to the church. Its the fellowship that makes people come, she said. Dundalk is a homemade community, Valerie Baddex said. If you understand that, you understand us. However, Shirley Szmanski pointed out, every silver lining has its cloud. This area is going down, she said. This is a depressed area. Most of the people here are older and retired. Our younger people are moving to Harford County. Were going down, but this is still a proud neighborhood. Theres a sense here that Dundalk is always dumped on, said the Rev. Ted Marsh. Yet Dundalk feels as long as they are a community, as long as they stick together, theyll get through. Together, they have the ability to weather the storm. In a pew at Dundalk UMC, Loveta Marsh, who is no relation to the pastor, agrees. How can I say what the church means to me? Its everything, she said, absolutely everything. | 
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