Study and Support Possibilities
|Sunday School |Small Groups |Fellowship |Prayer Chain|
Sunday School
After our time of worship
on Sunday morning, we provide learning opportunities for all ages. We try to start at
11:10, though following the service we like to catch up on the past week with one another
and reach out to new people over a cup of coffee. Our nursery is well staffed for both
worship and Sunday School hours. 
There are several classes
for young people, from early childhood through youth. We use a highly rated new children's
curriculum developed jointly by the Church of the Brethren, the Mennonites, and the
Friends United Meeting, called "Jubilee." (teachers may want to visit this site - to keep up-to-date on this
curriculum). Our youth just started using the brand new and exciting "Generation
Why" series. We have many competent teachers, who rotate on a quarterly basis so no
one teaches for more than 3 months at a time unless they want to.
Adult fare varies from quarter to quarter. One ongoing class
follows the International Lesson, making use of "A Guide for Biblical Studies,"
a Church of the Brethren quarterly publication. There are a multitude of great teachers
for this class, who also rotate responsibilities. We generally try to offer at least one
other adult class. These tend to be topical in nature, focusing on particular issues of
interest to people. Recent classes have concentrated on prayer,evangelism, the
environment, as well as a survey of church doctrine, or the study of a particular book in
the Bible. Other creative options have been a class on "Signing" (not
"singing"), and"Faith in Action" which does hands-on activities, like
wrapping presents and baking cookies for the Christmas parties we take to group homes.
Over the summer months, we alter our schedule and dispense
with adult Sunday School.The children still meet, but do so during the worship hour. There
are fewer classes offered. Periodically we hold "Jubilee" Sundays, where Sunday
School and Worship are mixed a bit differently and learning is inter-generational.
Small Groups
Because many of our people travel a good distance to get to
church (a half hour or more in some cases), getting together at other times during the
week hasn't been that easy. In the past we have had a every-other-week Small Group
that met in various homes on Sunday evening, open to anyone. We have also had more
intensive, weekly meetings for small groups committed to 30 weeks of Bible study, mutual
support and prayer, called "People of the Covenant." At the current time,
we do not have any such groups meeting. It is important to note, however, that small
groups still go on.
A significant small group involves our youth. In 1998,
the older youth raised funds to travel to our denomination's National Youth Conference in
Colorado. Currently they meet on Wednesday nights at the church for fellowship and Bible
study at 7:30pm. A new junior youth group is in the process of formation.
A small group of women meet every Wednesday to quilt. Not only do these Quilters
craft something beautiful, and in so doing raise funds for worthy mission projects, they
also enjoy each other's company and welcome anyone to join them. A "learner"
quilt is set up for the newcomer who want to learn how. Every year they send a quilt to
the Mid-Atlantic Disaster
Response Auction to be sold to raise money for Disaster Relief.
There are also two groups who get together monthly for a
fellowship type of activity:Family and Friends Together (generally families with
school-age children or younger), and Adult Fellowship (often couples without
children). In its beginning stages is a young adult group we're trying to get
started, having plenty of persons in the "twenty-something" category.We do not
have a formal adult choir at present, but an informal group of singers who like to sing
and enjoy each other's company. They call themselves the "Gospel Singers,"
and are open to anyone to join, regardless of musical ability. Jesus said, "where
two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." (Matthew
18:20 NRSV) Yes, this applies to in-depth moments of discipleship, but it also is
true for any time believers get together.
Fellowship Opportunities
As mentioned above, following worship we like to catch up on
the past week with one another and reach out to new people over a cup of coffee or tea or
hot chocolate. This is actuallyan important part of what happens on Sunday. When we try to
abridge it in order to shepherd folks into a Sunday School class, we find how significant
it is to many people. If you come to visit us, plan to stay after worship for this time.
Of course every church says this, but we think these people are very friendly and open to
newcomers. Try us out!
Periodically we hold dinners after Sunday School. Sometimes
it's for a specific purpose, like our twice a year council meetings. 
Other
times it's just to enjoy one another's company around the tables. In a
"Carry-in" our "Pot-luck" meal, everyone brings in a dish or two to
share. The fare is spread out on a long table and there always seems to be enough. Another
highlight of the year is our annual Thanksgiving Dinner. This full meal of turkey
and all the fixings is specially prepared by members (in this church, the men like to
cook). We have quite a crowd come and enjoy it! A special offering is taken, the proceeds
of which beyond the costs of the meal go to a mission project.
Prayer Chain
A resource not to be taken lightly is our prayer chain, ready
on-call to lift concerns beforethe Lord. Anyone can initiate the chain by calling Pastor
Pete or Janet Bowman, our secretary, at 410-592-9300. "Pray in the Spirit at all
times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in
supplication for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:18 NRSV)
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