AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Following Governor Larry Hogan’s Stay at Home order on March 30, Severna Park’s churches were meeting the challenge of staying connected through online streaming of worship services. Though pleased their congregations stayed home to stay safe from COVID-19, church leaders realize that most members long to return to normal religious activities and are planning accordingly.
A Saturday drive through the neighborhoods revealed eerily empty churches bearing silent witness to the absence of their flocks.
Clever signs point the way back to safe worship at several churches including Severna Park United Methodist Church at 731 Benfield Road. and non-denominational Trinity Bible Church, at 99 Truckhouse Road. Both churches recently celebrated their 50th anniversaries.
While Severna Park UMC, with 2,000 members, streams a number of religious services and activities through its Online Worship Page and virtual coffee breaks through Zoom, Trinity’s small, close-knit congregation is benefiting from similar technology.
Trinity church member Lee Lewis said she and her husband Dale have followed every online worship service, even taking communion at their dining room table. She admits it’s different.
“We miss the fellowship and miss our friends. We know it’s not really ‘about the building’ but miss the special feeling of being in the house of the Lord,” Lewis said.
Pastor Stephen Mitchell described the first time he preached a virtual sermon to an empty church as a distinctly odd experience. Easter Sunday seemed silent and surreal though Trinity church members virtually greeted each other by recording video clips on their phones.
“We’d already been streaming various events for about a year so the adjustment to virtual worship wasn’t too hard and its kept us connected,” Rev. Mitchell said. “We’ll follow the governor’s guidelines and not open till we’re sure we can do it safely. Even then we’ll proceed slowly with live streaming for those who want it. Since I’ve always encouraged everyone to hug one another, it’ll be strange keeping our distance.”
Severna Park Baptist Church and St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church have larger memberships but are having similar experiences using online technology to bridge the gap until they can reconnect with their congregations. St. Martin’s pretty church shares a campus with a K-8 school where teachers are currently employing online learning.
Severna Park Evangelical Presbyterian Church at 110 Ritchie Highway has adapted well to streaming a broad range of services and activities.
“We’ve been meeting online since March 15th when the church purchased nine Zoom licenses that allow our adult, youth and children’s Sunday classes to meet virtually,” said executive director Randy Crout.” We also stream virtual Women’s Teas, pastors’ discussions, bible study and youth group meetings and have averaged 510 online visitors.”
“We are currently working on plans anticipating the eventual opening up of society, realizing it will likely be a gradual opening over a period of time and that members may have a wide range of risk tolerances. As a result, even when we start meeting again, we’ll maintain our online service, and meetings.”
Originally known as “The Little Brown Church on the Hill”, Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church expanded fivefold and has a congregation numbering in the thousands.
Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church began as a small chapel overlooking the old Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in 1912. With a membership of 2,000 plus, the church is incredibly active and helpful to the community.
Church members Liz and Doug Pringle have found the online worship services on Livestream particularly good – especially at Easter.
“All of the musical and technical people and ministers worked very hard to present Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday services which were very well received. We watched them all,” said Liz. “They decorated the church for each service with different flowers and paraments and all three ministers participated – Rev. Susan DeWyngaert, Rev. Nancy Lincoln Reynolds and Rev. Jacob Snowden.”
She added that people enjoy the online programs the church has presented for over a year. Nevertheless, they’ll be glad to come back to Woods as soon as safely possible.
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church at the corner of Ritchie Highway and Cypress Creek Road, built in 1959, replaced the congregation’s original home in the building now known as historic Holy Grounds on Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard. The church was subsequently expanded to house a K-8 school. The COVID-19 church/school closures have meant masses are being Livestreamed daily as well as other programs and students are learning remotely through Zoom classes.
Many of Asbury Town Neck United Methodist Church‘s founding families are still active members of the tight-knit African American congregation including the Jennings, Glenns, Johnsons and Packs. The current church at 429 Asbury Drive replaces the original one built in 1924 and shares its property with the Asbury Church Assistance Network (ACAN) food pantry.
Church administrator Carla Flemings noted that worship services and other programs are streaming and being well received. However, the staff is hearing how much “everyone is missing everyone” and they are actively planning for the reopening of the church when Governor Hogan gives the word.
“This was the first time the doors of our church have ever been closed and our members can’t wait to come back,” she said. “Reopening will be something of a reset for us and we’ll be doing things differently. We’ll revert back from holding one service to holding two services to allow proper distancing. Services will be abbreviated. People will be required to wear masks. Communion will be given using paper cups and the collection will be taken at a box at the entrance. All of that information is being readied to be communicated to our members.”
Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, established in 1958, has served the community well. Located at the back of the church’s 400 Benfield Road property is SPAN, Inc. of which it is one of the founding members. In response to COVID-19, SPAN established an outdoor cupboard stocked with items from its food pantry that people may help themselves to. They’ve also expanded their hours.
Our Shepherd currently streams worship services through Facebook and YouTube and holds worship After Parties” on Zoom.
Wayman Good Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church, also known as Baldwin Good Hope A.M.E. Church was incorporated on January 3, 1885. Located first on Carpenters’ Hill in Round Bay, it relocated to its newly constructed church in, more or less its present location at 100 Hoyle’s Lane in 1907. The church subsequently built a parsonage as well as the school that would become present day Jones Elementary. Construction of the present church was completed in 1984.
Today, like all small churches, Wayman Good Hope AME is streaming virtual worship services through Facebook Live with Pastor Lois A. Poag-Ray.
These are but ten of Severna Park’s dozen-plus churches.. All are doing a fine job of keeping the faith.
