Columbia Baptist Fellowship’s 40th Anniversary Celebration
The Columbia Baptist Fellowship (CBF) will celebrate its 40th anniversary on April 6-7. Founded as a Southern Baptist church plant in the new town of Columbia, CBF has been a multi-racial congregation from its very beginning, a heritage that the congregation continues to celebrate. The observance will begin at the Oakland Mills Interfaith Center with hors d’oeuvres and displays at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 6. This reception will be followed by a catered dinner at 7:30 p.m. The cost for the dinner is $35 per person, with advanced reservations required (call 443-864-3317 for more information). A special service of worship will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 7, with the preacher for the morning being Dr. Jim Hamblen, the congregation’s founding pastor. CBF would be honored by your joining us for some or all of this celebration! www.columbiabaptistfellowship.org
Gifts for victims of Hurricane Sandy
The Arundel Baptist Association is collecting gift cards and financial donations for hurricane victims of Sandy in Rockaway Beach New York. Donations can be sent to Arundel Baptist Association, Attention Cindy Yost, P.O. Box 536, Pasadena, MD 21123.
Free ESL Classes
Berwyn Baptist Church offers free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to all international students who wish to improve their English speaking ability. Classes consist of novice through advanced. There is a textbook charge of $15. Classes are held every Thursday, 7- 8:30 pm. For more information call (301) 474-7117.
50th Anniversary Celebration
Westminster Baptist Church will celebrate their 50th anniversary on June 1-2. The weekend’s events include a banquet at Pleasant Valley Fire Hall with guest speaker Wayne Kempson, pastor of First Baptist Church, Waldorf.
On June 2, the church will have a continental breakfast and combined worship service with guest speaker Joel Rainey, Mid-Maryland Baptist Association director of missions.
The church is encouraging current and former members to participate in festivities.
Liturgical Dance Evening
Kent Baptist Church will feature their KBC Radikal4 Christ and Starlight Praise Dancers at 4 pm on April 27 in an evening of liturgical dance. The church has invited other liturgical dance groups to participate.
The dance program began as a dream between Barbara Smith and Director Denise Bryant as a one-day presentation for a women’s day program in 2003, but the women and the church enjoyed it so much, it became a permanent ministry.
A dozen dancers, ages 27 to 68, participate in the program led by Bryant and assistant Sharlene Bryant Allen.
They had a five-year anniversary dance celebration in 2008.
“It was a great time with participants of from other churches performing: praise dance, mime, steppers etc. The Starlight Praise dancers have performed at other churches event lifting up the name of Jesus,” Bryant said. “Our goal is not to perform for form or fashion but to glorify the Lord in dance.” For more information, email Bryant at denise.o.bryant@usps.gov.
Revival
Evangelist Frank Shelton will be the guest speaker at Oxon Hill Baptist Church during revival services April 14 to 17. There will be a special concert by Caitlin Jane at 6 pm on April 14.
Outdoor Movie Night Outreach
First Baptist Church of Savage will have an outdoor movie night on the church grounds on May 18. The event is an outreach for the community.
Family Success Parenting Seminar
First Baptist Church of Upper Marlboro will host “Relationship Tools for Family Success Parenting Seminar,” from 6-9 pm on April 26, at the church. The program features Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. There will be a children’s program provided to complement what the adults learn.
Topics include overcoming selfishness with the biblical concept of honor and teaching children to accept “no” as an answer. Parents will leave with plans to put into practice. For more information about the seminar, see www.biblicalparenting.org/live. The cost is $20 per adult or $30 per couple. For registration information, call (609) 771-8002.
Growing Deeper
Jessup Baptist Church averages about 80 people each Sunday. It’s an average size church doing what many would think would be more likely in a larger church.
They have a “share and care” dinner on the first Wednesday of each month and game nights on the last Saturday of the month. They help minister at Kari’s House, a division of the Baltimore Rescue Mission, distribute food through a pantry ministry, they have clothing drives, collect book bags of school supplies for students, host men’s breakfasts and they have a widow’s ministry. The church just finished revival services, and they’re getting ready now for this year’s VBS.
Pastor Bill Jones is leading the church in an intentional effort to dig deep into God’s Word. They’ve been covering Acts, Philippians, James and Ephesians and now, Jones is leading a Sunday night study of the Minor Prophets. The church also reads through the Bible together and memorizes scripture.
Social Media Workshop
Faith Baptist Church, Knoxville, will host “Telling the Story,” a workshop covering skills to use social media for ministry and outreach on April 13. The cost is $20 per person or $30 per church group and includes lunch. To register, see https://eventonline.wufoo.com/forms/z7w4q5. The deadline is April 5.
Women’s Conference
Oak Grove Baptist Church will host its third annual women’s conference, “Let Your Light Shine,” featuring DeeDee Jonrowe, an Iditarod Musher and breast cancer survivor, on April 13 from 9:30 am – 2:00 pm. The cost is $25 (includes continental breakfast and lunch).
Jonrowe is an American kennel owner and dog musher who is a three-time runner up in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Dee Jones and Karen Rickards will provide the special music.
Contact Oak Grove Baptist Church at (410) 838-9898, www.oakgrovebaptist.com, to learn more.
‘Seven Laws of the Learner’ Seminar
Kettering Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, Md., will host a two-day seminar, “Seven Laws of the Learner: How to Teach Almost Anything to Practically Anyone,” on Friday, April 19, 7 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost is $59.99 until April 7 and $69.99 at the door. Register online at www.ketteringministries.org. For more information, contact Minister Andre Williams at (301) 336-7150.
Walter M. Dow Obituary
Walter “Dow” Wood, died on Feb. 24. He was 85.
Wood served as pastor of First Baptist Church of Fruitland for 28 years. He helped formed the Fruitland Ministerial Alliance in an effort to network with other local pastors in the community.
Dow was also instrumental in starting the Eastern Baptist Association’s disaster relief unit.
Wood was born in Newton County, Missouri, and was raised in Louisiana. He was a deacon at Princess Anne Baptist Church before pastoring Fruitland Baptist, where he was ordained. Wood provided pulpit supply to Fruitland. When he asked the leadership about finding a pastor, they told Wood they already had—they were just waiting for God to tell him.
Dow received a housing allowance but never accepted a salary while pastoring Fruitland. He worked full-time as an ironworker before retiring.
Dow is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary Wood, a son, Lemuel J. Wood & wife, Debbie of Glen Burnie, Md.; daughter, Mary E. Conner and husband, Harold of Salisbury; son, Preston M. Wood of Hopkins, S.C.; son, Walter M. Wood III and wife, Teresa of Eden; son, Walter Michael Wood and wife Stacey of Richland Hills, Texas; daughter, Cynthia Lirrette and husband Wayne of Sulphur, LA; and son, Robert Wood and wife Pattie of Shreveport, La., 19 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren; and one sister, Barbara Jameson and husband, Jack and many nieces and nephews.