First United Methodist Church (Laurel, Maryland)

First United Methodist Church
First United Methodist Church
	May 2015
General information
Town or city	Laurel, Maryland
Country	US
Completed	1884

Last updated November 11, 2019

The First United Methodist Church of Laurel is a member of the Baltimore/Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. It is located on Main Street in the historic district of Laurel, Maryland. The church serves primarily the Laurel area including the city of Laurel, northern Prince George's County, western Anne Arundel County, south eastern Howard County and eastern Montgomery County. The Rev. Dr. Ramon E. McDonald, II has served the church as its Senior Pastor since July 2012.

The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a mainline Protestant denomination and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelicalism. The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas, Texas, by union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England, as well as the Great Awakening in the United States. As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan. It embraces liturgical, holiness, and evangelical elements.

Laurel, Maryland City in Maryland, United States

Laurel is a city in Maryland, located almost midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arundel County, Montgomery County, and Howard County. Founded as a mill town in the early 19th century, the arrival of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1835 expanded local industry and later enabled the city to become an early commuter town for Washington and Baltimore workers. Largely residential today, the city maintains a historic district centered on its Main Street, highlighting its industrial past.

Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 863,420, making it the second-most populous county in Maryland, behind Montgomery County. Its county seat is Upper Marlboro. It is one of the richest African American-majority counties in the United States, with five of its communities identified in a 2015 top ten list.

History

On March 11, 1840, a group worshiping In an "upper room of the comer house on Yellow Row" (now Ninth Street) was organized In Laurel In the name of The Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1842, The Laurel Mill Company, established by the Snowden Family, presented a "gift of stone and a grant of land" to those early Methodists as a site for their first meeting house. Known as Old Stone Church, It became the first house of worship In Laurel. It was set back from Ninth Street between Montgomery and Main streets. Its ruins were bulldozed away In the 1950s.

Laurel Methodists later split when slavery became an issue and The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, came into being. In 1866 the so-called Southern Methodists in Laurel built their own church on Main Street opposite Seventh Street. It was known as the Frame Church to distinguish it from the old Stone Church. They moved in 1912 into a new church on Montgomery Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets. It was known as Trinity M.E. Church, South.

Old Stone Church continued to house The Methodist Episcopal Church members until 1884 when they moved into a new sanctuary at 424 Main Street. It was named Centenary M.E. Church in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Methodism In America. Trinity and Centenary continued to worship separately until October 5, 1941, when the two congregations began joint worship in the Centenary church.

Mergers among Methodist and other churches caused the local church to change its name from Centenary Methodist Episcopal to First Methodist Church and later to First United Methodist Church.

Building

The original church on Main Street was 30 feet wide and 50 feet deep. In 1909 the east wing was added; a vestibule was built; major additions were made in 1953 and 1962 to expand education and fellowship facilities; and property was acquired on the southeast comer of Fifth and Main streets for parking facilities. In recent years the chancel area has been changed; air conditioning installed in the sanctuary and the floor replaced; and facilities for the disabled provided. Further expansion of the Sanctuary and education wing began with a ground breaking ceremony on April 25, 1999. Completion of the project took nearly two years. On Sunday, February 18, 2001, First UMC celebrated the completion of the newly renovated Sanctuary with a worship service.

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References

"Our Church History". First United Methodist Church of Laurel. Archived from the original on 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
Norwood, Harold; et al. (1990). First United Methodist Church 1840-1990. pp. 1–14.

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