New Church

A few years ago, Jack Hicks said, he got a little nudge from God under rather unusual circumstances. While traveling through the Hagerstown area, Hicks had a minor accident and was slightly injured. A stranger helped him through that experience and gave Hicks such a good feeling that he never forgot Hagerstown, he said. After much soul-searching, Hicks said, he and his wife, Audrey, moved to Hagerstown this summer and began making plans to start a church. The Abundant Life Fellowship will hold its first service on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. at the Boy Scout building on Crestwood Drive.

by Kevin G. Gilbert / staff photographer see the enlargement MIDDLEWAY, W.Va. - The newly-opened Heritage Free Will Baptist Church could probably hold four times as many as the 100 parishioners who gather each Sunday in the sanctuary. The Rev. Russell Wright wanted to make sure there was room to grow. Wright moved to the area in 1992 to build a Free Will Baptist congregation, a denomination that was once part of Jefferson County's history, but had died off more than 100 years ago. He knew only a couple of families when he started, but went door to door spreading the word.

By JULIE E. GREENE / Staff Writer photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer [ enlarge ] Parishioners of Hagerstown's Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church have put their faith in God and the community to help them build a new place of worship. Their 159-year-old church at 26 W. Bethel St. was condemned in March 1997, forcing the church's parishioners to hold services in temporary quarters, said the Rev. Leroy Jackson. --cont from news -- Construction began last week on a $200,000 addition to the historic rectory on the corner of Henry Avenue and Bethel Street.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - More than 50 parishioners from Trinity Lutheran Church stood in a cold, windy field south of Greencastle Sunday afternoon and watched as their pastor, a bishop and church leaders dug shovels into the ground to pave the way for their new church building. "We've looked forward to this day," said the Rev. William DeHaas, church pastor. The congregation of 130 members had until last fall called a 70-year-old edifice at 145 East Baltimore St. home. It will move into its new 6,000-square-foot church by the end of this year.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com One of the bigger land sales in the borough of Waynesboro, 60 acres of farmland on Welty Road that sold for $1.2 million, one day will become home to a new Otterbein United Brethren Church of Christ. The Rev. Michael Newman, pastor of the 800-member church, said the congregation is outgrowing its current location at 801 Park St. The church's Leadership Oversight Team decided to buy the land now, although any planning for a new church building won't be considered for a few years, Newman said.

By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer McCONNELLSBURG, Pa. - The Rev. David M. Carroll has passed the halfway mark in his quest to lead his flock back into its own church. Carroll, pastor of Calvary Independent Baptist Church on U.S. 522 two miles north of McConnellsburg, has been heading up the rebuilding project ever since his church was destroyed by fire on the night of April 4. [cont.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. Some carrying statues and other property of the church, hundreds of members of St. James Catholic Church in Charles Town walked nearly two miles Sunday evening to a new church along W.Va. 9 that is believed to be the largest Catholic church in West Virginia. Church members walked to a new church that could cost up to $14.4 million when all the phases are completed. Church officials say the new facility was needed to accommodate significant growth in its membership, which stands at about 3,400 people.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Four hundred tons of steel. Roughly 12 miles of wiring for telephones and computers. The exterior is strengthened with 350,000 bricks, the roof is covered with 66,000 pieces of slate and there are 100 stained-glass windows. The altar, fabricated in Italy, is made of Botticino marble and the church is expected to have numerous statues carved by craftsmen in Peru. If you haven't been able to guess what this new Charles Town landmark is, it is the St. James Catholic Church that now rises predominantly in the western edge of the city's skyline along W.Va.

marlob@herald-mail.com It's not that Paul Toothman and others were unhappy with the message at the Church of Christ at Hagerstown. They say opening a new church is just their way of sharing that message with more people. The Church of Christ in the Great Valley opened its doors in July and now boasts a steady congregation of 40 to 50 each Sunday. "The church started out meeting at my home," Toothman said. "We outgrew that by September. " The congregation meets at the Woodmen of the World campground building on Reichard Road.

Worship Pastor Ginger Medley set the tone Sunday when, in her booming voice, she exclaimed, “What a mighty God we serve.” Medley stood on the side lawn of Asbury United Methodist Church surrounded by about 200 congregants and supporters ready to watch the groundbreaking for a $2.2 million addition. It will be a major expansion for the 25-year-old edifice at 4257 Kearneysville Pike. When finished in about a year, the nearly 24,000-square-foot multipurpose addition will include a gym, six classrooms, a nursery, restrooms, a commercial kitchen and a covered canopy to protect those entering the main church or the new addition, said Clark Dixon, building committee chairman.

Worship Pastor Ginger Medley set the tone Sunday when, in her booming voice, she exclaimed, “What a mighty God we serve.” Medley stood on the side lawn of Asbury United Methodist Church surrounded by about 200 congregants and supporters ready to watch the groundbreaking for a $2.2 million addition. It will be a major expansion for the 25-year-old edifice at 4257 Kearneysville Pike. When finished in about a year, the nearly 24,000-square-foot multipurpose addition will include a gym, six classrooms, a nursery, restrooms, a commercial kitchen and a covered canopy to protect those entering the main church or the new addition, said Clark Dixon, building committee chairman.

Nancy Kneisley Costain, 85, formerly of Arlington, Va., died on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, at Menno Haven Retirement Community in Chambersburg, Pa. Born Feb. 17, 1927, in Hagerstown, Md., she was the daughter of the late Dr. Bender B. Kneisley and Mary A. Miller Kneisley. She was a 1944 graduate of Hagerstown High School. She was a graduate of Syracuse University in 1948, majoring in English. She earned her master's degree in counseling and psychology from Hood College in 1974. Her executive secretarial career included Mercersburg Academy, Johns Hopkins University, and numerous temporary positions.

The reredos at St. John's Episcopal Church, featuring ornate carvings in oak that came from the Black Forest in Germany. The majestic interior of Trinity Lutheran Church, which features a Schantz Organ Company organ with four hand keyboards. The stained glass windows at John Wesley United Methodist Church, which includes the massive Rose Window that church officials are planning to renovate soon at a cost of about $50,000. Those features were among the treasures local residents were able to see inside Hagerstown area churches Thursday afternoon and evening during the second annual Holiday Tour of the Houses of Worship in Hagerstown.

Mrs. Margaret Jane Bingham, 91, of Knoxville, Md., passed away on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, at her home. Born Sept. 29, 1920, in Weverton, Md., she was the daughter of the late Roy and Myrtle Bingham. Margaret grew up in the Weverton Baptist Church and became one of the original founders of the new church. She was a life member of the church and also taught Sunday school and VBS. She was a first-grade teacher and she was truly dedicated to her job. She retired in 1986 after 42 years of teaching in Washington County.

Divorced people, gay people, people of different races. Rob Apgar-Taylor said these individuals have not been welcomed at some churches. That's why Apgar-Taylor started Veritas United Church of Christ. A new place of worship that has been in the making since February, Apgar-Taylor said his church welcomes people regardless of their life experiences. “Veritas” is an ancient Latin term for truth and on the church's website, the organization asks “What is truth?” “That no one is outside of God's love.

A 188-year-old one-room schoolhouse on Bakersville Road near Sharpsburg was dedicated Aug. 27, according to the Rev. John Torrence, pastor of Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Civil War-era schoolhouse is being restored with the help of community members. Bricks are being sold for $100 to help with the restoration. The bricks will be part of a brick walkway, and up to three lines can be inscribed on the bricks. The schoolhouse was built in 1823, and originally was a church for the area's Methodist German Reformed and Lutheran congregations to share.

A new Otterbein Church planned for construction on Welty Road remains in limbo as church and municipal officials debate the scope of a traffic-impact study. Pastor Mike Newman addressed the Waynesboro Borough Council on Wednesday regarding a traffic study required by the council. Newman said he's concerned about the borough asking how traffic from the development will impact the road's integrity. Newman said he's worried the borough council wants that information to require the church to rebuild Welty Road.

VBS planned Second Christian Church, at 65 W. North Ave. in Hagerstown, will hold its annual Vacation Bible school Aug. 10 to 14. Everyone is invited to participate, especially children who will enjoy lots of fun along with prizes. The church is looking for volunteers. If interested, call 301-797-0407. Church has new site Bethel Fellowship Church will open the doors of its new church at 19833 Leitersburg Pike Sunday with a contemporary worship service at 10:30 a.m. A grand opening celebration will be held Sunday at 6:30 p.m. with Dr. Moussa Toure and Bishop Darlington G. Johnson as guest speakers.

JAN. 13, 1924-MARCH 18, 2009 The Rev. Noel Lee Huffman passed this life to receive his final reward on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at 2:30 p.m. at City Hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va. He entered this life on Jan. 13, 1924, in Beckley, W.Va. He was the son of the late Lewis Winton Huffman and Dolly Edna Basham Huffman. He was preceded in death by one sister, Gersye Richmond; and six brothers, Carson, Cramer, Gelvie, Lawrence, Buford and Tedford Huffman. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ina Mae Adkins Huffman.

Friday Boys Basketball Greencastle at Northeastern Tip-Off Tournament, 6 Frederick at North Hagerstown, 7 St. Maria Goretti at Boonsboro, 7 Mountain Ridge at Smithsburg, 7 Heritage Academy at Grace Academy, 7:30 McConnellsburg at Southern Huntingdon Tip-Off Tourney, 7:45 Waynesboro at Lower Dauphin Tournament, TBA James Buchanan in Paul Corby Tip-Off Tournament at Boiling Springs, TBA Broadfording Christian...