FBC Thurmont: Sleepy Town but Busy Church
By Ben McBride
THURMONT, Md. — First Baptist Church of Thurmont (FBCT) is located in a small, laid-back cozy community in northern Fredrick County, at the foothill of the Catoctin Mountains. It might seem like a sleepy little town, with quaint festivals and popular orchards, but at FBCT, members are active and busy taking the gospel to the streets (and park!). Jay Beard, with his wife Carissa, has served with the church since 2015, first as co-pastor, before stepping into the lead pastor position in 2019. He’s excited about the opportunities they’ve had.
The church is now preparing for its. upcoming Vacation Bible School (VBS) from July 16-20, with the theme of “Babylon: Daniel’s Courage in Captivity.” To promote the VBS, members made a float and marched in the local fireman’s parade, throwing out candy, and meeting new neighbors. They’re praying for great attendance, with opportunities to get to know many families.
Church members marched in a Firemen’s parade to promote their upcoming Vacation Bible School. (Photo courtesy of FBCT)
FBCT members have been strategically seeking opportunities to go outside the four walls of their building into the community. One way is their second “church in the park” event they’ll have in August. Beard said, “Typically that has been at someone’s home but that didn’t work out last year, so we hosted it in the community park in Thurmont. We then got the idea, ‘What if we hosted church before the picnic?’ So we did. We had a lot of visitors, and our church family has come to love it! The band sets up under a pavilion, I preach, and then we have a picnic in the park. It’s a lot of fun, and it allows us an opportunity to declare God’s glory in the community.”
That’s not the only time the church utilizes Thurmont Park. Every year they have a free “Spring Fling,” and grill hot dogs and hamburgers and give out snow cones and popcorn. They have live music and a moon bounce for the kids. They also have face painting and puppet shows for kids in an effort to help teach them about Jesus.
FBC Thurmont has also been reinvigorating its men’s ministry this spring and summer. Beard said the ministry has been dormant for a few years, and he’s excited to bring it back with outdoor breakfasts with devotions, maybe picnics, and they’re working on partnering with other churches for a possible men’s retreat.
Another way Beard says the church is opening its doors to the community is by letting the Frederick Rescue Mission use the church for its Summer Enrichment Camp. FBCT has a close relationship with the mission and has been sending volunteers both to the six-week camp, and the mission site, for over four years. Beard is very complimentary about the camp. He said, “The kids get help with reading and math skills while learning about Jesus. And they get to have fun in the process. It’s a great program.”
FBCT has puppets at their annual Spring Fling in Thurmont Park. (Photo courtesy of FBCT)
All of this outreach has also led to the church restarting and revamping their “Care Teams” at the church. Beard said the church has not had deacons since the 90s and he did not want people to feel as though they were “slipping through the cracks.” In February, the church had an installation service for three married couples who will make up FBCT‘s newly minted “Care Teams,” which Beard said will “reestablish that office to provide care for our people.”
Ben McBride is a summer communications intern with the BCM/D.
Feature photo: Three couples are installed as members of the new “care team.” Photo courtesy of First Baptist Church of Thurmont.