Maryland/Delaware Thanksgiving 2021 Roundup

“Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Joint Thanksgiving service 

Dunkirk Baptist Church (DBC) partnered with four other Potomac Baptist Association (PBA) churches to host a community worship gathering on Nov. 18. Bayside Baptist Church (BBC) in Chesapeake Beach; Emmanuel Baptist Church (EBC) in Huntingtown;  New Creation Bible Church (NCBC) in St. Leonard, and Friendship Community Baptist Church (FCC) in Dunkirk joined DBC.

Welcoming those in attendance, Pastor Ben Holland said, “It’s good to bring the people of God together to be one body worshipping and thanking God together.”

Admission was a donation of food. The churches sent the food to the local county food bank, East Baltimore Graffiti Church, and BBC’s food pantry.

DBC Office Administrator Michelle Duellui said the event was well-received, with 200 people filling the church. Janet Allen, EBC’s music director, led a combined praise team of members from all of the churches. Each pastor shared.

EBC Pastor Rick Hancock and Glenn Swanson, the pastor of Bayside Baptist Church and president of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D), shared Scripture. Ron Curry, the pastor of NCBC, and Robert Kendall, the pastor of FCBC, led prayer time. Holland led a time of thanksgiving, with those in attendance sharing praises.

Home Church helps those in treatment center

Home Church (HC) meets at “The Ranch,” a drug and alcohol treatment center located in Frederick. Church members intentionally reach out to help the men who reside at the center.

The North American Mission Board supplied the church with 75 backpacks. Last week, HC members packed them with hygiene items for ranch residents.

On Sunday, HC members prepared a Thanksgiving breakfast for the men.

Each month, the church teaches a life skills class on manhood for those at the center; and they provide a monthly meal.

Pastor Eli Choi said God has been working through the ministry. “A few men have become members of the church,” he said.

Now the church is gearing up for Christmas, buying gifts for men who need help purchasing their children’s Christmas presents.

Food ministry

Maryland/Delaware churches have been busy collecting and distributing thousands of baskets, boxes, and bags of food to show love to their communities for Thanksgiving.

In Curtis Bay, The Transformation Center, a ministry of Streetlite Christian Fellowship, collected enough food to fill nearly 700 bags of food for families in need in and around Brooklyn Park.

Clinton Baptist Church partnered with “Project Give Back” and gave over 600 Thanksgiving boxes to families in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

The Church of the Harbor’s (COTH) campuses in Essex and in Edgemere both had Thanksgiving meals and invited friends, families, and neighbors. Church members served turkey and ham with all the trimmings to their guests.

Christian Liberty Church (CLC) in Baltimore had their eighth annual “O’ Give Thanks” event at Frederick Douglas High School. They gave away 200 meals. Eleven people made professions of faith, and four joined the church.

Christmas tree purchases help others

LifeHouse Church in Townsend, Delaware, is selling fresh-cut Christmas trees on their property through Dec. 23.

The lot is open from 3-8 p.m Mondays through Thursdays; 2-9 p.m. on Fridays; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. They’ll be closed for Thanksgiving.

All profits benefit local families in need.

“REIGNITE”

In an email to BaptistLIFE, Brian Moss, the senior pastor of Oak Ridge Baptist Church (ORBC) in Salisbury, reported, “God worked in amazing ways through our recent fall series, REIGNITED. Through this spiritual growth campaign, we launched 23 new small groups (65 total) and added 95 new people into groups for a total of over 500 adults in small groups.” Moss said they graduated 42 people through the discipleship program (GROWTH TRACK) for a total of 127 since last year. Also, they graduated 18 families through their ‘Parenting Principles’ course, and 48 people stepped up for volunteer tours to get plugged into serving. “We ended with a mass baptism event where 34 people followed Christ in believer’s baptism,” Moss wrote.

“In addition, we took up a special offering for our new building. One hundred fifty families gave $211,000 in cash and turned in pledges to give $1 million over the next 12 months! God has truly REIGNITED our church!”

History Highlight 

“Kim Delamarter, from BBC, led the Disaster Relief (DR) feeding unit in Salisbury, where the American Red Cross staged an emergency shelter in the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center Friday through Sunday.

She estimates that the BCM/D DR feeding unit served 4,000 meals during the height of Hurricane Irene, including meals for approximately 1,000 shelter guests, another 500 first responders, and nearby zoo workers, as well as food for four other shelters in the region” (adapted from an Aug. 29, 2011, BaptistLIFE article entitled “MD/DE DR Responds to Hurricane Irene Damage”).

Quotable quotes 

• “If a critical mass of our national, state, associational, and church leaders can get on the same page (or at least in the same Book!) and speak the same language of unity, love, and mission, we could see something happen that has not happened in our lifetimes.” — Former BCM/D Executive Director David Lee at a May 20, 2011, General Mission Board meeting. 
• “Don’t fall into the trap of studying the Bible without doing what it says.” — Frances Chan

Share your stories at [email protected]! 

Cover photo: CLC had their eighth annual “O’ Give Thanks” and gave away 200 meals (Facebook photo used with permission).