Churches have played an important role in the shaping of the history of Baltimore County.
Religious faith was a prominent trait in early settlers. One denomination, the Methodists seemingly even more than others. In fact, the Perry Hall community of the late 1700’s was called the “Cradle of Methodism” in Baltimore County.
The area we now call Essex-Middle River also had its share of Methodist churches in colonial times. Many of these places of worship continue to exist. In previous columns we have made mention of the Orems United Methodist Church, which dates back to the 1700’s and the Back River United Methodist Church which dates back to the mid 1800’s.
Nestled on the top of a large hill near the intersection of Ebenezer and Earles roads, shaded by many trees stands a parish that was originally constructed in 1894 however the congregation itself can trace its roots back to the 1790s.
Around the same time that the Constitution of our great nation was being ratified in 1787, members of the Middle River/Bird River communities joined together to form the Ebenezer Methodist Church. Legend has it that the congregation was named after Ebenezer Blackstone, who had large land holdings in the area in the late 1670’s.
A small building, which they called the Bird River Chapel Meeting House, was constructed near the present day intersection of Ebenezer and Bird River Roads. Shortly thereafter, the name was changed to Ebenezer Methodist Church.
During the early years and even on up until the mid-1900’s, the church was one of six churches that were a part of the “Great Falls Circuit.” This meant that the church did not have a permanent pastor, but rather depended on one of the Circuit Ministers who traveled from parish to parish to perform services.
The congregation purchased the land on which the present building sits sometime after the Civil War. Unfortunately, the war and other factors caused the membership to decline for a short time. By 1892, however, membership had risen to 112 members and at that time, the Board of Trustees was incorporated.
Plans were initiated to construct a new chapel on the land they had purchased. The cemetery was laid out in 1893 and the remains of parishioners (some dating back to the 1830’s) were re-interred at the new site.
In 1894 the new wood framed, Gothic Revival style chapel was completed at its present location. Sitting on a random stone-rubble foundation, the building has a pitched gable roof and lancet window openings with stained glass. The steeple tower stands two stories high. With the addition of a few modern conveniences, the building still stands and serves today.
In 1965, an educational center was constructed on the site. A parsonage was added in 1981 to serve permanent pastors. Affectionately known as “the Light at the top of the hill,” Ebenezer United Methodist Church continues to serve the area in many different functions.
During the 1987 Amtrak train wreck in Chase, the educational center served as an emergency relief station.
My own personal connection to the church is that in 1969 I had the honor of serving as an usher in my brother’s wedding. The ceremony took place at Ebenezer for it was the church of his bride’s family, Valerie (Scudder) Krebs of Harewood Park.
Today Ebenezer United Methodist Church, still considered one of the oldest Methodist congregations in the nation, is a part of the Bowleys/Chase United Methodist Parish. Sharp Street United Methodist Church and Piney Grove United Methodist Church are the other two churches that make up the parish.
Sunday Services are conducted by Pastor Cindy Burkett and Associate Pastor Jessica Statesman. They include casual contemporary service held at 8:30 a.m. and traditional service at 9:45 a.m.
As always, I want to thank everyone for reading Essex.Patch.com and for all the wonderful comments I receive about this column. We have some exciting topics for future columns coming up soon. They include the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the 25th anniversary of the Amtrak train wreck, and the 55th anniversary of the great Essex Fire.
As the old saying goes…Please stay tuned!
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