Abundant Life Church

Driving down Ritchie Highway -- or more accurately puttering down Ritchie Highway -- I casually reached over and inserted a cassette into the tape player."

When the Rev. Wayne Gaines heard that the pastor of the Church of God here wanted to move to the Eastern Shore, he jumped at the chance to return to Western Maryland.Gaines and his wife, Dot -- who had led the parish in Bridgeville, Del. for two years -- were impressed by the area when he was assistant pastor of the Marantha Church of Godin Frederick.They also had worked with the Williamsport Church of God in Washington County about 10 years ago."We always liked this area," he said. "Carroll County is one of the prettiest counties in Maryland."