Church Building

Preaching in a makeshift sanctuary in a school auditorium, the Rev. Tyrone P. Jones IV frequently punctuates the ends of his sentences with a quick "amen. " As only the fifth pastor in the 112-year history of First Baptist Church of Guilford, Jones says he has many reasons to infuse his sermons with such affirmations. Stepping into a job held by a beloved minister for nearly 40 years is one of them. Starting a fresh chapter of church life with his new congregation by shepherding their move into a long-delayed church building is another.

Since 1901, Annapolis residents and downtown workers have been dropping off letters and buying stamps at the brick Georgian Revival-style post office on Church Circle. But not for much longer. A vote by the state's Board of Public Works on Wednesday seals the eventual fate of the post office. The state is buying the office for $3.2 million, with eventual plans to use the building for government offices. "The state saw an opportunity to retain the historic value of the building, particularly because it's in the footprint of other state-owned facilities.

A joyful noise arose when members of Antioch Apostolic Church met to worship yesterday morning. Members of the congregation sang, clapped, danced and shouted "Hallelujah!" Mothers balanced babies on swaying hips as nearby parishioners raised their hands skyward. A few miles down Ritchie Highway in Arnold their 20-year-old church building -- which some members helped to build -- lay in ruins. Its sanctuary collapsed Tuesday under the weight of last week's record snowstorm, leaving a pile of gnarled siding and insulation where hundreds had come to find solace.

Inside Arnolia United Methodist Church, located at Joppa and Oakleigh roads, is an exact replica of the building complete with the steeple and cross which rises high over the church, dozens of windows, six porches with steps and even the corrals for the trash cans in the rear. The church building was built in stages with the sanctuary, the final section completed in1968 but the replica was constructed this year. It all started when church member Mike Pfeifer helped to build a train garden at the Jacksonville Senior Center in Baltimore County.

A parcel of land located in the middle of the Hampton Garden community is up for sale. The property is 12.71 acres and owned by the Belvedere Christian Church. The church is selling the land due to their loss of membership and their inability to function as an independent religious operation. Over the last 10 years, the church has seen their membership fall from 200 to 20. The lost of membership has been attributed to the "passing" of members and members moving to other geographic areas and joining other religious institutions.

A proposal to build a two-story church on a small residential parcel along U.S. 40 in western Ellicott City is stirring hostility among nearby residents, who are angry at having to fight a new battle in what they see as a continuing war to keep more dense projects at bay. Friends of Font Hill formed in 2003 to oppose Kimberly Homes' plans to build 30 townhouses for seniors in their area of older detached homes. The group won the fight, and 10 detached homes were built instead. In 2006, members also defeated the Howard County Housing Commission's plans to build a four-story, moderate-income apartment complex on a 2.5-acre commercially zoned site in the same area.

A BITTERSWEET farewell marked the end of a decade of service by the beloved Rev. Philip Tocknell and his family Sunday at Greenmount United Methodist Church. Tocknell has been appointed to Baldwin United Methodist Church in Millersville, Anne Arundel County. The Tocknell family includes wife Debbie, and the couple's children, Emily, 13, and Jonathan, 19. "This is very hard on us. We were very fortunate and blessed to have them for 10 years. But since they're itinerant pastors, when the bishop asks you to move, you must go," said Connie Cole, church lay leader.

Uniontown Bible Church, Union Bridge Location: North side of Watson Lane, south of Stem Road Owner: Uniontown Bible Church Developer: Same Engineer: CLSI, Westminster Zoning: Agricultural Description: A proposed 31,277-square-foot church building, along with recreational fields and an indoor gathering area with a stage and pavilions. An existing building will remain on the 78-acre site. The main access will be from Watson Lane with a possible second driveway from Stem Road, but that would be limited to emergency use. Status: The Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission has reviewed a concept site plan for the church complex and made recommendations on signs and lighting but has taken no other action as yet. Information: 410-386-2145.

Inside Arnolia United Methodist Church, located at Joppa and Oakleigh roads, is an exact replica of the building complete with the steeple and cross which rises high over the church, dozens of windows, six porches with steps and even the corrals for the trash cans in the rear. The church building was built in stages with the sanctuary, the final section completed in1968 but the replica was constructed this year. It all started when church member Mike Pfeifer helped to build a train garden at the Jacksonville Senior Center in Baltimore County.

For some organizations, growth brings a lot of angst. That is not the case at St. Louis Church in Clarksville, where growth is welcomed. The Catholic parish recently broke ground on a new worship center. The project is part of a $13 million campaign that includes renovating the current church and restoring the parish's first church building on Ten Oaks Road - one of the county's 10 most-endangered properties. "This is predicated by the numbers," said Monsignor Joseph Luca, the pastor.

Before it became "The Wall That Ate Some Cars," it was just a stone wall on Mulligans Hill Lane, bracing a 20-foot-high embankment - stalwart as the steep hills that give Ellicott City's historic district much of its character. Then in early September 2011 came the rains of Tropical Storm Lee, and in the dead of night a section of the wall that had stood since before the Civil War collapsed. Six cars parked along the wall were crushed or damaged. Parking spaces vanished under tons of stone quickly trucked in to shore up the embankment.

The gun used in the killings at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Ellicott City last week was registered to the homeless man who allegedly shot two women and then himself, Howard County police said Monday. The gun was found near the body of Douglas Franklin Jones, 56, in woods next to the church. Police said he shot the Rev. Mary-Marguerite Kohn, 62, a co-rector of the church, and Brenda Brewington, 59, a church administrator, before turning the gun on himself. A church custodian found the two women shot in a church office and called police about 5:20 p.m. Thursday, police said.

Preaching in a makeshift sanctuary in a school auditorium, the Rev. Tyrone P. Jones IV frequently punctuates the ends of his sentences with a quick "amen. " As only the fifth pastor in the 112-year history of First Baptist Church of Guilford, Jones says he has many reasons to infuse his sermons with such affirmations. Stepping into a job held by a beloved minister for nearly 40 years is one of them. Starting a fresh chapter of church life with his new congregation by shepherding their move into a long-delayed church building is another.

It was with more than passing interest that I read Jacques Kelly 's account of the auction at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church. I grew up in Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in nearby Highlandtown and remember well the summer carnivals that Mr. Kelly described. I am sure that the closing of St. Michael's has been a painful experience for its parishoners. I recently finished reading Jason Berry's "Render unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church, " which discusses the issue of parish closures.

A parcel of land located in the middle of the Hampton Garden community is up for sale. The property is 12.71 acres and owned by the Belvedere Christian Church. The church is selling the land due to their loss of membership and their inability to function as an independent religious operation. Over the last 10 years, the church has seen their membership fall from 200 to 20. The lost of membership has been attributed to the "passing" of members and members moving to other geographic areas and joining other religious institutions.

A proposal to build a two-story church on a small residential parcel along U.S. 40 in western Ellicott City is stirring hostility among nearby residents, who are angry at having to fight a new battle in what they see as a continuing war to keep more dense projects at bay. Friends of Font Hill formed in 2003 to oppose Kimberly Homes' plans to build 30 townhouses for seniors in their area of older detached homes. The group won the fight, and 10 detached homes were built instead. In 2006, members also defeated the Howard County Housing Commission's plans to build a four-story, moderate-income apartment complex on a 2.5-acre commercially zoned site in the same area.

St. Ignatius Church in Hickory has a history dating back more than 200 years. Completed in 1792, the church holds the distinction of being the oldest original Roman Catholic church in continuous use in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Over its first 100 years as the church grew, six other churches were constructed in the county. They include St. Patrick, built in 1819, west of Conowingo; St. John the Evangelist on Long Green Pike that was dedicated in 1822; St. Patrick, built in 1848 in Havre de Grace; St. Mary of the Assumption, built in 1855-1856, in Pylesville; St. Francis de Sales, built in 1866 in Abingdon; and St. Margaret, built in 1905, in Bel Air, according to a history written by Carol Ann Lehr.

The Howard County Board of Appeals has approved plans to raze a 76-year-old Elkridge church and build a larger one -- over objections from some residents and church members.The new St. Stephen's African Methodist Episcopal Church, on a 1-acre Mayfield Avenue site, will feature a child day care center and community center.At least two residents expressed opposition to the proposal before the appeals board. One feared the expanded church would block access to two acres of land he owns. Another doesn't want the old church building to be demolished.

The ceremony to dedicate a small, pale-yellow clapboard building at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Ellicott City to the memory of Eva Johnson had little pomp but plenty of historical significance. Johnson's family members say that, according to stories passed down through the generations, some of their ancestors were slaves at Doughoregan Manor. The once-vast Colonial estate was the home of Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signatory to the Declaration of Independence. But the personal history of Johnson and her family living in Ellicott City during segregation is equally compelling, especially for parishioners at St. Paul's.

The answer to a Hampden church congregation's prayers arrived this week when new roofing timbers began rising above the nave of their burned 1879 building. Lightning from an August thunderstorm struck the belfry at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church. Within minutes, its roof and the upper reaches of the stone-and-frame building caught fire and burned. Firefighters stopped the flames by training streams of water inside the church, which sat in ruins before being resaturated by heavy autumn rains.