United Methodist Church

United Methodist Church of Savage, 9050 Baltimore St., will hold its annual Strawberry Festival Saturday, June 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Menu includes open pit roast beef sandwiches, pulled beef barbecue sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, hot dogs, chips, cole slaw, baked beans, potato salad, ice cream, strawberries, shortcake and beverages. There will also be a bake sale. Call 301-725-7630.

A former leader of a youth group of a church in Severn is facing charges that he brought marijuana on a group trip and smoked it with two teenage boys while on an overnight camping trip, Anne Arundel County police said Monday. Benjamin James Siggers, 31, a former substitute teacher in Anne Arundel County Public Schools, was charged with two counts each of possession of marijuana and contributing to the condition of a child, according to court records. He was issued a summons. Police said they and the Department of Social Services began investigating Siggers Feb. 19 in connection with the Severn United Methodist Church group activities.

United Methodist Church of Savage presents "Riches 2 Rags" Friday, May 18 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 19 at 2 and 7 p.m., at 9050 Baltimore St., in Savage. This musical, created by Dennis and Nan Allen, takes the story of Job and places him in modern day times. Can "a good man" stay good through life's hard knocks? Cost is non-perishable food items for the Savage Food Pantry. For information, contact 301-725-7530 or office@umcsavage.org . http://www.umcsavage.org .

An upstairs room at Asbury Methodist Church is stuffed with memorabilia and documents of the Annapolis church, from faded photos of generations of church leaders to mugs commemorating the recent 200th anniversary. The filing cabinets that line a back wall in this informal exhibit space contain a trove of church records - births, deaths and marriages among them. The glass cabinets elsewhere in the room hold other items, including a tea kettle that a century ago sat on a wood-fired stove in the church, used to boil water for tea for the pastor and his visitors.

THIS MONTH, Severna Park United Methodist Church welcomes the Rev. George W. Ennis as its new minister.He and his wife, Susan, arrived in Anne Arundel County from his most recent assignment at Grace United Methodist Church in Hagerstown to head, as he expresses it, "a great staff and a good congregation. Severna Park is really a good place to be."The 30-year veteran of the ministry especially looks forward to SPUMC's outreach programs. "This church has the refugee resettlement program, Volunteers in Mission, the Stephen Ministry [where Christian laymen are trained to minister to the needs of others]

NICHOLS BETHEL United Methodist Church will hold an old-fashioned church picnic Saturday at Ruck's Shore on the Magothy.Buses, with live entertainment aboard, will leave the church parking lot at 9: 30 a.m. and return at 6 p.m.Hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks will be provided. Families are asked to bring salads and vegetables.A limited number of picnic tables are on the property so plan to bring your own lawn chairs and umbrellas. Organized games and contests with prizes for all age groups will run throughout the day. Swimmers are asked to wear water shoes.

Emory United Methodist Church will hold its annual yard sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the church north of Finksburg. Spaces may be rented for $10 each. The community is invited to participate. Food and beverages will be sold. The church is on Route 91 at Emory Church Road. Information: 410-239-9519. Deer Park church to offer contemporary concert Deer Park United Methodist Church in Smallwood will present a concert of contemporary music at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the church sanctuary.

WHO BETTER TO help organize a house tour in a quaint old town than the local heritage committee?That's the theory in Union Bridge, where the town's heritage committee is joining Union Bridge United Methodist Church Women to sponsor a tour of nine houses and three churches Saturday.The tour runs from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the start at the Methodist church at 7 S. Main St. The United Methodist women's group will serve meals from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.Cost is $5. Booklets with descriptions of the houses and churches and a map will be included.

Uniontown United Methodist Church will hold a 9/11 memorial service at 7 p.m. today at the church, 3403 Uniontown Road. The service will include a brief meditation by the Rev. Holly Slaugh, music and prayer. Participants may donate to the Fallen Firefighters Fund. Information: 410-751-8822. Union Bridge theater group presents play, family night The Little Community Theatre will hold its annual OZ family fun night and a one-act comedy, Boris and the Spaceman, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow at Elmer A. Wolfe Elementary School.

ON SUNDAY, Westminster United Methodist Church will be honored with the presence of the Rev. Felton Edwin May, bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, who will speak at the annual "Two Bits a Dip" luncheon.May, who leads a 222,000-member conference, will offer an address called "Holy Boldness, Reconciliation, Liberation and Hope."The program begins at 12: 30 p.m. in the church's Jubilee Hall."We did a luncheon like this last year, but this is the first year we have opened it up to other congregations in the community," said spokeswoman Linda Wajda.

It was a typical Sunday worship service with a twist. The congregation at Ames United Methodist Church in Bel Air, the same lively and prayerful group that planned the hugely successful Yolanda Adams concert a couple weeks ago, was offerering hearty praise songs and worshipping together Sept. 2, in the church's Baltimore Pike sanctuary. Pastor Jay Blake, their annointed and ebullient leader, had just finished delivering a thought-provoking sermon. Challenging them that faith without works is dead, he implored the assembly to gather after the worship service for a brief road trip.

United Methodist Church of Savage presents "Riches 2 Rags" Friday, May 18 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 19 at 2 and 7 p.m., at 9050 Baltimore St., in Savage. This musical, created by Dennis and Nan Allen, takes the story of Job and places him in modern day times. Can "a good man" stay good through life's hard knocks? Cost is non-perishable food items for the Savage Food Pantry. For information, contact 301-725-7530 or office@umcsavage.org . http://www.umcsavage.org .

There will be a free food and clothing distribution event Saturday, May 19 at First United Methodist Church of Laurel, 424 Main St. The clothing distribution, sponsored by Grace Community Church, will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The food distribution is sponsored by Priority Partners and the Capital Area Food Bank, and will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Pick up free food and learn about getting no- and low-cost health care benefits for...

The Ames United Methodist Church Scholarship Committee has applications available for the 2012 Ames United Methodist Church Scholarship for graduating high school seniors residing in Harford County. To request a copy of the scholarship packet and for more information, email Ames UMC Scholarship Committee, amesumcscholarshipcommittee@live.com . Completed applications must be postmarked by April 15. All incomplete applications and those that are incomplete will be rejected and returned to the applicant with no further action taken for consideration by the scholarship committee.

The United Methodist Church of Savage is hosting Breakfast with the Easter Bunny Saturday, March 24 from 8 to 11 a.m. at 9050 Baltimore St., in Savage. Cost is $3 for one pancake, scoop of eggs and sausage; $6 for two pancakes, two scoops of eggs and two sausages. Beverages included. Bring your camera for pictures with the Easter Bunny. Call the office, 301-725-7630, with questions.

Monkton United Methodist Church invites the public to a dedication ceremony for the church's new front steps. The congregation will dedicate new brick steps leading up to the front doors on Feb. 19 at 10:45 a.m.. Light refreshments will follow. The church, built in 1870, is a Baltimore County landmark and is in the My Lady's Manor National Register Historic District. The church's original members often arrived in wagons or on horseback. Its crumbling steps recently were replaced with help from a Baltimore County Historic Trust grant.

A year ago, the Rev. Ann Gordon received her routine reappointment as minister of a Charles Village Methodist congregation. Yesterday - after undergoing a sex-change operation and taking on a new symbolic name - the Rev. Drew Phoenix received another one-year contract to head St. John's United Methodist Church. "This is about more than me," Phoenix said after the decision by the bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. "This is about people who come after me, about young people in particular who are struggling with their gender identity.

Laurel police report felonies, arrests and property crimes. Prince George's County police report violent crimes and property crimes. Anne Arundel County police report major crimes. Howard County police report major crimes, break-ins and car thefts. City of Laurel Ninth Street, 200 block, Jan. 11. Police on routine patrol observed riding lawn mower tractor and snow blower outside building, and identified them as items reported stolen Jan. 8 from St. Mark's United Methodist Church.