SPUMC Reflects On History, Ministry And Outreach During 60th Anniversary Celebration

The congregation of Severna Park United Methodist Church (SPUMC) celebrated the church’s 60th anniversary in grand fashion this fall, taking seven weeks to reflect on six decades of history, ministry, and service to the community and the nations.

Like most churches, SPUMC had humble beginnings. Its first worship service was held on August 8, 1965, with 94 people gathered in a blue house at the corner of Benfield and Holland roads. The Rev. Edgar Beckett served as the first lead pastor. In 1968, the growing congregation broke ground at 731 Benfield Road, and in 1969 they moved into what would become SPUMC’s permanent home. The facility has since expanded to accommodate continued growth.

“Edgar Beckett was famous for riding around in his VW Bug and following any of the moving vans. There were so many moving vans of people moving into this area at the time. If he saw a moving van, it didn’t matter what time of day or night it was, basically, he would stop, knock on the door, and invite people to come to this church,” said the Rev. Ron Foster.

Foster has served as SPUMC’s lead pastor since 2014. He joked that he might get arrested if he used that invitational approach today but noted that many in the congregation consider themselves “Edgar Beckett members.”

In the early years, Foster said the church grew “dramatically and rapidly.” Today, its membership is about 1,200.

SPUMC’s simple mission statement – Love. Serve. Follow. – has taken many forms over the decades, from beginning an annual Appalachia youth mission trip in 1981, to being one of the six churches that founded SPAN (Serving People Across Neighborhoods) in 1990, to starting international mission trips for adults the same year, to hosting Winter Relief since 2012.

Throughout the seven-week anniversary celebration, SPUMC reflected on changing worship styles, world events that happened over the last six decades, early mission trips, and places the church has served including Zimbabwe, Russia and Guatemala. Wil Bailey, SPUMC’s missionary partner from Costa Rica, preached on World Communion Sunday in October.

“We’ve tried to really sink our roots in locally to what we do missionally, but we also do stuff all over the country and all over the world. It was great to be able to celebrate that, not just as a past reality but as something this church continues to do,” Foster said.

A pillar of missions and ministry, the Rev. Lee Ferrell joined the SPUMC leadership 50 years ago and has devoted most of that time to serving the youth. Her impact has such longevity that students she ministered to have grown up and asked her to officiate their weddings and even baptize their children.

Ferrell shared several highlights she has witnessed during her five decades at SPUMC, including congregants making greater commitments to their faith through deeper Bible studies. She is also proud of how SPUMC serves all generations well. Though she is technically retired, she continues to serve with the youth and college ministries.

“For me personally, I see God at work in these teenagers when they hear it all, they know the stories, but when it all clicks – when it all dawns on them that this is really powerful, it’s true, and it makes a difference in their own lives – that’s the most beautiful thing in my ministry that I ever see happen,” Ferrell said.

Foster shared several recent milestones he is proud of as well.

“Our church has become a much more inclusive place in terms of welcoming LGBTQ persons. We’ve been doing some work and reading and study on racial reconciliation over the last 10 years,” he said. “So, I feel like we’ve branched out in some new directions alongside of the things we’ve been doing, and doing well, for 60 years.”

He also emphasized the ongoing evolution he has witnessed within the worship ministry, noting that the music team continues to find fresh ways to praise God while honoring a wide spectrum of sacred music. He is also grateful for SPUMC’s reinvigorated partnership with Asbury Town Neck United Methodist Church. The two churches host joint events including a Thanksgiving service, and Foster and the Rev. Tori Butler have begun an annual pulpit exchange.

“I think a congregation always has to reinvent itself. Even if you’re going to stay faithful to your past, you can’t just live there,” Foster said, adding, “What vibrant worship looked like 50 years ago probably has changed, so we have to keep evolving. So, we’ve talked about all the ways this church has tried to evolve with the times and yet stay really connected to these principles of service, and investing in children and youth, and having deep ties to our community, but also thinking well beyond ourselves. We talked about thinking locally and serving globally – that’s been a double-focus of this church forever.”

SPUMC’s 60th anniversary culminated in a church potluck consisting entirely of birthday cakes. Foster noted the “Sweet 60th Birthday Party” was a great way to cap off the festivities.