Pasadena United Methodist Church Celebrates 100 Years Of Worship

What does Pasadena United Methodist Church have in common with Raggedy Ann and U.S. daylight saving time? All three turned 100 in 2018.

Pasadena United Methodist Church will celebrate its own milestone this November 18-19.

“Over the past 100 years, God provided our church family at PUMC with a firm foundation that led thousands to be baptized, tens of thousands to receive Holy Communion and countless numbers to be sent into the world for mission and ministry,” said the Rev. Mernie Crane, PUMC’s pastor. “Our legacy is a precious one. We are entrusted to build upon and share it. It is a large task, but we approach it with trust that God leads the way.”

The weekend celebration will include a dinner on November 18 and a special Sunday service on October 19. The leader of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, will preach at the service in honor of the anniversary.

The Beginning

The church was originally incorporated in 1918 as the Pasadena Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1939, several types of Methodist churches unified and the Pasadena church changed its name to Pasadena Methodist Church Inc.

In 1955, the Methodist church’s Baltimore conference presented the church with plans for a new building using funds from its Crusade for Church Extension fund. The current building was completed in 1958 and the church changed its name for the final time to Pasadena United Methodist Church.

A Long Process

To commemorate the founding of the new location, the church created a time capsule that parishioners put in the cornerstone. The capsule has been opened several times to commemorate special events.

Fundraising for the event started after the church’s 90th anniversary celebration in 2008, but the church started planning for the event in earnest in 2017.

“It’s been a long process,” said Wilma Robley, the 100th anniversary committee chairperson.

Although the official dinner and celebratory Sunday service will be held in November, the church has commemorated the anniversary throughout the year. Celebrations started with a special pewter ornament that church members could purchase and take home for the Christmas season.

“We had one done 10 years ago when we celebrated our 90th, so we have a new one for the 100th,” said Robley. “That was kind of a fundraiser, but it was also a memorable piece of something that people could have in their home for the anniversary.”

The church also made commemorative shirts for congregants to wear during special events to show church spirit, including the anniversary service.

Every year, the church holds a rally day to celebrate the beginning of fall and the school year. This year, the congregation opened the time capsule to share the items inside and place new items inside, including a forever stamp with the current value of the stamp, that day’s front page of the Capital Gazette and a completed 100th anniversary pamphlet for the commemorative service.

During recent services, the church has recognized many of its larger ministries, such as the Dresses for Girls ministry, which sends dresses overseas to countries where girls don’t have access to much clothing.

On October 21, church members held a reunion for the Christian Appalachian Mountain Project Helping Other People Enthusiastically (CAMP HOPE), which travels to Western Maryland every year to build houses and volunteer.

“A lot of people came by to reminisce and worship all together,” said Crane. “Some of them now live in different places. We even did a little trip down memory lane with a trivia game. It was fun.”

The church also encouraged congregants to hold their own commemorative missions to help the church and community. One event, called Socktober, urged congregants to bring new socks to the church during the month of October to be given to the Arundel House of Hope. PUMC’s goal was to collect at least 100 pairs of socks.

“We’ve already gotten over 200 pairs,” said Robley.

As members of the Pasadena United Methodist community celebrate 100 years of the church, they are eager for the years ahead.

“Our challenge going forward is to stay open to prayer and look for the ways that God’s leading us,” said Crane. “So this 100th celebration is a celebration of the past and it’s also a prayer for what’s next.”