Special Announcements
Online services are held every Sunday at 10 a.m..
Everyone is welcome to watch our service online on Sundays at 10 a.m. The sermon series "Overcome: Hope and Healing in the New Year" will run Jan. 10 through Feb. 14.
In-person attendance will not be available through the end of January. It has not been determined how long after that it will resume.
Click here to view previous services.
Weekly Vespers Services called "Saturday Night Live" have been discontinued.
Glen Mar is currently registering children and youth for learning. Visit this website page for more information.
Other youth programs, including confirmation, are available. Visit this website page for more information.
While the building is closed, programs for children and youth continue online. Youth are gathering by Zoom and through Bible study apps for high school Rooted, Confirmation Class, and small groups. Sunday school teachers are sharing videos and do-at-home lessons for preschool and elementary-aged kids.
Don't miss out. Sign up for the Family Vine or sign up for one of the Youth Newsletters or contact Margaret Lang for children's learning, Jen Rowell for middle school programs or Sean Danaher for high school programs.
The Glen Mar Task Force For Re-Entry is meeting and continuing to monitor conditions, recommendations and guidelines from our Bishop, LaTrelle Easterling, and authorities. We want to prioritize safety, care, connection and love for God and neighbor. We are committed to continuing to provide meaningful online ministry, as we continue to prepare and pray for the best ways to safely gather. Questions? Email Mandy.Sayers@glenmarumc.org.
Glen Mar is currently accepting requests for outdoor gatherings at the church, with social distancing. All requests have to be approved by our Task Force for Re-Entry committee. If you want to gather, email Mandy.Sayers@glenmarumc.org who will take your request to the team and get back to you.
Registration is open.
Follow the Glen Mar Early Learning Center on Facebook or visit the website page www.glenmarelc.org.
For more information email elc@glenmarumc.org or call 410-461-2859.
Events Currently Scheduled
Volunteer work for the seventh annual Day of Service can be done from your home. Adults as well as children 5 and older are welcome to participate. This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.
Activities will serve those in need and show gratitude and love for members of our community. We will also hold collections of various items for those in need.
This event is sponsored by Glen Mar Church and St. John Baptist Church.
More information and pre-registration are available here. Also see information about a free flu clinic and about a virtual health screening.
As part of the 30-Hour Famine, Glen Mar's confirmation class will hold a Bake Sale to benefit hungry people, both in Howard County and around the world. To purchase some goodies come by the church any time between 12 and 2 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 6. The class will also be collecting non-perishable food items.
If you'd like to contribute baked goods, please package them for individual sale and bring them to Glen Mar by 11:45 a.m. on Sat., Feb. 6. Contact Jen.Rowell@glenmarumc.org to let her know you'll be bringing something.
Glen Mar's singles group will have monthly virtual brunches on Sundays, Feb. 7 and Mar. 7.
Monthly virtual potlucks will be held on Saturdays, Jan. 30, Feb. 27, Mar.27 and Apr. 24.
Hikes are scheduled for Saturdays, Jan. 23, Feb. 20 and Mar. 20.
For more information, email singles@glenmarumc.org.
Do you volunteer at Glen Mar with children, youth or vulnerable adults? If so, Safe Sanctuaries Training is required. In-person training is required every four years and online training is required after two years.
The next Safe Sanctuaries Training will be held on Sunday, Feb. 14, 11:45 a.m. Contact Mary Ellen Conley at safesanctuaries@glenmarumc.org if you plan to attend. If the meeting is held via Zoom, Mary Ellen will provide the link. Visit here for more information .
Courageous Conversations is presented by Howard County faith communities. They will be held virtually Feb. 2, 9, 16 and 23, 7 - 9 p.m.
The purpose of these conversations is not to persuade, debate, or convince one another of our positions but to make space for each of us to be heard and to learn about one another. Participants will listen to each other's perspectives about how we are living together through our experiences of race and religious bias.
Through these conversation circles, participants will explore how each of us can contribute towards creating a connected community of different people rather than a community that lets different people in.
Visit www.hococourageousconversations.com for more information and to register.
Can We Help You?
Mask-making videos are available at on Glen Mar's COVID-19 Crisis webpage.
Opportunities to Get Involved
Register to receive a family activity guide and materials to help you practice Lenten disciplines at home. Kits include activities for all ages and can be picked up Sat., Feb. 13, 10 - 11 a.m., or Sun., Feb. 14, 2 - 3 p.m., outside of Glen Mar's main entrance. Registration deadline is Sun., Feb. 7.
As part of the 30-Hour Famine, Glen Mar's confirmation class will hold a Bake Sale to benefit hungry people, both in Howard County and around the world. If you'd like to contribute baked goods, please package them for individual sale and bring them to Glen Mar by 11:45 a.m. on Sat., Feb. 6. Contact Jen.Rowell@glenmarumc.org to let her know you'll be bringing something.
The class will also be collecting non-perishable food items.
If you want to purchase some goodies come by the church any time between 12 and 2 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 6, 12 to 2 p.m. .
The Glen Mar Habitat for Humanity crew recently got back to work after all local Habitat groups stopped due to health issues posed by the coronavirus.
For safety, the group is limited to a five-member crew at one time so Adrienne Taylor is trying to use her Habitat email list to let folks know of other volunteer opportunities in addition to Habitat workdays. Contact habitat@glenmarumc.org to join the email list or to contact Adrienne.
On the fourth Tuesday of the month Glen Mar volunteers prepare and deliver the dinner entree and milk for all the clientele (about 50 people) at the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, 6700 Freetown Road in Columbia. Each volunteer prepares or purchases a portion of the dinner (two cooked meat loaves in his or her home or five gallons of 2% milk) and drops off the items at the shelter before 3 p.m. on the assigned day. Six volunteers are needed each month.
Email Linda Hunt at grassroots@glenmarumc.org to be added to the volunteer email list. At the beginning of each month an email is sent to all volunteers soliciting help. Those who are interested reply to the email.
Family Survivor Network (FSN) is a grief support organization based in Sandtown, a neighborhood in Baltimore. FSN is an amazing group of people who walk with families through the grieving process when they've lost a family member to violence. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of people who need the services of FSN in Sandtown.
In October, FSN was forced to move out of its offices and found new space more centrally located in Sandtown. FSN is now renting a house it hopes to buy later. The house is currently owned by and directly across the street from a man who owns the local funeral home. Because of the better location, the neighbors stop by to say hello and ask about FSN. They are very grateful that they will soon have a place where they can gather with others who have shared their painful experiences and begin to heal.
The building is in need of serious repairs. The Glen Mar Habitat for Humanity crew worked there one day. Other volunteers have stepped up to help. The building is getting closer to being usable, if not optimally repaired. If you want to support these efforts, habitat@glenmarumc.org.
Stephen Ministries is an organization that equips lay volunteers to provide Christian care for individuals in crisis. Stephen Ministers partner with ordained staff to identify and minister to those who are struggling with a wide range of life difficulties.
Stephen Ministers get 50 hours of training to develop their skills in listening, compassion, empathy and setting healthy boundaries. They are equipped to be caregivers to those most in need of a non-judgmental listening ear and to rely on God to bring about healing.
More information is available here.
If you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister, stephenministry@glenmarumc.org will put you in touch with the Stephen Leader who can tell you more about the ministry and training.
Glen Mar is one of several organizations supporting Help End Homelessness Howard County which currently provides housing for four families in Howard County, including 12 children. Once stabilized in housing, families work towards financial literacy and independence. HEHHC was recently approved for a grant to fund a portion of purchasing a fifth property.
HEHHC still needs additional financial and volunteer support to make this happen. It is currently looking for a house/townhouse/condo. Once a property has been purchased, it will need to be readied for occupancy which usually requires painting and small repairs. If you would like to volunteer to help ready the house or if you would be willing to take the lead to coordinate the volunteer efforts, please email HEHHC@glenmarumc.org.
HEHHC usually provides furnishings and household goods for the house too because the families do not have items to set up housekeeping or money to buy them when they move in. If you have items to donate HEHHC may be able to take them if the timing is right. Storage until the new property is purchased can be a problem but contact the email address listed if you have items to offer.
IF you would like to know what HEHHC clients need, please ask at that same email address.
HEHHC is also looking for a CPA. Email HEHHC@glenmarumc.org for more information.
Glen Mar is still making masks to supply them to people who cannot afford them. Jobs include sewing and ironing. Materials can be provided. For more information, contact mask@glenmarumc.org or visit this webpage.
Glen Mar's Gift Card Program provides money for ministries so support is appreciated.
To buy and pick up gift cards at the church, email bob.henry@glenmarumc.org.
A second option is to print gift cards at home. This is done from the ShopWithScrip website. If you are not yet registered as a Glen Mar supporter or did not know about this option, contact Van Beall at fundraising@glenmarumc.org.
Also contact Van if you have questions about how your profits are allocated (to a Family Account, the Building Fund, the Pastor's Emergency Fund, Early Learning Center, Music Ministries, Children's Ministries, United Methodist Committee on Relief, Walk/Journey to Bethlehem, etc.,), your family account balance, or if you wish to allocate any/all your family account balance to another ministry.
If you shop at Amazon and are not yet registered with Amazon Smile, please visit www.smile.amazon.com and register as a Glen Mar supporter. That will add half a percent to the 2.25% earned when you shop at Amazon with Amazon gift cards purchased through the Glen Mar gift card program.
Collections, Donations, and Loaned Items
Glen Mar’s volunteer mask makers, who now total about 40, continue working even though masks are readily available for purchase because they want to supply free masks to people who cannot afford them.
The volunteers need the following supplies:
- Elastic – Up to ½ inch through ¼ inch or narrower
- Grosgrain ribbon (1/4-, 3/8-, ½-, or 5/8-inch wide)
- Thread, any color
- Pipe cleaners or chenille stems
If you are interested in donating food, household supplies, or grocery gift cards to these families, Adrienne is willing to deliver them to the families we serve. Limited pick-up is available or you may order online and have the items delivered to Adrienne's house. Please email Adrienne hehhc@glenmarumc.org to make arrangements.
Ministry Updates
Almost 3,000 guests in more than 700 cars attended Glen Mar Church’s outdoor, drive-through Journey to Bethlehem held at six different presentations during the first two weekends in December.
Journey to Bethlehem presented the Biblical story of Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem and the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. The event featured eight scenes, costumed performers and animals.
Though this is Glen Mar’s 13th year presenting the story of Jesus’s birth, it was the first time it was staged as a drive-through, which was necessitated by the coronavirus. The event was previously called Walk to Bethlehem where guests walked from scene to scene outside followed by indoor activities that included watching Simeon bless the baby Jesus in the temple and a thriving first-century marketplace.
Because the Simeon scene was not part of this year’s presentation, Glen Mar created a video of that story based on Luke 2:22-39. The video can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBf-COSVqDw&feature=youtu.be.
Glen Mar blessed 29 families and an additional 10 youth during the 2020 holiday season through its Wish Upon a Star ministry by providing them $8,000 in clothing and toy requests and more than $12,000 in gift cards, including ones to grocery stores.
These families and youth were identified by Ames Memorial United Methodist Church, the Eva Johnson Foundation, the Howard County Public School System, the Judy Center of Howard County, HopeWorks, and the Baltimore Campus of the Board of Child Care of the United Methodist Church.
In addition, Glen Mar provided gift cards worth $2,000 to assist families in need that are served by the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center.
Glen Mar has been conducting this ministry for more than three decades but ran into challenges in 2020. Paper stars designating various needs for donors to fulfill were not available to the Glen Mar congregation in 2020 as they had been in the past because few people could pick up the stars after in-person worship services due to coronavirus pandemic attendance restrictions.
Instead, people signed up online to donate items and checks and delivered the items in the church’s parking lot during designated times on or prior to Dec. 6. A Glen Mar committee distributed the gifts to the organizations that identified the needs, and those organizations delivered the gifts to families and youth.
Due to the pandemic, 2020 was a year many will look back on with horror. But Glen Mar volunteers had a can-do attitude and a fierce determination to do what they could to help. Our mask-making team likely saved many people from getting the coronavirus and even dying from it by sending 5,000 free masks to organizations, needy families and an Indian reservation that needed these simple safety tools.
During the first months after the coronavirus hit in March, volunteers jumped in and did whatever was necessary to make and deliver masks to healthcare workers and those who serve the vulnerable. The team washed, cut, ironed, bagged, sewed and delivered masks. Volunteers donated supplies and made pick-up and delivery runs.
As masks became readily available for purchase, the team realized that there were many who were choosing between buying masks and purchasing food, so it continued to make masks to give out at food pantries.
Also, the team sent masks to the Navajo Nation that was disproportionately hit by COVID-19 and had little personal protective equipment. In addition, Glen Mar volunteers donated masks to a cancer treatment ward in a low-income area in Florida.
To make masks available wherever needed, the team gave masks to Habitat for Humanity so it could continue operating in troubled neighborhoods and to Bridges to Housing Stability to place in 40 holiday baskets filled with donated household necessities. Bridges to Housing Stability also received additional masks for new families, compliments of Glen Mar.
When the team learned that people in the Sandtown area of Baltimore didn't have access to affordable fabric masks, it sent masks to Family Survivor Network and to Pastor Rodney Hudson of Ames Memorial United Methodist Church to distribute in the Baltimore area.
After nine months of making masks, the team has given away 5,000 masks.
The team continues to make masks so that as many people as possible have access to this simple safety tool.
Due to the pandemic, Glen Mar has not been able to serve at the Grassroots Day Resource Center (DRC) in recent months or even assemble at Glen Mar to prepare meals. But that didn’t stop Glen Mar from providing Thanksgiving meals - we just did it in a different way.
Working with a list from the DRC, individuals who attend Glen Mar delivered ingredients for Thanksgiving dinners prior to the holiday to 27 DRC friends who recently found housing in the Long Reach or Hickory Ridge villages in Columbia. In addition, the recipients were given gift cards to a local grocery story ($15 for a single individual, $20 for a couple and $25 for a family).
The long list of delivered ingredients included turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie filling.
The Day Resource Center provides meals, showers, limited laundry, fellowship and social services three days a week to homeless individuals in the Route 1 corridor. It is located in Jessup.
