First Church of the Brethren in Baltimore, Md., had a problem. The church needed to find a replacement for their pastor, who left in early 2022. Perhaps even more concerning, the church was feeling the challenges of a dwindling congregation.
Not far away, pastor Keith Carter had a problem, too. He was leading a Baptist congregation in Maryland that had a healthy membership but lacked a permanent church home.
During First Baltimore’s search process, Carter was a guest preacher at First Baltimore and made an immediate impression. Soon thereafter, in late summer 2022, he was hired as pastor at First Baltimore. But he didn’t come alone—he brought members of his congregation with him, blending the two groups, and declaring, “We are now Brethren.”
Carter quickly got to work. He visited church members who had fallen ill and began organizing a path forward for the church. He personally helped make repairs to the ceiling in the fellowship center, and he repaired and repainted the church sign outside. It was so well done that one parishioner initially thought it had been replaced entirely. Carter also served a Mother’s Day breakfast for the entire congregation.
In the two years since his arrival, the church has been reinvigorated. Church groups are active and growing. Sunday school attendance and youth ministry have gotten stronger. Services have a robust music program with a choir and musicians, and church fellowship has improved. The church has expanded its community outreach, hosting an Easter egg hunt for neighborhood children and supporting a local United Methodist church’s effort to serve those in need. Attendance at love feast was so large that the church had to modify its plans for the feetwashing ceremony.
With these changes and hope for the future, a revitalized First Baltimore has much to be thankful for.
—John Fleming (this story first appeared in the newsletter of Mid-Atlantic District)