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About Us
Garfield United
Methodist Church is a warm congregation where
individuality is not lost. We welcome you to worship with us
and to share in numerous church activities for all ages.
Pastor: Kathryn (Katie) Bishop
There is no greater reward then sharing
the Gospel with others! That is my
greatest goal in ministry. As we share in life together,
through fellowship, study,
worship and prayer, we share in the ministry of Christ.
Serving one other, reaching out to the least of these, we
embody the love that Christ shows us, by the power of His
Holy Spirit. As your pastor, my prayer for
Garfield Church is that we will continue to be a growing
community of followers of Christ,
sharing the gospel with others.
Pastor Katie has a Master's of Divinity degree from Wesley
Theological
Seminary with a concentration in Youth and Family
Ministries. Her husband,
Chris, is also a pastor, serving Middletown United Methodist
in Middletown,
Maryland. They are blessed to have a daughter, Eden and a
dog named Kronk
**Garfield Church is fully wheel chair accessible, with an
elevator and air-conditioning. We offer assistance for the
hearing impaired, including sermons, services, and our
newsletter on audio-tape. Ample parking is available,
including parking spaces for the disabled.
"God’s Goodness at Garfield"
The Mt Carmel Class of the United
Brethren in Christ was organized August 20th
1900, by Rev Isaac Lovell. This is the first official
notation of the beginning of a church in the rural community
of Garfield nestled between the hills where the Catoctin and
The South Mountains merge at the northern end of the fertile
Middletown Valley. Many changes have occurred over the
years and the face of the area has been transformed. The
present church body is a reflection and materialization of
the vision of the first group of people acting in accordance
with God’s divine guidance and protection.
It was during the summer of 1901 that
many people had joined in the class and plans for erection
of a church building were agreed upon. John Dison Swope
offered a portion of his land atop the hill for both a
church and cemetery. C. Upton Brandenburg, was engaged to
build the structure and much of the lumber was donated. By
the fall months the building was well underway but it would
not be completed and ready for worship services until the
Spring of 1902.
A very large bell was procured from
McShane’s Foundry in Baltimore and it was engraved with the
names of the first trustees.
In 1905 the Conference removed
Wolfsville and Pleasant Valley from the Myersville Circuit
and formed a new Wolfsville Charge by adding the Mt Carmel
Church. For many of the early years the churches held
worship every other Sunday or one of the churches worshipped
in the afternoon while having Sunday School weekly in the
morning hours.
The Charged remained the same until
1933 when the Myersville Circuit was made up of Myersville,
Pleasant Walk, Wolfsville and Garfield Churches. From 1942
to 1972 Wolfsville, Garfield and Pleasant Valley were once
again the Wolfsville Charge.
Growth
The cemetery and grounds have been
increased on several occasions. IN February 1924 an
additional parcel of land was deeded to provide a parking
lot to the north of the church and also cemetery space. In
1963 land was deeded on the southern edge of the property
for further increase of burial ground and the location of
the new sanctuary. In 1998 land on the northern edge was
procured and on the west we are currently purchasing land to
continue our growth.
The New Sanctuary
 Much discussion and concern came about
when the congregation began to consider enlargement of the
facilities. On May 2, 1965 in a formal meeting held during
the worship hour, the building committee presented its
report outlining the options of remodeling versus a new
building. The advice of the conference architect and a
local architect was to build another building rather than to
add on or to remodel the old building. The matter came to a
vote and on the following Sunday the result was announced
that a new building would be constructed.
Ground was broken on July 18, 1965.
Construction was soon underway with the local contractors
Morgan and Keller given the Job. On November 28, 1965 the
Cornerstone was placed. Sunday School was held as usual in
the original church on the morning of June 12, 1966.
Following Sunday School the members walked from the old
wooden church across the lawn to the south and entered the
doors of their new house of worship. In the afternoon of
June 12 a large crowd of members, neighbors and friends
gathered for the opening services and dedicated the new
church to “the memory of those who in former years built
spiritual foundations in faithful service, and with deep
gratitude for those who have labored and prayed to make this
building possible, also to those who in years to come shall
worship God and His Christ here.”
In the summer of 1972 the little white
church was dismantled and removed from the property. The
materials were to be reused for other purposes. The site
was filled and covered with gravel so that it could be used
for parking.
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