To Church by Boat

In 1912,  Rev. Heavener served as pastor of both Solomons & Olivet Methodist Episcopal Churches. He and his family would travel by boat from Solomons to Olivet in order to deliver the sermon in our then brand new sanctuary.

This year, the sanctuary turns 100 years old and to commemorate the occasion, the pastors took a boat to church as a reenactment of our past.

Thanks to the Calvert Marine Museum for the gift of a complimentary ride on the Tennyson - Thanks to Bunky's for allowing us to dock near Solomon's Church - and thanks to the Wilsons for allowing us to dock at their home in Olivet, where we concluded our trip with a breakfast and worship service on their back deck.

The history of our churches really came to life as we approached each church from the water, seeing our steeple while out on the river. Indeed, it brought great meaning to one of Olivet's favorite hymns "Let's go down to the river to pray"!

God Squad this Summer

Our churches mission statement “From Olivet, We Follow” allows for diverse freedom of expressions in how each of us can be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. I am delighted to see how God has inspired a small group of teens to follow Jesus into the world as the God Squad. The God Squad project is one that helps all of us pattern our daily lives after Jesus by serving God and neighbor.

The God Squad was developed out of the small group of teen girls who meet, under the leadership of Andrea Saglimbene, every Tuesday evening for Bible Study, worship, prayer and spiritual encouragement. In April, they met with me and shared a desire to widen their impact on the community and make a difference in their world. The girls designed t- shirts and called themselves The God Squad and will begin advertising their services of housecleaning, simple gardening and a neighborhood beach clean-up.

I see these girls dispelling cultural stereotypes that teen agers are lazy or uninterested in making a difference in the community. I was impressed at how they want to get to know the older people in their church and neighborhood. This summer, our whole church will launching their project that draws together multiple generations as God’s hands and feet in mission.

Once announced in church, adults stepped up and wanted to join the God Squad. Carl Zimmermann, Kit Jones, Kim Blackistone, Marge Browning, Jason Williams and Rachel Dean all have terrific talents and skills that they will be bringing to the summer mission efforts. Rachel Dean and her brother Jason Williams offered to take groups out on the water for a lesson on ecology as well as prayer and Bible Study. Marge

Browning and Kim Blackistone have been coordinating local mission teams that will help out neighbors in ways yet to be determined (talk about being led by the Spirit!) Carl Zimmermann has agreed to help with the more skilled areas of need. Kit Jones will be coordinating a mid-week, mid- morning playgroup that introduces Christian teaching through worship, song and bible stories. Several young moms and grandparents are looking forward to bringing their babies, toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners to the Children’s Chapel that will start Tuesday morning, July 10, 2012.

The God Squad Project has been the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that descended upon a small group of teen girls. Their vision has inspired Olivet to take a big step in initiating a ministry to serve others locally. May this summer be a blessing to our community, the people we serve, and a blessing to the witness of God’s love in the world!

  Rare View from Inside the Bell Tower    

   Thanks to John Davis for this great photograph looking out over Mary & Ray's House.
John climbed up the steeple to investigate the history of our church bell, as it has been an oral tradition at Olivet that the bell was once on a ship. The only way to know for sure was to see if there was an inscription on the bell. John said he would be willing to climb up and look.
   When he got up there, he read that the bell was from Morgan Iron Works, and listed as having been a bell used on a steamboat called Ferryboat Rhine dating to 1852. It is 60 years older than the church building!