Towson United Methodist Church

Towson United Methodist Church
The exterior and spire of Towson United Methodist Church
The west exterior and 235-foot (72 m) spire, viewed from I-695
Map
LocationTowson, Maryland
CountryUnited States
DenominationUnited Methodist Church
Websitetowsonchurch.org
History
Former name(s)Towson Methodist Episcopal Church
(later First Methodist Church)
Towson Methodist Protestant Church
(later Second Methodist Church)
FoundedOctober 26, 1871 (1871-10-26)
Architecture
Architect(s)J. Alfred Hamme
StyleGeorgian
GroundbreakingOctober 7, 1956
CompletedMay 11, 1958
Administration
DivisionBaltimore-Washington Conference
SubdivisionBaltimore Metropolitan District
Clergy
Minister(s)
  • Stephanie Roberts White, Lead Pastor
  • Christine Kumar, Associate Pastor
  • Douglas Hollida, Minister of Music and organist

Towson United Methodist Church is a large United Methodist Church in the historic Hampton subdivision of Towson, a suburb in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its past, rooted in 19th-century America and subsequent growth in the two centuries since then, has closely paralleled the nation's political and sociological trends. It was a congregation split in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War in a border state of divided loyalties, which eventually reunited and built a church in the post–World War II era of the 1950s, a time of reconciliation and rapid growth by mainline Protestant denominations, especially in the more affluent suburbs.

Pastored since July 2021 by Stephanie Roberts White, the church now brands itself as Towson Church with a blended traditional–contemporary Sunday worship service,[1] along with a number of community outreach programs, including an accredited child care center and a Boy Scout troop. The church actively supports a home for unwed mothers, overseas missions, and Habitat for Humanity projects. The congregation worships in a 1,000-seat sanctuary built in 1958. The large building's prominent 235-foot (72 m) spire and cupola, a landmark visible for miles from the nearby Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695), has been called "the beacon of Towson".[2][3]

Towson United Methodist Church is located on Hampton Lane at interchange #27B of the Baltimore Beltway and Dulaney Valley Road (Md. Route 146), one-half mile (one km) west of Hampton National Historic Site. The church's land was originally part of the vast 18th-century Hampton estate.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Towson Church–Gather". Towson United Methodist Church. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  2. ^ "Lofty Goal". Towson Times. April 9, 2014. p. 6. The spire is often referred to as 'the beacon of Towson', as the steeple can be seen from the Beltway
  3. ^ Perl, Larry (May 11, 2015). "Towson United Methodist set to unveil restored steeple". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2015.