Oak Chapel United Methodist Church

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed."
--II Timothy 2:15

In 1940 the first addition, a much needed education building, was added. Joe Butco Sr. was the builder, with subcontractors. It had bathroom and kitchen facilities, and the Rev. Bob Klein (1954-56) lived in the smaller of the two upstairs room for a time. More land was added to church holdings in 1955 when approximately three acres were purchased from the Ludingtons, whose property adjoined ours to the north.

The Layhill (note change of spelling to one word as it has apparently "just evolved") neighborhood was changing character as the tentacles of suburban growth began to reach out. Young families with a modern pioneer spirit bought lots in newly subdivided land and built their homes. These families became the "new locals," and they joined the "old locals" (families like the Myers, Bealls, Paxtons, Butcos, Atwoods and Weavers) to work together for continued growth. In 1960, an attractive brick parsonage was built under the chairmanship of Roland Ebner. It cost $26,000. The first people to occupy the parsonage were the Rev. and Mrs. Gary M. Stees. Gary was a student minister.

The parsonage helped to put us into a new growth phase. Our membership doubled between 1962 and 1968 The Church School, under Joan Quass, had an enrollment of 110. It was not limited to children and youth, for Rachel Eakin, among others, taught an adult class for many years. There were 24 in the Women’s Society of Christian Service and a full time choir of 16 loyal souls. The Tavenner family occupied the parsonage from 1962-65. They were followed by the McCauleys (1965-69). Dreams began to be dreamed about a large and beautiful sanctuary that would seat 288 people. Work with an architect was begun.

But architects are expensive and building costs were soaring. Reality, in the form of financial reports by Esther Thompson (Church Financial Secretary for 22 years), dictated that dreams be rethought and plans changed. The congregation voted to renovate the sanctuary and build a second education building with good kitchen facilities to handle the popular church dinners, then being served twice a year.

Much work and activity ensued. One of the first projects was to take down the old chimney in the middle of the east wall, which had served the woodburning stove. John Dye helped Francis Farrar do this job. A long lasting and major undertaking was replacement of the pews. We purchased used pews from a Jewish synagogue. The pews were made of oak and contoured comfortably, but the finish was gone and they were too long. All but one had to be cut down about two or three feet. Then they had to be stripped and refinished. Men of the church, led by John Dye, worked in the basement of the Education building. They stripped one or two pews and then decided to have it done in Rockville. Roland Ebner hauled them two or three at a time in his truck. The firm only charged $15 a pew. Back in the basement workshop, the pews were sanded (ladies helped, too), stained, and refinished before being proudly placed in the sanctuary. They all bear plaques with donors names. A post-script to the pew story is that the old straight pine pews were removed to the graveyard side of the church where Sam Hastings, recognizing that 14" and 16" pine lumber, well seasoned, was not only historic but useful as well, bought and dismantled the pews (with the help of the whole family) for use as paneling in their home. The Hastings also have an early American style desk, hand-crafted in 1971 by J. Lewis Moore of Sandy Spring (son of S. Brooke Moore) at a cost of $300, made from these pine boards.

One of our members, Leonard Fitzgerald, was instrumental in engineering the project of insulating under the sanctuary building and of redoing the front wall. The men took down the lattice-type backdrop behind the altar and put up metal lath over the old wall. This was covered with plasterboard to present a new surface. A hung ceiling of acoustic tile was installed.

On Mother’s Day, 1970, the renovated Sanctuary was ready—with new dossal cloth, new draperies at the windows, new carpeting, new hymnals, new choir robes and new pews. Also, about this time exterior, double doors of oak replaced the old white-painted ones.

And in June, 1970, ground-breaking for the new education building (with church member Francis Farrar as contractor) took place. The Rev. William Bice was pastor, and the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Lyons, District Superintendent, attended the ceremony. The new building was dedicated in 1971, and we were on our way up the ladder for another decade. During this time the Rev. J. Lee Williams, serving the last five years of a 50-year ministry, was our pastor. With a memorable celebration, we marked his retirement. April 14, 1979, brought a disastrous set-back when fire broke out in the basement of the old education building at 5:30 a.m. the day before Easter. Three fire companies responded quickly. Even so, damage was estimated at $50,000. Church members had help from the Colesville Lions Club in cleaning up the smoke and water damage.

Renovation time again! Francis was equal to the task. We had to have new windows this time because the intense heat had shattered the antique glass. Getting windows that fit the openings perfectly was not possible, and hence we have the small transoms at the top of each window. John Dye painted all of these doublehung, nine over-nine pane windows, and Florence Turner (83 years old at the time) did the razor blade cleaning to remove paint from the glass. Half-inch wallboard was put up over existing walls of lath and plaster to hold plaster up and give a new surface. The ceiling was opened to full height again. The steel rods running from wall to wall (integral to the original structural design) were encased in wood to look like beams.

Sunday worship services were held at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, located off Bel Pre Road, for several months until we moved back to our own redecorated church on Dec. 2, 1979. The rededication was March 2, 1980.

In 1982, average Sunday attendance was again down to less than 20 persons, the minister was receiving Equitable Salary Support from the annual conference, and the church was unable to pay its full apportionments. Faced with a bleak financial future, the church again received a student pastor, the Rev. James Skillington.

And again, the church began to revive. On Thanksgiving Day, in 1982, we served more than 35 needy people a Thanksgiving dinner of country ham and turkey and all the trimmings.

In 1983, with average church attendance at more than 30 we finished paying off the mortgage on the parsonage. The Rev. Wilson Shearer, assistant to the Bishop of Baltimore Conference, officiated at the Mortgage Burning service on Oct. 16. Mr. Joe Butco Sr., the only living signer of that document, participated in the service.

A fund-raising drive in 1984 brought in more than $4000, which was used to purchase a new gas furnace for the church. And memorial fund monies were used to purchase a large bulletin-board lawn sign which was installed along Layhill Road. A food closet helped to provide food to the needy in the Wheaton area as Oak Chapel delivered food for Wheaton HELP that summer.

Also in 1984, the church paid its apportionments in full for the first time in its history. In 1985, the church again paid its apportionments in full and was able to replace the roof on the sanctuary. The roofing project funds came largely from a thrift shop run by the ladies. Also, that year we hooked-up to public sewer at a cost of nearly $8000. In 1986, the church went off of Equitable Salary Support, which means Oak Chapel paid the full cost of the minister’s salary. It was the necessary first step back to becoming a full-time Station Church. This was possible largely due to a lease of the Education Building to Friends Elementary School, which brought in nearly $7,000 per year.

Also we began Saturday evening services in April as an experiment, the less formal 6:30 p.m. service is attracting a growing group of worshippers. A puppet ministry under the supervision of Tom and Jane McKenna, provide the children s message during our Sunday services.

In addition, funds raised as part of the Centennial effort, paid for a new hanging cross in the sanctuary. Other memorial gifts in 1986 have purchased ornaments for the sanctuary, including new vases, baptismal bowl, offering plates and candle tops.

The United Methodist Women (formerly called the WSCS) has been the backbone of the church. They have served in many ways, not the least of which is using the proceeds from their money-raising projects (chiefly the Spring and Fall Dinners) to pay a multitude of bills -everything from the minister’s salary and the mortgage payments to the fuel and electricity bills -- always promoting fellowship along the way.

The dinners have been important to the church. Until 1923, oyster dinners were held in the old Lay Hill Community Hall. Then, from 1922 to 1945, we held joint dinners with Colesville. When the dinners returned to Lay Hill they were held in the School House at first, but in 1951 moved to the first education building. In 1970, when the last addition was finished, the kitchen was expanded and more seating was available.

A whole book could be written revealing the leadership and culinary expertise of stalwarts like Imogene Beall (of lemon pie fame), Laura Butco and Ada Ray. The Methodist Men, organized under Bud Meyers, were active for a number of years. Some of their services were cooking and serving pancake breakfasts, organizing and carrying out the church lawn care in the summer, and general building maintenance. Of course they were always on hand to help with carving and clean-up at the church dinners.

A small group of faithful women have served to provide and arrange altar flowers to decorate the sanctuary for Christmas and Easter and even to drive to the florist to pick up the altar flowers, thereby saving the cost of delivery.

For the size of the church we have always had a very dedicated and very good music department. Miss Dove Pitzer who came in 1955 and served as organist for 18 years, helped establish the musical tradition.Dove remembers that there was an old pump organ there when she began. In the 1970’s the present organ was purchased from another church.

Mrs. Bobbi Walker served as our organist for several years, leaving in 1983. And Mrs. Jane McKenna has served as our organist since 1984. Several times Judy Sansone has "volunteered" to "fill-in" between organists for months or years at a time.

The United Methodist Youth Fellowship has flourished or waned depending on the number of youths in the congregation at the time. Some of the leaders of the UMYF have been: Jean McCauley, Ralph and Betty Wilbur, Don Markle, Harvey and Rose Breidenbaugh, Doug McIlwee and Tom McKenna. Nancy Myers and Ada Ray, assisted by Norma McIlwee and Linda Myers are providing leadership in our Sunday School this year.

COMMUNITY USE OF BUILDINGS

"Do unto others..."
--Luke 6:31

As the community has grown there have been many opportunities to show neighborliness by allowing others the use of the buildings. In 1960 the Seventh Day Adventists met at Oak Chapel until their nearby church was constructed. Later, during Rev. McCauley’s term (1965-69), the custom of a three-way Thanksgiving Service with SDA and the Layhill Free Methodist Church was begun on a rotat-ing basis.

The Gaywood Garden Club, founded in 1955, has held plant sales, flower shows, bazaars and occasional monthly meetings at the church. They have recipro-cated with gifts and landscaping projects, the largest of which was the planning and planting of the par-sonage landscaping in 1961.

The Allenwood-Gayfields-Willson Hills Civic Association holds its semiannual meetings here, and the Montgomery County Chapter of the Stepfamily Association of America meets monthly at the church. A thrift shop, operated for nearly three years by the ladies of the church, raised about $4000, which was used to replace the sanctuary roof and to fund other needed projects. It was closed in early 1985, when the education building was leased to the elementary school.

THE CEMETERY

"Home is the sailor, home from the sea, and the hunter home from the hill."
-- Requiem by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1884

Little is known about the origins of the church’s cemetery. There are no known records of all of the grave sites. The oldest grave marker gives the year of 1820. Apparently, the plot had been dedicated by the Mullican family to be used "for the poor. "

In 1938, the church was given complete control over the cemetery, according to Quarterly Conference records. And in the 1950’s it was officially closed.

"The heritage of the Past is the seed which brings forth the harvest of the Future."
-- William Shakespeare

Click here for more specific genealogy information from our cemetery.

In the 1960's as major expansion project was undertaken and completed, the addition of our Education Building. Joyfully the church a "Burn-the-Mortgage" Party in the late 1970's hosted by long time Chairman of the Board Bud Myers.

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It is impossible to adequately relate the history in a brief telling. There is no way to encompass each year, or recognize everyone’s contribution to our growth and existence. Each, through selfless dedication, made his presence felt and helped make Oak Chapel rich in achievement and tradition.

It has been the dedicated servants of the Lord, toiling in his vineyard, doing his work, which has been the tie that has bound us together and made us stronger. As the congregation goes forth in faith with the spirit of rededication in their Christian ministry, we can look forward to a bountiful harvest as Oak Chapel begins its new century.


Our Vision for the 21st Century, Oak Chapel from 1985 thru 1996...

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