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The first meeting of Faith Bible Church was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John O. Clayton of Elkridge Heights, in June of 1957. There were 47 present including the children. Sunday School classes were held across the street at the Cosgrove home. The Lord opened the door in July of that year so that we were able to use the I.O.O.F. Hall in St. Dennis. We were incorporated within the year as a church under the laws of Maryland, the official name being Faith Bible church. After the required time, we were recognized by the Federal government as an independent, nonprofit, religious organization. Those were the "good ol' days" when we had a Mother-Daughter Banquet serving Imperial Crab which cost us 45 cents each. The love of Christ bound us very closely together. Under the leadership of an experienced superintendent from Philadelphia, our Sunday School had a good founding and grew steadily. After the Church committee investigated 88 pieces of property, the Church voted to buy the present grounds, which was owned by the Garman brothers. Pastor Crooks and his family moved into the large "plantation" house. The present parsonage was built in 1965 and the old house was used for Sunday School space until it was demolished. Additional classes were held in the parsonage garage and basement. The Sunday School grew considerably as we started a bus ministry. Much help came from Sunday School teachers and drivers. A Women's Missionary Society (now called the Ladies Christian Fellowship) and a Men's Fellowship group (now the Men of Faith) were formed. Though never very large in number, each group has done an immeasurable service for many years. They have carried on the custom of banquets for the women and men. The very first year, our interest turned to the Great Commission. Our missionaries were Mr. and Mrs. Dave Whitmore from the West Indies Mission. Today, there are 25 individual missionaries and mission boards which we partially support. We have found that by putting the Lord's interest first, He has taken care of our daily needs. Giving as the Lord leads has always been taught at Faith Bible Church, and as many throughout the years have obeyed the Lord in this matter, He blessed them and the church. We give Him thanks and we appreciate the obedience of God's children. In 1971, we moved into the new sanctuary. The Lord has blessed each place of worship with His presence, causing us to say at each move, "The Lord has been so precious here, we hate to go into new and larger quarters." But since He went before, we enjoyed the same warmth of His presence. The sanctuary has a capacity of 400 and the stained-glass window and all the furniture were donated by friends. In the Fall of 1973, we opened a Christian School with 40 children. This was an answer to the prayers of many of the congregation for more than 10 years. The burden for a school was first laid upon the heart of our beloved John Oliver Clayton of Elkridge. Mr. Clayton lived to see the school organized and operating and we have now completed our 32th year. Our Christian Academy is a Bible-centered educational ministry of Faith Bible Church. We are dedicated to assisting parents in the task of training their children to reach their full academic potential that they may find and pursue God's will for their lives. FAITH - Without it we cannot please God or receive eternal life BIBLE - We wanted it to be known that we have the Bible as our foundation CHURCH - Its meaning is "called out ones"; called out by Him unto Himself We reached our boys and girls, through Pioneer Girl and Christian Service Brigade, with games, socials and Biblical life principles. In the Fall of 1976, we saw the reorganization of the work under the Awana Youth Program. Awana consists of Cubbies (ages 3 & 4) up to the Journey 24-7 (up to grade 12). The Lord has blessed along the way with excellent musicians both vocal and instrumental. The original organ was presented by Mr. and Mrs. Claude Robinson, in memory of their son, Claude, Jr. Our present organ was presented to the church by Mr. Earle Johnston, in memory of his mother, Mrs. Muriel Johnston. The Easter and Christmas cantatas have always been a special blessing. Steven Conrad has served as music minister and organist since 1989. The founding pastor of Faith Bible Church was Rev. Clayton Crooks. He had served F.B.C. faithfully for nearly 24 years when, in 1981, he went home to be with the Lord. Rev. Daniel Peters was called to be senior pastor in 1981 after which Pastor Crooks was the "Pastor Emeritus" until his death. He served in this capacity until May of 1990 when Pastor Donald Huffmier became the new senior pastor. Rev. Trayer stayed on as assistant pastor for one year, and in 1991 sought the Lord for a new direction. Pastor Huffmier left F.B.C. to go back to Michigan in 1992 and Dr. Sam Fowler supplied pulpit fill for the majority of the next two years as we looked for a new senior pastor. In August of 1994, Rev. Alexander Poindexter became the senior pastor and left in the fall of 1996 to start a new work in Columbia, Maryland. Rev. Trayer, who had returned to serve as assistant pastor in 1995, became our interim pastor again until March of 1997, when he was called as the senior pastor of Faith Bible Church. Rev. Matthew Conrad joined the church staff as Assistant Pastor in October of 2003 to preach on Sunday evenings and work with the youth and young adults. In May of 2007, Faith Bible Church Academy, which had been providing Christian education for 34 years, closed its doors due to low enrollment and staffing shortage. Until Christ returns, it is our prayer and purpose that the testimony of Faith Bible Church will be Christ-centered and Christ-glorifying in all of its ministries. We are here to: ¨ Evangelize Elkridge and the surrounding area ¨ To send missionaries to the uttermost parts of the world ¨ To serve Christians of like faith which God brings to us with truth and hope from God's Word.
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