A Saturday Church on Rossville Boulevard
Baltimore White Marsh Seventh-day Adventist Church sits on Rossville Boulevard in Rosedale, just east of Baltimore. The congregation gathers under the motto Love, Lead, Grow and is affiliated with the Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Members worship on the seventh day, the Sabbath, with two main Saturday gatherings and a Wednesday prayer meeting filling out the week.
A Sabbath-Shaped Week
The weekly schedule is built around the seventh day. On Saturday mornings, Adult Sabbath School begins at 9:30 AM and runs until 10:40 AM, followed by the Divine Worship Service at 11:00 AM, which continues until 12:30 PM. Midweek, a Prayer Meeting gathers at 7:00 PM on Wednesday evenings, offered both in person at the church and through a Zoom link for those joining from home.
Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube, so friends and family who cannot attend in person can still follow along. Each Divine Service includes a Children's Story segment, and Children's Sabbath School meets every Sabbath at 9:30 AM. Free parking is available on site, with designated family and accessible spaces.
Families at the Center
Family Ministries are described as the heart of the church, with programs designed for every generation. The Children's Ministry, known as BWM Children, is one of the largest and most active arms of the congregation. It includes Children's Sabbath School each Saturday at 9:30 AM, a Children's Story during every Divine Hour service, Children's Church on special Sabbaths throughout the year, and afternoon clubs and meetings designed to build friendships. A dedicated Mother's Room and children's spaces offer comfort for parents with infants who want to stay close to worship.
The church also runs two long-standing Adventist youth programs. Shining Star Adventurers serves younger children, while the Pathfinders Cloudwalkers, the church's Pathfinder Club, serves older children and teens. These clubs teach leadership, service, and teamwork through hands-on activities and outings. The Pathfinders have even joined community events such as the Maryland Kidney Walk.
Youth and Young Adults
The Youth and Young Adult Ministry (YYAM) brings together high school students, college-age members, and young professionals for fellowship, service, and study. The group hosts a Youth Sabbath every second Sabbath of the month and an E Week of Prayer each year. AY (Adventist Youth) meetings are scheduled on designated Sabbaths, with gatherings that include mission-focused programming under banners such as Mission Means Me.
Adventist Education at BWM School
Baltimore White Marsh School is the church's K-8 partner school. The school is described as offering academic excellence alongside Christ-centered values, weaving faith formation into the classroom day. Worship, Bible study, and service projects are woven into the life of the school, and many families join the church and the school community together.
BWM Food Distribution
Since August 2024, the church has operated a monthly BWM Food Distribution, providing free groceries and essential food items to families facing food insecurity. Each distribution serves approximately 100 to 150 families and has become a trusted community resource in the Rosedale area. Volunteers, community partners, and local leaders, including Maryland State Senator Carl Jackson, have taken part. The ministry quotes Matthew 25:35, For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, as its guiding verse.
What We Believe
BWM holds to the core teachings of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Bible-based, Christ-centered movement with more than 22 million members in over 200 countries. The congregation summarizes its convictions in seven core beliefs:
- The Trinity - one God expressed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three eternal Persons united in love and purpose.
- Jesus Christ as Savior - salvation as a free gift made possible through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
- The Bible - the inspired Word of God and the foundation for faith and practice.
- Baptism by Immersion - a public declaration of faith following the example of Jesus.
- The Sabbath - the seventh day (Saturday) observed as a sacred time of rest, worship, and fellowship.
- The Second Coming of Christ - the soon return of Jesus, who will end suffering and establish His everlasting kingdom.
- Wholeness in Christ - balanced living that honors God physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially, including care for health, relationships, and community service.
The local church joins other Adventist congregations in proclaiming the three angels' messages of Revelation 14, emphasizing the good news of salvation, calling people to true worship of God, and preparing hearts for the coming of Christ.
Pastors and Staff
Pastor Elvis Mogoi serves as Senior Pastor. A native of Kenya, East Africa, he travelled to the United States in 2003 and began pastoral ministry at West Wilmington in 2010, where he was ordained in 2016. He and his wife, Carolyn Mosomi-Mogoi, share the same birthdate and a love of medical mission trips together since their first journey in 2013. Carolyn serves as a nurse.
Pastor Hope Obioma Dike serves as Associate Pastor. He is described as a devoted minister with a heart for children and families, committed to cross-generational and cross-cultural ministry. He and his wife, Onyinyechi, are raising three children: Obinnaya, Ozichi, and Obioma.
Pastor Marilyn Scott also ministers with the congregation, and Elder Ivor Quashie serves as a lay elder. Linette Zuniga directs the Communications Team, with Richard A Barilone serving as assistant. Paula Langley serves as Church Clerk and handles membership transfers, baby dedications, and facility requests.
Getting Connected
Online giving is available through Adventist Giving, and a printed church bulletin is published regularly. Prayer requests can be submitted online, and online courses through Urban Life Center cover topics ranging from parenting to leadership. The church stays active on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where sermons are posted after each service. Adventurers, Pathfinders, and the BWM Food Distribution all welcome new volunteers and partners who want to grow alongside the congregation.