Conowingo Baptist Church stands on Rock Springs Road in the small Cecil County community of Conowingo, Maryland, where it has been a steady presence for nearly a century. Founded in 1926, the church describes itself as one big family and holds to the Southern Baptist confession of faith known as The Baptist Faith and Message. From Sunday School at 9:45 AM through a full slate of midweek studies, the building hosts an unbroken rhythm of classes, services, and outreach that draws people of every age, from nursery through senior adults.

A Church Founded in 1926

Conowingo Baptist Church was founded in 1926. The congregation is now in its ninety-ninth year of what it calls kingdom service, and its stated purpose has not changed: "to be a body of baptized believers with hearts set on seeking God, bound together by the love of God, building the kingdom of God, proclaiming the Word of God, and meeting needs through the Spirit of God." The motto is short - one big family - and it captures a church that still wants to be known as a place where people are known by name.

Sunday Mornings: Sunday School and Worship

Sunday School begins at 9:45 AM, with a class for every age from nursery through senior adults. Children meet in the basement and first floor, youth gather in Room 301 on the second floor, and adults split into several classes by life stage, including Uprising (ages 25 to 45), United (ages 45 and up), Harmonies (all ages in the choir room), a young adults group in Room 209, and a senior adults class in the fellowship hall. The full list of rooms and teachers is posted on the church's Sunday School page.

At 11:00 AM the congregation gathers for worship in the sanctuary. The service includes music from the church's praise band, Hearts Ablaze, and preaching from Senior Pastor J. Curtis Strange. Worship is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel and Facebook page, and recordings of past sermons are available on YouTube and as a podcast on Spotify.

Anchor Kids: The Children's Ministry

The children's ministry at CBC is called Anchor Kids. Its purpose, in the ministry's own words, is "to see children become followers of Jesus, know His love, and learn His word." On Sunday mornings, children ages 3 through 5 join the sanctuary for the music portion of the service and are then dismissed upstairs to a dedicated Children's Church class for the sermon, where they have a lesson, craft, and game. Children in grades 1 through 5 attend Children's Church on the third Sunday of each month. A nursery for newborns through age 2 is open during both Sunday School and worship in Room 201, and a cry room is available at the back of the sanctuary for parents who want to keep an infant close.

On Wednesday evenings from September through June, the church runs Adventure Club for children ages 3 through 5th grade. A church-wide dinner is served at 6:00 PM, and the program itself runs from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Adventure Club is described as teaching kids the "systematic theology of the Bible in order to help them learn to know, love, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ." The curriculum comes from Grace Curriculum. Child safety is taken seriously: every volunteer completes MinistrySafe training, and the church uses Planning Center's check-in system for child and guardian identification, background checks, and regular training. Jason and Jessica Beyer serve as the Children's Ministry Directors.

Conowingo Baptist Students

Conowingo Baptist Students is the church's youth ministry, serving students in grades 6 through 12 with the motto "to serve Christ, know who He is, and to know what we believe and why." Each Wednesday night begins with the church-wide dinner at 6:00 PM, and youth group runs from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in Room 308 on the second floor, with snacks, games, and Bible study. Sunday School for the same age group meets at 9:45 AM in the same room. Associate Pastor Rusty Hewitt leads the ministry and uses events and outreaches to minister to students and show them God's love and grace, with the prayer that the ministry will keep reaching students and families for Christ.

Wednesday Nights Around the Table

Wednesday evenings are the busiest night of the week at the church. After the 6:00 PM meal, Anchor Kids and Students meet from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. A prayer meeting runs from 6:45 to 7:15 PM, and an adult Bible study follows from 7:15 to 8:00 PM. The pattern of eating together first and then splitting into age-appropriate studies gives the midweek a family-meal feel that the church has leaned into.

Monday Studies and Choir

On Mondays the church hosts its women's Bible study from 10:30 AM to noon in the basement. Choir practice follows at 6:00 PM in the choir room, and the praise band, Hearts Ablaze, rehearses at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary. The overlap of women's study in the morning and music teams at night gives Monday a steady, unhurried rhythm.

Women's and Men's Ministries

The women's ministry "encourages women of all ages to connect as the body of Christ, being knit together in love, rooted and built up, growing in faith." The Monday morning Bible study is its main gathering, and the church maintains a group chat for women to stay connected between meetings. The men's ministry describes itself as a group that "supports each other and holds one another accountable," with the understanding that "God's WORD depicts the only correct definition" of manhood. A men's group chat is also open through the Church Center app.

Discipleship

Conowingo Baptist Church frames its discipleship ministry around Matthew 28:18-20: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." Discipleship is described as "a cyclical process" - once someone has been discipled, they are expected to disciple others. The ministry pairs people who want to be mentored with people willing to mentor, and sign-ups are available through the Church Center app.

Music and Media

Music at CBC is shaped by two ensembles and a media team. The church choir, directed by Lissa Holbrook, practices on Mondays at 6:00 PM and sings a wide variety of styles while keeping the message Christian. In her own words, choir is "a picture of the Church set to music," where "the voices blend, the differences become texture, the individual becomes part of something so much more." Hearts Ablaze, the praise band that has been leading worship since the spring of 2015, rehearses on Mondays at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary and "enjoys leading the congregation in the newer worship songs being released, while also incorporating the contemporary songs and traditional hymns of years past." A media team handles the sound board, Proclaim slides, and recording of sermons for online viewing on Sundays.

Reaching Out to Conowingo

The church runs several community-facing ministries. The Conowingo Closet is a clothes closet offering gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories to men, women, and children in need; it is open on the third Tuesday of each month from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM and on the third Friday from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. The church also hosts a Maryland Food Bank distribution on the third Tuesday of each month from noon to 2:00 PM, with the clothes closet open at the same time.

Operation Christmas Child collects items year-round for shoeboxes, with a published month-by-month list of suggested donations ranging from hats and gloves in January to prayer in December. The church partners with Heritage Health for Women, a pregnancy resource center that offers pregnancy tests, ultrasound scans, and parenting classes. CBC also maintains an Angel Tree ministry at Christmas and assembles Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for families in need. A Meal Ministry sign-up helps members who need home-cooked meals during a difficult season.

For those needing help beyond what CBC offers directly, the church's Info Center page lists area food pantries (including Porter's Grove, Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, New Victory Christian Church, Ray of Hope, and the Epicenter at Aberdeen), employment resources through the Susquehanna Workforce Network, the Perry Point VA Hospital, MD 211 for housing and utility assistance, and the Cecil County Health Department.

What Conowingo Baptist Believes

Conowingo Baptist Church holds to The Baptist Faith and Message, the confession of faith used by Southern Baptist churches. The Bible is taught as "God's revelation of Himself to man" and "a perfect treasure of divine instruction." There is one true God revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christ is the eternal Son of God who, by His death on the cross, made provision for the redemption of humanity. Salvation is "offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour" and involves regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification; there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Baptism is by immersion of a believer, and the Lord's Supper is observed as a memorial of the Redeemer's death. The church teaches that every Christian is called to "make disciples of all nations," that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, that children are a blessing from the Lord, and that church and state should be separate.

Pastors and Staff

J. Curtis Strange serves as Senior Pastor. He was recommended to the congregation by the Pastor Search Committee in October 2023, and the church has published his recommendation letter online. Rusty Hewitt is Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor, and Worship Leader. Janice Gamble serves as Ministry Assistant. Jason and Jessica Beyer direct the children's ministry, and Lissa Holbrook directs the choir.

Plan a Visit

Worship is at 11:00 AM on Sundays at 151 Rock Springs Road, Conowingo, Maryland 21918. Sunday School begins at 9:45 AM. The church tells visitors to come as you are; jeans and dresses are equally common. The mailing address is PO Box 428, Conowingo, MD 21918. The church office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM and can be reached at (410) 378-4252 or officeadmin@conowingo.org. Online giving, the church directory, calendar, group chats, and event sign-ups are all handled through the Church Center app, available for iOS and Android. Pastoral contact is available at pastorcurtis@conowingo.org for the senior pastor and pastorrusty@conowingo.org for the associate pastor.