On Loch Raven Boulevard, a Bible-Believing Fellowship
In the Ramblewood area of northeast Baltimore, on a stretch of Loch Raven Boulevard near Belvedere Avenue, Huber Memorial Church gathers about 1,200 members - young families, teenagers, baby boomers, and senior citizens - under a single sentence the fellowship repeats often: "It's all about Relationship... or it ain't about nothing." The church calls itself a "Bible believing, Bible preaching, Bible teaching Christian Church," and almost every program, classroom, and ministry circles back to a threefold mission printed and reprinted across the fellowship: to "Rescue the Children, Redeem the Family, Recreate the Community."
Rescue the Children, Redeem the Family, Recreate the Community
Huber Memorial describes its members as saved, as children of God, and as members of the body of Christ, and therefore called, challenged, charged, and commissioned with the privilege, responsibility, and duty to rescue children, redeem families, and recreate community. The fellowship is encouraged to take the long view - impacting one generation while changing the next, one mind, one heart, one life, one home at a time, for the good of God's people and to the glory of God.
The mission text the pastor composed some years ago is still the working language of the church. Its threefold rhythm runs through every ministry description and almost every initiative on the calendar, from a winter Children's Day retreat to a summer Missions Conference to a December Angel Tree outreach.
A Pastor Who Came From the Courtroom
The Reverend P.M. Smith became pastor of Huber Memorial Church in September 1983, when the congregation had just fourteen members. A Baltimore native educated in Baltimore City public schools, he graduated from Baltimore City College in 1965, earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Coppin State College in 1969, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1973. He practiced criminal law in Michigan and Maryland for a decade before yielding fully to a call he had felt since childhood.
He was licensed to preach on March 20, 1977, at First Baptist Church in Baltimore, where he served as associate minister while continuing to practice law, and he was ordained on March 20, 1983. The congregation of Huber Memorial Church voted unanimously later that month to extend the call; he has served the fellowship ever since. He and his wife, Delores Stanton Smith, have two children, Tehma and Ade.
In 1995, Pastor Smith founded H.O.P.E. Academy, an elementary school promoting what he calls "a Christian revolution in traditional education." His signature sentence to the church is direct: "Don't compare... don't complain... don't compete... don't quit... Just Continue!" - 1 Corinthians 15:58.
What They Believe
The Statement of Faith taught at Huber Memorial Church holds to one God eternally existing in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the Holy Bible as the inerrant, verbally inspired Word of God and the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, the virgin birth, sinless perfection, bodily resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and His present life in heaven as High Priest and Advocate.
The church teaches that human beings were created in the image of God, disobeyed, and so incurred spiritual and physical death; that all people are born in sin and are sinners by nature and practice; that Christ died for our sins as a vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood; and that those who receive Christ by faith are born of the Holy Spirit and become children of God. The statement affirms the personal and imminent return of the Lord Jesus, the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost. The church, the statement concludes, is "an elect company of believers baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body," and the grace of God is sufficient for a godly walk, since "Christ and not the law, is the believer's rule of life."
Sunday Morning at 9:00 AM
Worship is at the center of the week. The Sunday service begins at 9:00 a.m. in the main sanctuary of the Huber Community Life Center, 5700 Loch Raven Boulevard, and the service is offered both in the building and via live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and at the streaming page. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of each month, prepared by the Altar Guild ministry. Children's Church School runs during the worship service for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, with its own year of family-friendly highlights: Easter, a June Children's Day, a fourth- and fifth-grade retreat, a July Family Bible Institute, a Good News Club, an Angel Tree outreach in December, and a "Take Back the Night" observance each October.
For those worried about transportation, the promise from the church is direct: "If you can get to Huber, we can get you home...in more ways than one." Callers can arrange a ride by phoning the church office by Thursday of the week they plan to attend.
An Eight-Week Library of Bible Studies
The Christian Education ministry runs an extensive adult Bible-study program across morning, afternoon, and evening hours, Sunday through Saturday. Each fall session offers courses taught in three formats - Zoom, in person, and hybrid - at various times throughout the week. A small $10 offering is requested for most classes, while children's classes and tutorial classes are free.
The curriculum follows a track. Foundational courses include "A Call to Joy" and "A Call to Growth," followed by a two-part "Fundamentals of the Faith" and a "Discovering the Bible" overview of the Old Testament. From there, members branch into electives such as "Not Just Talks, But Walks" through the Book of James, "The Joy of the Lord" on the happiness of God for His people, and "The 7 Laws of the Teacher" for those considering a teaching call. Daytime sessions include a Monday noon exploration of David called "After God's Own Heart," a Tuesday morning walk through the Book of Micah ("Truth or Consequences"), a Thursday noon study of "Rewards and Crowns," and a Saturday morning Women of the Word session via Zoom alongside a Men's Fellowship Bible Study in a hybrid format.
Other tracks serve marriage, pre-membership, and youth. The Pre-Membership Class meets Sundays at 7:30 a.m. as a four-week introduction to salvation, scripture, prayer, witness, and the Christian life. The Marriage Bible Study, for married and engaged couples, meets Thursday evenings. Youth classes for middle school, high school, and 7-to-10-year-olds run on Tuesday evenings in single-gender rooms.
Choirs, Dance, and "The Corner"
Music is a centerpiece of Huber worship. Minister of Music David White, with more than forty years of experience as a musician, director, and teacher of harmonies, leads five choirs. The Grand Choir combines men, women, and youth; the Male Chorus sings in a quartet-style tradition rooted in gospel heritage; the Youth Choir, governed jointly by the Music and Youth ministries, leads congregational praise one Sunday a month; the Mary E. Liningham Children's Choir serves children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade; and specialty choirs appear for the Marriage Emphasis Weekend, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Champions of the Faith Sunday for members fifty-five and older.
The instrumentalists who accompany the choirs are known affectionately as "The Corner." A separate P.U.R.P.O.S.E. Dance Ministry - Praise Using Rhythm and Pantomime with Oneness in Service and Exaltation - rehearses primarily on Thursday evenings and ministers during the Black History Month Play, GeN'xt Sunday, and the Christmas Play. Members of every choir must also attend a quarterly Bible study.
Children, Youth, and the Generations Between
Children's ministry runs deep at Huber. Children's Church School opens its year with a Sunday morning launch for kindergarteners through fifth graders. The Children's Choir, ages three through eleven, rehearses Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. and sings on the third Sunday of each month from October through June. Good News Clubs and Summer Mission 5-Day Clubs extend the reach through the Child Evangelism Fellowship, with after-school clubs during the school year and short-term 5-Day Clubs hosted in local backyards in the summer.
The Youth Ministry gathers middle and high school students for Bible study on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., with single-gender classes for high school boys and girls, middle school boys and girls, and 7-to-10-year-olds in separate rooms and lessons. A Wednesday Math and Reading Tutorial offers extra academic support to students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, and parents are encouraged to participate.
For adults between thirty and forty-nine, the Next Generation Community, called GeN'xt, runs its own Bible study, magazine, and small-group subcommittees under the theme "Continue in Holiness!" The group's mission is to mature with a Christ-like heart while serving as a bridge between the generations that precede and follow. B.O.L.D. serves the next stage of young adults, while Champions of the Faith gathers those fifty-five and older. For married couples, the Marriage Ministry meets for Bible study on Thursday evenings, plans annual Valentine's Day events, cookouts, retreats, movie nights, and Covenant Renewal gatherings, and encourages participation in the Family Life "Weekend to Remember" marriage conference. Embrace Grace, run by Huber Memorial as part of Embrace Grace Inc. (a non-profit founded at Gateway Church in Dallas), provides a twelve-week support ministry for unwed, expecting mothers and ends each semester with a testimony night and a baby shower. Cub Scout Pack 1808, hosted at the church, welcomes boys in kindergarten through fifth grade and adult leaders for dens and pack meetings throughout the year.
Walking Beside the Brokenhearted
Care ministry is woven through the life of the church. The Healed Helpers Ministry provides one-on-one spiritual support for those in crisis - grief, illness, bereavement, or caregiver stress. Members of the ministry must have been at Huber for at least a year and be active in Bible study. The team sends cards to bereaving families, assists at home-going services, follows up with grieving families through prayer, and gathers each autumn for "Joy Comes in the Morning," a sharing event held the third Saturday in September.
The Follow-Up Ministry reaches out to seekers, new converts, and potential members, working alongside the Salvation Counselors and Operation Burning Light to keep recent decisions for Christ connected to the life of the church. The Substance Abuse Ministry and the Nursing Home Ministry round out the care network, walking with congregants facing hospitalization, addiction, and other major life transitions.
On the Streets and Across the Ocean
Operation Burning Light is Huber's open-air evangelism team. Members gather at the church for prayer, then take microphones and speakers to designated street corners in communities facing drug dealing, addiction, and hopelessness. They preach, witness, distribute tracts, pray with individuals, and hand off new converts to the Follow-Up Ministry. The team meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during the summer and at noontime during the early fall.
The Global Outreach Team sends short-term mission trips, has adopted two villages in Ghana through its "Adopt-A-Village" program, sponsors the fifteen-week "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" course, has hosted biennial Missions Conferences, supports the Watchman on the Wall Ministry of Myra Smith-McIlwain, networks with IRC and World Relief on immigration and refugee support, and participates each October 31 in the "Take Back the Night" outreach. Keuka Ashram is an annual mountain retreat for prayer, meditation, Bible study, and fellowship, a "Vacation with God" in the words of the team.
Closer to home, the Hat Makers have crocheted and knitted more than 2,100 hats and scarves for twelve charities that serve the poor and homeless. Dorcas Sewing completes individual and group sewing projects and community outreach. The Angel Tree program delivers Christmas gifts to children with incarcerated parents through Prison Fellowship. The Spread the Word ministry coordinates social media, audio, photography, signage, and printed media under the umbrella of the church's outward-facing communication.
On Air, Online, and Through the Doors of the Life Center
The Living HOPE Broadcast, produced by the in-house Video Team, airs every Sunday at 6:30 a.m. on WMAR-TV Channel 2 in Baltimore. The Audio Team duplicates sermons on CD and DVD for those who order them by calling the office. The Photography Team preserves baptisms, new members, and special ministry events, while a small Video Team handles monthly Sunday video capture and streaming. Together, the spread-the-word work keeps the fellowship connected on Facebook and YouTube.
The Huber Community Life Center at 5700 Loch Raven Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21239, is the home base for worship, Bible study, and ministry offices. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The main number is 410-435-1496, the events line is 410-435-8500, and an information desk is available at 410-323-2186. Visitors can give through the church's online giving, sign up for Bible classes, register children for church school, and join the email list to receive class outlines and announcements.