Lansdowne United Methodist Church sits at 114 Lavern Avenue in the residential Lansdowne neighborhood of southwestern Baltimore County, just a few miles from Baltimore City. Each Sunday at 10 am, the congregation gathers in the sanctuary for an hour of liturgical worship, with Holy Communion celebrated on the first Sunday of every month. Beyond Sunday mornings, the church has become a steady fixture of the neighborhood through Joshua's Closet, a thrift store run out of the church building, and the free community meals served twice a month to anyone who walks through the door.
Sunday Morning at Lansdowne UMC
The Sunday service begins at 10 am in the sanctuary. Worship follows a liturgical pattern, with the congregation joining in unison spoken responses guided by a printed bulletin distributed at the door. The service runs about an hour and incorporates a range of musical styles. Holy Communion is observed on the first Sunday of every month, with the communion liturgy that day drawn from the hymnal. Each Sunday also includes a short Children's Message, after which children may return to their families or head to age-appropriate programming. The service is conducted in English.
Worship is offered online for those who prefer to join from home. Services are livestreamed on Facebook and made available afterward on the church's YouTube channel.
What to Wear, How to Find the Building, and Where to Park
Visitors are invited to dress as they feel comfortable. On summer Sundays, someone in shorts is just as likely to be sitting in a pew as someone in a dress or tie. The church sits within a mostly residential area, and the parking lot on site is limited. There is plenty of street parking available on nearby Baltimore Avenue and Lavern Avenue. The double-door entrances facing Lavern Avenue lead directly into the back of the sanctuary, and arriving a few minutes early or a few minutes late is perfectly normal.
The church has worked to make the building accessible to all who come. An accessible entrance is located on Lavern Avenue, and inside the sanctuary two cut-outs in the back pews make room for wheelchairs. A small number of hearing assistance devices are available; visitors who would like to use one can ask a greeter or usher at the door. Translation assistance can be arranged by reaching out to the church office in advance.
The Sermon Archive and Online Worship
The church's sermon archive runs back several years and is organized by topic, book of the Bible, sermon series, and preacher. Recent services have been preached by a wide range of voices, including Bishop Peggy Johnson, along with pastors and members of the Lansdowne community. Past series have walked through the Sermon on the Mount, the Letter of James, the book of Romans, the Lord's Prayer, the hymns of the faith, and the big question of what it means to be a Christian.
Worship services are posted to Facebook and YouTube, and tithes and offerings may be mailed to the church at 114 Lavern Avenue, Lansdowne, MD 21227. Typical bulletins list the lectionary scriptures for the day, the hymns, and the participants leading the service. Music in worship is used either from the public domain or under a single church license, and liturgical elements are often adapted from United Methodist Discipleship Ministries resources.
Children's Ministries at Lansdowne
Children are warmly welcomed into the life of the church. Children's Sunday School for elementary-age children meets at 10:15 am each Sunday, during the worship service. A typical class includes an age-appropriate, interactive Bible lesson followed by a craft or other activity tied to the theme. A nursery is offered during worship for infants and children through kindergarten, providing supervised play for the youngest among the congregation.
Around Easter, the church hosts an "Egg"stravaganza on Palm Sunday afternoon, with crafts based on the Easter story, a large egg hunt, a shared lunch, and a stuffed animal prize for every child, and all ages are invited. In the summer, Vacation Bible School offers several days of theme-based lessons, music, games, crafts, and movies. On the first Saturday of December, the Children's Christmas Bazaar invites children to shop at child-friendly prices - many items are priced at 25 cents or less or under a dollar - with volunteers available to hand-wrap the gifts on the spot. The bazaar is designed to support children in the joy of giving, and the proceeds go back into other children's ministries.
Adult Ministries: Sunday School, Bible Study, and the Tuesday Crew
Adult Sunday School meets at 9 am on Sunday mornings, with two parallel classes: one more traditional and one more topical, but both grounded in the Bible. There is also a class for children so that families can attend together.
Short-term Bible studies are scheduled throughout the year. Recent studies have covered the book of Judges, the essential practices of the Christian life, and seasonal Lenten and Advent series, hosted on Zoom, in person, or both. All are welcome to join a study at any point. A Men's Fellowship group has been gathering for monthly breakfast outings at local restaurants since 2022; all men in the Lansdowne community are welcome, with no requirement to be a member of the church or to attend Sunday worship.
Every Tuesday morning at 8:30, the Tuesday Crew gathers at the church. The crew cooks, fixes, paints, landscapes, and sells donated household items. Members run Joshua's Closet thrift store, prepare for the twice-monthly community meals, tend to the kitchen and fellowship hall, and tackle handyman and landscaping jobs around the buildings. Anyone looking to lend a hand can pick a project that matches their skills and interests, and no special training is required.
Joshua's Closet Thrift Store
Joshua's Closet is the church's community thrift store, providing clothing, household items, books, and more at affordable prices for the whole family. The store is staffed largely by volunteers from the Tuesday Crew and serves neighbors throughout the area.
The store is open on Tuesdays from 10 am to noon, on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 4 to 6 pm, and on the first and third Saturdays of each month from 10 am to noon.
Free Community Meals
On the second and fourth Wednesday of every month from 5 to 6 pm, the church offers a free meal to whoever wants to come. The meals are offered in person so that neighbors can share food and fellowship together. Volunteers prepare and serve the meals, and outside help is always appreciated.
Lansdowne United Methodist Women
The Lansdowne United Methodist Women (UMW) gathers monthly for a brief meeting at a member's home to discuss upcoming activities and events. The group's primary focus is missions, with donations supporting a number of charitable organizations: Asbury Home, the Board of Child Care, Heart's Place Services, Helping Up Mission, N. M. Carroll Manor Home, New Life For Girls, South West Emergency Services, and the Suzanna Wesley House. The UMW sponsors the popular annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper as its major fundraiser and hosts a Women's Banquet each year as a joyful time of fun and fellowship.
Wider Outreach and Partner Ministries
The congregation partners with South West Emergency Services (SWES), a nonprofit that helps neighbors with financial difficulties through a food pantry and direct aid for eviction, foreclosure, prescription assistance, and emergency utilities. The church also supports the United Methodist Board of Child Care and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in their broader work of caring for children and providing disaster relief, recovery, and long-term support to communities in need.
A Mitten Tree is set up each Christmas season to collect new mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, socks, and gift cards for coats, with donated items distributed in partnership with local elementary schools to keep neighborhood children warm through the winter. The Pennies from Heaven collection gathers spare change throughout the year and donates it at year's end to United Methodist senior living facilities.
At one time the church operated a Bread Ministry, distributing bakery donations received from a local bakery to food pantries and feeding ministries throughout the Baltimore region and beyond. That ministry has been discontinued after the supply ended.
Leadership
Rev. Vera Mitchell serves as pastor of Lansdowne United Methodist Church. A retired United Methodist Elder, she has felt called to continue to serve, and she is glad to walk alongside the congregation. Day-to-day ministry is supported by working committees drawn from the congregation, including the Administrative Council, the Board of Trustees, the Staff-Parish Relations Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development. Officers, trustees, and representatives serve rotating classes across 2025, 2026, and 2027, and the lay leadership, finance, and trustees structures all reflect the United Methodist practice of shared governance between laity and clergy.