A Congregation That Lives Out Its Front Door
Tucked along Darnestown Road in northern Gaithersburg, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is a Christian community shaped as much by what happens on its parking lot as by what happens inside its sanctuary. Since beginning as a congregation in 1982, the church has built a reputation in Montgomery County for vibrant worship, deep investment in children and youth, and a remarkable willingness to share its building and its people with neighbors near and far. The partnership with the new Prince of Peace Farmers and Artisans Market, which fills the back lot every Thursday from May through November, is only the most visible example of a habit of hospitality that runs through everything the congregation does.
Prince of Peace is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and of the Metropolitan Washington, DC Synod. It is also an active ecumenical and interfaith partner in the wider Gaithersburg community, working alongside organizations such as Gaithersburg HELP, Interfaith Works, and the New Neighbor Interfaith Alliance. The church counts itself among the founding congregations of the annual Interfaith 5K in Montgomery County.
Sunday at Ten: Worship in Word, Sacrament, and Song
Worship is the heartbeat of the congregation. Sunday service begins at 10 am year-round and is offered both in person and as a livestream on the church's Facebook page. Each service includes music, the appointed Bible readings, Holy Communion, a sermon, and a children's sermon. Holy Communion is a regular part of the Sunday gathering and is also included in the livestream, so that members and visitors worshiping from home can share the sacrament with those in the sanctuary.
The musical life of the church is intentionally blended. Music Coordinator Danielle Drobny leads worship from the piano and organ, the in-house band Grace Notes contributes contemporary music at various points, and the youth Hand Bell Choir adds its own voice to the service. A separate Saturday Service Pianist, Claire Cho, supports a smaller and simpler monthly gathering described in greater detail below. Visitors will find a congregation that takes both the Lutheran liturgy and the place of joyful, accessible music seriously.
Members are encouraged to help lead worship as individuals and families. The Sunday bulletin, posted before each service, lays out the readings and prayers so that anyone joining in person or online can follow along.
The Second Saturday Service
On the second Saturday of each month, Prince of Peace gathers again at 5 pm for a smaller and simpler service. It uses the same sermon and readings as the following Sunday but takes a quieter, more intimate form. The Saturday gathering includes communion. Unlike the Sunday morning livestream, the Saturday service is in person only, making it a popular option for those whose weekends are filled with sports, travel, or family obligations.
A Year of Special Services
Prince of Peace takes the church year seriously. The congregation observes the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter with services shaped to each moment in the story. Advent brings a Wednesday evening series of Holden Evening Prayer services, a gentle song-and-prayer liturgy that has become a quiet favorite. Christmas is marked by a children's service on Christmas Eve at 4 pm, a candlelit service of carols and Holy Communion at 7 pm, and a Christmas Day service at 10 am. Lent includes Ash Wednesday, weekly Wednesday evening Holden Evening Prayer, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, a Saturday Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday worship followed by an Easter egg hunt for children.
Splash, Sunday School, Confirmation, and VBS
Youth ministry at Prince of Peace runs from the nursery to the senior year of high school. Splash! is the congregation's Cradle Roll ministry, designed to walk alongside parents of newborns through three-year-olds as they begin a shared journey of faith. Sunday School meets from September through May at 11 am, immediately after the 10 am service, and offers classes for everyone age three and up, alongside a variety of adult classes. Younger children work through the Spark Rotation Sunday School curriculum, exploring each Bible story through drama, cooking, science, and other hands-on workshops. Middle and high school students begin with short, often surprising films and use them as a springboard for the theological questions young people actually ask.
Confirmation is a cornerstone of the program for 7th through 9th graders. Working from the Head to the Heart curriculum, students study the Bible and the Lutheran Catechism and grow through monthly service and fellowship events. Vacation Bible School is held each year in July for children age three through the just-completed fourth grade, with middle and high schoolers stepping up as helpers and adult leaders. Children in at least third grade are also invited each year to take part in First Communion Instruction with the pastor, so that families can prepare together for the gift of Holy Communion.
Adults Keep Learning Too
The same Sunday School hour that hosts the children also gathers the adults. A Coffee and Conversation Hour returns each fall at 11 am and runs weekly after worship. It includes group Bible study, presentations from outside organizations, service activities at the church, and time for plain conversation over a cup of coffee.
Two weekly Bible studies anchor adult formation during the week. Women's Bible Study meets on Tuesdays at 12:30 pm and welcomes participants to bring a bag lunch. The Men's Group meets on Saturday mornings on Zoom to study and discuss the upcoming Sunday Bible readings.
For something more informal, Theology on Tap gathers adults one evening each month at the church with Pastor Steve to work through theological and biblical ideas over food and drinks that participants bring along. Together these offerings give the congregation a rhythm of small-group study, classroom learning, and friendly discussion that complements the larger worship gathering.
Faith at Home and Around the Table
Beyond the formal program, Prince of Peace places a strong emphasis on the kind of faith that grows through shared meals and shared books. The Tables for All adult fellowship program invites members to host potluck dinners in their homes and welcome other congregation members to the table. A periodic Coffeehouse event features special music for an evening of relaxed gathering. Each year, the church family gathers for Shrove Tuesday pancakes and other shared meal events, and the annual Yard Sale remains a beloved tradition that brings generations of the congregation together for a day of selling, buying, and laughing.
Two long-running book groups keep members reading and talking. The Women's Book Group and the Men's Book Group each meet regularly, and the Women's Book Group Reading List is updated and shared so newcomers can jump in at any time.
Quilts and a Weekly Workshop
One of the longest-running small groups at Prince of Peace is the Quilting Group. Each week, members gather to make quilts that are distributed through Lutheran World Relief to people in need throughout the United States and around the world. The quilting circle is open, welcoming, and an easy on-ramp for someone looking to find a regular rhythm of service and friendship at the church.
Spirit and Soil: The Sacred Grounds Project
Prince of Peace has been selected more than once by the National Wildlife Federation to take part in its Sacred Grounds program, which certifies religious properties that create native habitat on their grounds. After the Sunday service, members and the elementary Sunday School class gather with trowels and gloves to plant native species in the church's beds. The work has become a way for the congregation to talk about stewardship of creation alongside its other ministries and to put a hands-on faith into practice on the very grounds where members worship.
A Neighborhood Farmers Market in the Church Parking Lot
From May through November, the back parking lot of Prince of Peace transforms into a Thursday afternoon farmers market. Local growers, bakers, and makers gather every Thursday from 3:30 to 6:30 pm to sell produce, artisan breads, baked goods, fresh flowers, herbs and spices, homemade fudge, Greek sweets, and meats. Vendor names like Tuckey Mountain Fruit, Breads&, Artisan's Kitchen Garden, Cooper Moon Meadows, Bryant Livestock, Greek Sweets by Marika, and Freshly Made have become familiar to shoppers from across the Darnestown Road corridor. The market is free to attend and has quickly turned the church property into a true neighborhood gathering place.
Serving Neighbors Near and Far
Service to the wider community is woven throughout the life of the congregation. Throughout the year, members donate non-perishable food for Gaithersburg HELP, where Prince of Peace serves as a community collection depot. The congregation collects used eyeglasses for the local Lions Club and gathers supplies each July and August to help families prepare for the school year.
Each November, the congregation hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner for families in the City of Gaithersburg. In December, the Giving Tree program provides holiday gifts for students at Brown Station Elementary School in Gaithersburg and for seniors at The Village at Rockville.
For several years, members of Prince of Peace have travelled to Honduras each summer with Haven Universe to help rebuild community structures, deliver medical supplies, and share in ministry with partners there. Closer to home, the Social Justice Ministry partners with Stepping Stones Shelter to provide dinners for people living in shelters. The church also takes part in the Juneteenth Celebration with the Route 28 and Quince Orchard Interfaith Team and in the annual NNIA Volleyball Tournament with the New Neighbor Interfaith Alliance.
Each Labor Day, Prince of Peace serves as a sponsor and supporter of the annual Interfaith 5K, gathering a team of walkers and runners who join with Christians, Jews, Muslims, and friends of other faiths to raise money for the wider community.
Opening the Building to Others
Prince of Peace is a host as well as a hub. Three Narcotics Anonymous groups meet on the property each week, gathering in the Fellowship Hall on Monday evenings, in the Youth Center on Wednesday evenings, and in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday evenings. Lending the building for these meetings is a quiet, faithful act of ministry that has been part of the congregation's outreach for years.
Staying Connected Throughout the Week
For members and friends who cannot attend in person, Prince of Peace keeps the conversation going in several ways. The Sunday service is livestreamed on the church's Facebook page. Each week, the church sends two email updates: Sermon Reflections and More, which includes text and video of the sermon along with special music and other links, and This Week at Prince of Peace, which highlights upcoming events. A monthly newsletter called Glad Tidings gathers announcements, stories, and the wider life of the congregation, and several years of back issues are available online. A sermon archive on the church's YouTube channel stretches back through recent years, and online giving is available for members and friends who wish to support the ministry.
A Senior Pastor, a Music Coordinator, and an Open Door
Senior Pastor Steve Buechler, a graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, was ordained by the Metropolitan Washington DC Synod in 1991 and has served Prince of Peace since 2002. His ministry focuses on worship, outreach, Confirmation, stewardship, and administration, and his teaching draws on two extended trips to the Holy Land during his sabbaticals in 2009 and 2013, plus a third pilgrimage in October 2019. Music Coordinator Danielle Drobny, who has served the congregation since August 2005, brings both piano and organ to worship, directs the youth Hand Bell Choir, and supports the Grace Notes band. Saturday Service Pianist Claire Cho, who has served since July 2005, holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and is pursuing doctoral studies at Columbia University.
The church office is staffed Tuesday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, and email and voicemail are checked daily. Visitors are warmly welcomed both in person and online, and Pastor Steve's standing invitation remains the simplest introduction to the congregation: if you are looking for a church community, please know that you are welcome here.