A Thirty-Nation Family on Campus Drive
University Baptist Church sits at 3515 Campus Drive in College Park, a short walk from the University of Maryland, and the congregation has long drawn students, faculty and longtime neighbors into a single body. Members describe themselves as "a beautiful mosaic of people from many nations," rooted in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and committed to nurturing heart, mind, soul and strength in love. Worshipers come from thirty nations and every background, forming what the church calls a multi-racial, multi-ethnic family that finds unity in serving the same Lord.
The motto repeated across the church's materials is simple: Love God. Love each other. Serve the world. Everything from Sunday worship to the Tuesday food pantry flows from those three commitments.
Sunday Worship at Eleven
Worship is held in person and online every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, with the service livestreamed on YouTube and on Facebook so that members and friends across the region and around the world can join in. The congregation is part of one body and one spirit that transcends time and place, and the bulletin often quotes Ephesians 4:5, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism," as the thread that holds the morning together. A passage from Revelation that names the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb as the city's temple and lamp is read often.
Visitors should expect traditional Baptist order blended with global musical gifts. Children through grade five are invited to Children's Church during worship, gathering in the back of the sanctuary at 11:00 a.m., and grades six to eight are welcome for a deeper exploration of the same texts at the same hour.
Music, From Handbells to the Jazz Gents
Music is central to the life of University Baptist Church. The Sanctuary Choir assists congregational singing every Sunday and occasionally sings an anthem, while a rotating cast of instrumentalists from the DC area and members of the congregation takes the stage each month. Vocalists and ensembles, including occasional guest artists from the wider metropolitan area, raise their voices in worship weekly.
The Handbell Choir meets seasonally and rings two and a half octaves of Malmark bells; ringers ages twelve and up are welcome. On special Sundays, guests like the Jazz Gents have joined the service, and the youth have produced worship segments through UBC TV, the church's digital ministry initiative.
Children and Youth on the Journey
Children's ministry kicks off each year in September with the story of Joseph and the journey into Egypt, then moves into Exodus, complete with an Escape Room that walks youngers with the Hebrews from Egypt toward the Promised Land. During Children's Church, children gather for story time, games, prayer circle and a snack, building "eager seekers of scriptural knowledge," as the church puts it.
Youth in grades six through twelve meet after the Sunday service for monthly Youth Group gatherings, with occasional recreational activities and an annual weekend retreat. Each summer a group of youth travels to the Passport Summer Missions Camp, working in under-resourced communities in places like Danville, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; DeLand, Florida; and Boston, Massachusetts, alongside prayer, worship and Bible study.
Bible Study Throughout the Week
Adult formation runs through the week. A long-running online Bible study meets Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m., with another session beginning at 7:30 p.m. for those who need a later hour. Sunday mornings offer Adult Bible Study at 10:00 a.m., an hour before worship. Young adults meet on Thursdays at 6:15 p.m. for their own Bible study. Together these groups form a constellation of small groups that connects members to one another and to the Sunday pulpit.
Serving College Park and Prince George's County
The church is a founding member of Congregations United for Compassion and Empowerment, a nonprofit tackling homelessness and economic need in Prince George's County, and most of its service work flows outward into the wider community. The on-site food pantry is open Tuesday through Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.; the church partners with Help By Phone, which supplies food in bulk, and congregation members pick up the food monthly and supplement it with donations.
Once a month, on the third Tuesday, the church provides lunch to forty homeless or low-income households at the Day Shelter run by Congregations United for Compassion and Empowerment and hosted at University Christian Church. The Prayer Shawl Ministry runs year-round, with volunteers knitting shawls that the congregation dedicates in worship and gives to people experiencing loss. Twice a year, the church buys food in bulk from the SHARE organization and bundles it to feed forty to fifty households, adding a grocery gift card to each bundle for families who register through the church office.
Baptist Roots, Cooperative Spirit
University Baptist Church is a Baptist congregation that associates broadly. Locally and nationally it partners with the District of Columbia Baptist Convention, American Baptist Churches USA, and the Alliance of Baptists. These ties allow the small but global congregation to do more together than it could alone, from supporting local mission in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to extending ministry internationally.
The church is currently served by Rev. Larry Jones as interim pastor, joined by Raymond Williams, who has been treasurer since 2010, when he arrived as a graduate student at the University of Maryland; he has also served as a Sanctuary Choir member and Sunday School teacher. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and visitors are welcome to drop in, call 301-422-1430, or write to universitybaptistchurchcp@gmail.com. Giving is accepted by mail, in person, by texting WEAREUBC to 73256, or online.