History of the United Parish of Bowie

(Revised May, 2007)

The mission which later became the United Parish of Bowie was planned in 1968 with the cooperation and sponsorship of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), the United Church of Christ (UCC), the United Methodist Church, and the Episcopal Church. (The Methodists dropped out and later formed Mt. Oak Methodist Fellowship.) This first parish board envisioned a long-range goal of building a church as close as possible to the planned New Town Center.

Meetings of the Belair Village United Parish began in the fall of 1970 with the calling of the Rev. Richard Schellhase, who knocked on doors to get people to come to the new church. A manse was provided by the Presbytery and rented to the congregation for $250 per month.

Contrary to the plans of the organizing board, many in the congregation wanted to be part of the “house church” movement in which no church buildings were planned or seen as necessary, in part, because more funds could be allocated to benevolences. The congregation met in various places: people's homes, in the Red Lion Inn in Collington Plaza, the fire hall, and later in the Heather Hills School. The messages or presentations in the worship services were generally prepared by the members themselves; sermons by the pastor occurred only on rare occasions. Many of the activities were planned so that the entire families of the members could participate, rather than separating out the children for church school. A nursery was provided at the manse.

In 1971 the church was re-named United Parish of Bowie. A gift was received from the Westminster UCC for the purchase of a facility and was used to buy the “church house” at the corner of Philmont and Pennant Lanes in Bowie. The church house was used as a meeting place for various community groups, including Brownie troops, teens as a drop-in center, as well as for church functions. Play Day was first established as a “Mother's Morning Out” at the church house and later became a preschool to provide educational experiences in a loving environment for three- and four-year-old children whose parents did not choose to use full-time day care.

After two years, Rev. Schellhase abruptly resigned following an evaluation that showed mixed opinions about his performance and the future direction of the church. About half the members left at this time. A part-time interim pastor, the Rev. Harry Applewhite, then the Associate Conference Minister (UCC), was brought in to minister to the remaining fifteen families. The Episcopal Church dropped out but assistance continued from the National Capital Presbytery and the Potomac Association of the UCC.

In 1973 a search committee led by Bob Beard issued a call to the Rev. Carl O. Bickel on October 1 to be the permanent pastor. By the time he arrived some families had moved on, including the Beards. When Carl and his wife, Shirley, appeared for the first service, Shirley recalls that there were only about twelve people present. Worship services were held in the church house, using contemporary hymns. After a year, the Rev. Bickel brought in a lectern and began preaching sermons. A church school was organized and a choir was formed with Dennis Burian as director and Betsy Burian as accompanist. Hymnals were donated by a Presbyterian Church. Shirley played the piano for the worship services and served on the Christian Education Committee. A stewardship committee was formed. Banners were designed and constructed by church members. Adult book discussions began.

In 1976 worship services were moved to the Pointer Ridge Elementary School's all-purpose room so as to provide better access for the public. Worship and education were scheduled over a one and a half hour period. Children attended the first part of the worship services and then were transported by car to the church house, several blocks from the school, for their church school classes. Adult education met on the all-purpose room's stage. At this point, there were about twenty families in the church.

Services continued at the Pointer Ridge Elementary School for nine years. The church was chartered on June 5, 1977, after it had reached one hundred members. Also in 1977, the Bickel family purchased the manse that had been provided by the PCUSA and the UCC. Two Vietnamese refugees were sponsored and supported by the church, and they lived with the Gary and Solveig Lozier family.

In 1979 the church became self-supporting, and a decision was made to build a permanent facility for the church. The building committee was chaired first by Charles Wheeler and later by Dave Fischvogt. In 1980, with the leadership of Bill Collins the site at the corner of Mt. Oak and Mitchellville Lane was purchased. The Kerns Group Architects were hired. Ground breaking took place with a terminally ill member of the site committee, Ed Barnett, turning the first shovelful of dirt. Before the church building was finished, the builder, Toby Byrd, went bankrupt, and the members finished the church themselves. The building was completed in 1985 at a cost of $450,000 for land, building and furnishings. An organ was donated by Jane Timlin, and the church house on Philmont Lane was sold. The first service held in the church was Joey DeMeo's funeral after his tragic car accident.

Over the next twenty years the church grew and developed, with a great many members coming and going due to the transient nature of the community. It reached its apogee in membership in the late 1990s when there were about one hundred and forty members and a dynamic youth program. During the 80's 90's, retreats were regularly held for both youth and adults. Mike and Joanne Parker first organized the Lenten Dinners each Wednesday during Lent, a tradition that continues to this day. There was also an evening Bible Study group that met in the early 1990s, three of whose members were later ordained in the PCUSA. They were Robert and Nancy Titus, who are now serving churches in Pennsylvania, and Mike Parker, who was ordained in the summer of 1994 at UPB and then served as a missionary in Africa.

In about 1989 the Community Service Committee, led by Ingrid Swanson, began coordinating the preparation of meals by church members once a month for the Family Crisis Center, a service that continues to the present time. In the late 1990's, UPB hosted a Warm Nights program for a week each winter for two years, in spite of not having showers available. Since then, the church has provided a meal for the Warm Nights program when it rotates to the Village Baptist Church. Also, in the early 90s at the instigation of Herb Sheppard, the church began participating in Christmas in April. Today, the many works of the Community Service Committee, chaired by Nancy Snyder, are among the things about which this church is most proud.

During most of these years the Reverends Bob Bell and Frank Goodlake often filled the pulpit to provide Carl with occasional respites. Art and Ingrid Swanson were the choir directors in the early years, but this task was soon taken on by Diane Eades. Throughout these years Shirley Bickel served as the organist and occasionally the accompanist on the piano. Shirley also organized the music for the Sundays when the choir was not singing. Sue Kennedy soon took up the task of accompanying the choir on the piano. In 2004 Matthew Bickel was appointed to be Youth Director, meeting with the young people on Sunday evenings, holding devotions and supervising occasional outings.

Only a few names of the people who were important in the life of the United Parish have been included here. The listing of these names is in no way intended to minimize the contributions of many others who have been active for many years, people such as founding members Josi and Nikki Hillary and Bill and Alice Collins. Marva Connolly has served as chairman of the Christian Education Committee for several periods; others in that position included Lisa Ferrar, Linda Hutchinson and Joann Bell. Becky DeMeo has served as bookkeeper since about 1985. Dick Freudig acted as building engineer, cleaning the church himself until only last year, and his wife, Dot, has quietly provided many flower arrangements to beautify the church. Gene and Jan Barbato have been mainstays in maintenance, fellowship activities and youth group leadership. Elise Blaker has made sure we have flowers in the sanctuary for several years. Merrill Hathaway has provided flowers and landscaping outside, and Helen Peck has watered the plants indoors as well as doing some of the office work. Judy Farrell has organized contributions of holiday baskets, back-to-school materials, and many other such projects for local charities. Brian and Marla Hunt, who have moved away, led the youth group for some years. Doug Snyder has led an effort to upgrade the library and make it more user friendly; his efforts have included the purchase of many new books as well as periodicals. It is hoped that the many people whose contributions have not been mentioned here will not assume that they are not appreciated!

UPB has been involved in a number of ecumenical activities. These have included participation in Vacation Bible School with St. Edward's Catholic Church, Village Baptist Church, and All Saints Lutheran church. In recent years UPB participated in Thanksgiving services with Christian Community Presbyterian Church and All Saint's Lutheran Church. UPB has had a ministry far beyond its walls through Carl Bickel's active involvement with the South Bowie Clergy, certain South Bowie community projects, New Church Development Committees for the National Capitol Presbytery and UCC Central Atlantic Conference, and as a moderator for CCPC when it searched for a pastor. In addition, for many years the church provided a meeting place for Alcoholics Anonymous and Compassionate Friends. Since 1996 the First Community United Church of Christ has been holding afternoon services in the sanctuary of UPB, under the leadership of Pastor Joe Ruffin.

The Rev. Dr. Carl Bickel was the pastor of the church for thirty-three years, from 1973 to 2006. A warm and friendly man, he gave insightful sermons and was beloved by all. With several degrees in theological studies Carl loved the challenge of preaching and teaching as well as his pastoral ministry. Many people from the church and beyond sought his counseling expertise. He received a Ph.D. in counseling from Loyola College in 1994. One of Carl's strengths was his ability to discern people's potential and then involve them in the church's ministry. He guided the church as it grew tremendously in the area of stewardship commitment. He also led the congregation through the construction of its church building and the paying off its mortgage in 2001. On February 11, 2006, Carl Bickel died after a long struggle with cancer. Even when he struggled with a terminal illness and deteriorating health, Carl was able to radiate joy in the Lord's work and love for the church family.

Following Carl's death, the Rev. Laura Collins was retained as Temporary Supply pastor, a position in which she served until June 2006. In September of 2006, the Rev. Dr. Michael Parker was hired as Interim Pastor to help lead the congregation during the process of calling a new permanent pastor.

In 2002 another Building Committee led by Mike Mehl was formed, an architect was selected, and a plan was submitted. According to this plan, two phases of building will be undertaken: the first will provide a fellowship hall behind the existing sanctuary, and the second phase will enlarge the sanctuary itself. These plans have largely been put on hold for the moment. Under the leadership of a new pastor, the church looks forward to rebuilding its membership, maintaining its emphasis on Christian education, deepening its spiritual life, continuing its community service, and eventually expanding its facilities.

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