Frostburg United Methodist Church stands at 48 West Main Street in the heart of historic downtown Frostburg, Maryland. The congregation's identity is captured in two phrases: "Making Disciples...Making a Difference." Its roots reach back to the early 1800s, before the town itself was named, and its members today worship in a Gothic red-brick sanctuary built in 1871, study in Sunday School rooms with stained glass installed in the 1920s, and serve neighbors through a food pantry, prayer quilts, mission projects, and weekly fellowship meals.
A Pioneer Church on the Pike
The congregation ended its 175th year of existence in the fall of 2010. Frostburg United Methodist Church was the first congregation in Frostburg to build a true "church" building rather than a meeting house or schoolhouse. The original plot was a quarter acre sold by Isaiah and Sarah Neff Frost for $100. The Frosts also donated land for what became Percy Cemetery.
The story reaches back even further. Francis Asbury, the famous Methodist circuit rider, came to the area in 1782, preaching at Joseph Cresap's home along the Potomac. Colonel Samuel Barrett brought him up the Braddock Trail to the later Frostburg area, where he preached to a small gathering of Christians at Barrett's cabin. In 1794, Asbury met William Shaw at Cresaptown and appointed him as a local preacher. Shaw settled near Barton and preached up and down George's Creek, eventually joining the Neff Meeting House at Wright's Crossing. By 1818, when the National Pike was about to open, Frostburgers used a meeting house or schoolhouse behind what is now Zion United Church of Christ. The Neff Meeting House was moved log by log to Klondike in 1823 and became Woodland Methodist Church.
The first church building was small and built of stone, with a half-circle moon window at the top and a small steeple. By 1842, First Methodist Episcopal Church had become the head church of the Frostburg Circuit, with thirteen other meeting places. Membership grew so large that a larger frame church was built by 1856. When space ran out again in the 1870s, that frame building was sold to Keyser-New Creek and can still be seen there on the square, used as an office building or apartments. The present "Good Cumberland" red brick building, with a 167-foot tower and spire, was erected in 1871. The depression of 1880-90 forced several members to mortgage their own homes to help pay for the Gothic structure, which cost $42,236.62. Membership of 275 grew to a peak of 1,000 in 1979.
The building has been updated many times. Gas lights became electric, furnaces were installed, and an Esty pipe organ funded by Andrew Carnegie replaced a small pump organ in 1907. Stained glass windows were placed in the sanctuary, and stained glass windows were installed in the first-floor Sunday School rooms in 1925. The Education Building was erected in 1954-55 under Rev. John Bailey Jones, who had come from the Western Maryland College faculty. In 1965, a Mohler organ was installed during the ministry of Rev. Harold Bell Wright, who also served as secretary of the Baltimore-Washington Conference while pastoring at Frostburg. The steeple was rebuilt and new chimes installed in 1998, costing about $50,000.
In 1968, the John Wesley Black Church became the first church in the Baltimore-Washington Conference to unite with a predominantly white congregation. The next year, the congregation's name changed to Frostburg United Methodist Church when the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged. In 1977, Rev. Tom Kaylor introduced Camp Hope, an initiative that brought teenagers from across the conference and beyond to repair homes in the area. Kaylor was also the leader in organizing the community to build Frostburg Village Nursing Home; Kaylor Circle there is named in his honor. In 1991, Rev. Dick McCullough and his wife Jill helped set up the Bridge After-School Child Care Program, which Leticia Shelton has administered for over twenty years. In 2004, Pastor Rebecca Vardiman became the church's first female senior pastor, and the sanctuary underwent extensive restoration during her tenure.
In 2017, major renovations to the Fellowship Hall, kitchen, parlor, and main entrance included the addition of an ADA-approved family restroom. The Jones Center House next door became the new home of the Frostburg Food Pantry in 2010. A new parking lot was donated by the Weimer Family in memory of Marlene Weimer, who had served as a Methodist Youth Counselor.
Mission and Purpose
The church's mission statement, "Making Disciples...Making a Difference," is drawn from two passages: the Great Commandment in Matthew 22 to love the Lord with all the heart, soul, and mind, and the Great Commission in Matthew 28 to make disciples of all nations. Everything the church does is organized around four areas of focus: worship, fellowship, spiritual growth, and missional/evangelism.
Sunday Morning in the Sanctuary
One worship service is held at 10:00 AM every Sunday morning in the upstairs sanctuary. The traditional service moves through prayer, music, scripture, and sermon, with the pastor offering a meditation on the day's passage. All are welcome.
Children are invited to remain for the full service. After a brief "Young Disciples' Challenge" with Pastor Beth, children in Pre-K through 5th grade are released to Sunday School. A nursery room is available for parents who prefer their babies or younger children play in a warm, inviting space while listening to the service.
Fellowship follows the service from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Light refreshments are served, and on every third Sunday the gathering stretches into the church's "Linger a Little Longer" time, when members bring homemade soups to share alongside bread and desserts.
Services are also offered online. Previously recorded services are available on YouTube, and livestreamed services are shared on Facebook.
The Sound of the Building: Praise Band, Chancel Choir, and Bells
Music is woven throughout Sunday worship and the rehearsal week. The Praise Band brings together youth and adults, including elementary-age musicians, who play drums, guitar, keyboard, and other instruments. They rehearse at 8:30 AM on Sundays before the service.
The Chancel Choir is open to women and men of all ages and experience levels, singing both traditional and modern choral music. Rehearsals are Wednesdays at 6:30 PM, with special music performances featured throughout the year. A Handbell Choir provides music for the traditional service and special services, rehearsing Wednesdays at 7:30 PM. The Praise Chorus is an all-ages group that joins the Praise Band on church holidays and special occasions, rehearsing at various times during the year.
Children, Youth, and College Students
FUMC calls its children "our most precious asset." Sunday School meets every week during the 10:00 AM worship, with children joining classes around 10:15 AM for fun activities and Bible lessons. An annual Vacation Bible School and the annual Christmas Pageant are signature events where children and adults bring the Christmas message to life together.
The youth group for middle and high school students meets Sunday evenings from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM for an evening of food, faith, and fellowship. The schedule includes games, dinner, and Bible study and devotion together. Throughout the year the group also offers Confirmation Classes, Ignite, and retreats, along with mission and ministry opportunities.
For college students, the church partners with United Campus Ministry (UCM), an ecumenical Protestant student organization on the Frostburg State University campus. Under the leadership of Chaplain Elijah Ferebee, UCM works to be an Acts 2 community where students, faculty, and staff can be themselves, belong to a world-transforming community, and become who God is calling them to be.
"PARK"ing with the Pastor is held on Friday mornings at 9:00 AM through the summer, offering parents a chance to connect at the playground with Pastor Beth.
Small Groups and Adult Fellowship
Adults at FUMC gather in small groups at different times and with different focuses. The FUMC Book Group meets Mondays at 7 PM in a member's home. All are invited to read the current book and join the discussion.
United Women in Faith and United Methodist Men
United Women in Faith enriches spiritual connections, increase fellowship opportunities, and impact others in an attitude of love. Activities are open to all who would like to join.
The United Methodist Men gather for monthly breakfast meetings, usually held on the second Saturday of each month at 8:30 AM. Annual service activities include Pancake Breakfasts, a Pulled Pork BBQ Dinner, and Christmas Food Baskets. Fellowship events have included trips to Altoona Curve baseball games, local Mt. Ridge theatre productions, and dinner-and-a-movie outings.
Food, Hope, and Potatoes: Serving Others
Outreach is central to life at FUMC. The Frostburg Area Inter-Faith Food Pantry operates at 44 West Main Street, just down the block from the church, and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM. Non-perishable donations can be dropped off at the back of the pantry, accessible from the church parking lot on Mechanic Street.
The church's connection to Camp Hope runs deep. Frostburg UMC started Camp Hope in 1977, an independent organization that for forty-eight years sent more than four hundred youth and adults from various churches and denominations to repair homes in Allegany County and beyond. Church teams each served a week while staying together in the Frostburg State University dorms. The days included shared meals, work at home sites, prayer, reflection, songs, worship, group activities, and a great deal of fun. The church hosted daily breakfasts and several evening services each week, and provided its own work teams for years. Camp Hope ended in 2025, but its legacy of unconditional love shared through service, fellowship, witness, and song remains part of the church's DNA.
Pennies into Potatoes is a long-running partnership with the Society of Saint Andrew. All pennies collected in the offering plate each Sunday go to this program, which gleans fields after harvest and collects potatoes rejected by commercial markets due to size or shape. Jars in the entryway collect additional donations, and volunteers help sort and bag potatoes when the local food bank is in need.
Prayer, Quilts, and Pastoral Care
The Congregational Care Committee responds to confidential requests for care and coordinates immediate prayer for those in need. Prayer requests can be sent to care@frostburgumc.org. The prayer team prays continually, and anyone can add a request through the church office or by email.
The Quilting Ministry creates prayer quilts for those needing God's healing, comfort, and care. Each quilt is lifted up in prayer during Sunday services. Recipients need not be members of the church.
Giving and Leadership
Online giving supports the weekly spiritual discipline of tithing and the ministries friends and families cherish.
Rev. Beth Heller serves as Senior Pastor of Frostburg United Methodist Church. The church's ministry to college students is served through Chaplain Elijah Ferebee of United Campus Ministry. Heather Warnick serves as Church Administrator, and Joe Beeman serves as Custodial Engineer.