On Frederick Road just north of Germantown's town center, Neelsville Presbyterian Church has gathered for worship and service since 1845. The congregation describes itself as an intercultural family shaped by heaven's view, where families, singles, young and older believers from many backgrounds come together around a single confession: that Jesus Christ is Lord. Today that community keeps the Reformed and evangelical commitments of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians while serving its rapidly changing corner of Montgomery County with free English classes, a small food pantry, refugee resettlement help, and a long list of mission partners that stretches from the Washington region to Zambia and beyond.
A 180-Year Story on Frederick Road
Neelsville's story began in 1845 when Joseph Neel donated a plot of land and fifty dollars, and the small gathering that took shape has continued without interruption ever since. Members of Neelsville mark the church as one of the oldest continuous Protestant congregations in upper Montgomery County, and the building on Frederick Road still stands as the meeting place for a congregation that has watched Germantown grow from a rural crossroads into a diverse suburb. Several current members joined the church through Rebuilding Together service projects in the early 2010s, and that same volunteer tradition has produced a long roster of local and global partnerships.
Worship: Blended, Liturgical, and Online
The Sunday gathering begins at 10:45 a.m. and runs sixty to seventy-five minutes. Music is led by a Praise Team and choir that intentionally pair traditional hymns with the organ alongside contemporary songs backed by drums, guitar, bass, and piano or keyboard. Pastor Jeff Rickett and the music team have described this blending as a theological choice: the body of Christ itself is blended, and personal musical preference is set aside in order to glorify God together.
The service follows a clear liturgical order that opens with praise, continues with confession of sin and the reading of the Apostles' or Nicene Creed, gives a sustained place to Scripture read and explained in the sermon, gathers prayers of intercession and thanksgiving, and closes with a benediction. Communion is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of each month. Baptisms of new believers or of the children of members are arranged with the pastors and take place during the worship service.
Visitors are welcome to dress casually or more formally; the congregation's own guidance is simply to come as you are. The service is also livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, and no Facebook account is required to watch. Children's worship bags with Bible-based activity pages sit in the foyer, and a separate narthex area lets families step out while still seeing and hearing the service.
Three Core Convictions
Neelsville's ministry is shaped by three convictions, each introduced in short videos by Pastor Jeff and Pastor SeongSu.
- A Global Family. The church teaches that God's vision for heaven is a diverse family united in Christ across every nation, tribe, and language, and seeks to embody that intercultural unity now in Germantown.
- A Gospel Community. Members are encouraged to build and sustain meaningful relationships grounded in humility and mutual support, making the congregation a hospitable home in a multi-ethnic city.
- Grounded in the Scriptures and Gathered in Worship. Neelsville holds that God reveals Himself through creation and Scripture and that the gathered congregation is called to respond with its whole heart in worship and in the study of the Word.
A Reformed and Evangelical Confession
The church's statement of faith embraces biblical and historical Christianity as summarized in the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds, holds the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God, and identifies as committed to the Reformed faith as set out in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. Neelsville is a member congregation of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
The statement addresses God as one sovereign Creator and Redeemer who eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Jesus Christ as fully God and fully human, whose sinless life, atoning death, resurrection, and ascension are the ground of salvation; and the Holy Spirit as the gift given to every believer who brings understanding of Scripture, wisdom, strength, and renewal into Christlikeness. Justification, the church teaches, is by faith alone in Christ alone, and salvation is received through faith and repentance rather than by good works.
Children: From Nursery to Fifth Grade
Children are welcomed as full members of the worshiping family, and several programs are designed to support parents and kids at the same time. Sunday School for children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade meets at 9:30 a.m. during the school year, led by background-checked volunteers who walk through The Gospel Project curriculum, with a weekly family email that gives parents resources to continue the conversation at home.
During the 10:45 worship service, the Worship and Praise Zone invites children age four through third grade to step out during the sermon for a Bible lesson and craft from The Biggest Story curriculum, a two-year journey through Genesis to Revelation. Younger children, from birth through age three, are cared for in the nursery by trained volunteers. Both programs require advance registration and check-in at the Kids station, and first-time visitors can register through an online form. Pastor SeongSu oversees this Next Generation ministry and can be reached at seongsu@neelsville.org.
Each summer, Neelsville runs a Vacation Bible School the first week of August. The 2026 program, Rainforest Falls: Exploring the Nature of God, runs Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon, for children who are three by the start of camp through current fourth graders, with stations for music, science, Bible storytelling, games, snacks, and scripture memorization. Camp Sonshine, an independent organization that uses the Neelsville grounds, also offers a separate summer day-camp program with go-karts, swimming, and a handpicked international staff.
Students: Middle School, High School, and a Path to Membership
The Student Ministry gathers young people in sixth through twelfth grade for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. and for a youth group that meets in the Fellowship Hall on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. during the school year. Wednesday nights are built around honest conversation, games, and biblically grounded discussion designed to anchor students in truth and to build community across grades. Retreats, mission trips, and other special events round out the year.
For students ready to take a further step, Neelsville offers a Youth Covenant Partnership Program. In ECO's vocabulary, a covenant partner is a full church member. Students who enter this program are paired with a mentor who walks them through what it means to be a disciple of Christ and a member of a local church as they move into adulthood, helping them firm up their theology, develop spiritual disciplines, and transition as full covenant partners. Parents receive weekly email updates and home discussion guides, and can join the parent mailing list by writing to students@neelsville.org.
Adult Discipleship and Small Groups
Adult ministry at Neelsville is built around small groups, Bible studies, and short-term classes that meet throughout the week. The church's own description calls small groups the heartbeat of discipleship: places where Scripture becomes shared life and faith grows through honest conversation and prayer. Groups meet Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Parlor (led by Pastor Jeff and Val Rickett), Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. for women online (Joanne Wilson), Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. for men online (Brian Farrell), Friday at 9:30 a.m. for women in the Parlor (Sue Farrell), and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the Education Wing (Eric and Lena Shirley).
Recent and current adult offerings include a Sunday-morning study through the book of Job, a class on Adam Hamilton's Why Did Jesus Have to Die?, and an online Ezekiel study built around the Bible Project classroom materials. A church-wide sermon and small group series through 1 Peter, called A Living Hope in Exile, runs through the fall, with the church noting that the letter calls believers elect exiles and points to Christ as the risen and ascended Savior who anchors identity in a pressured world.
ESOL: A Free English School at the Church
One of the most visible community ministries at Neelsville is its free Saturday morning English program for speakers of other languages. Classes meet from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. each Saturday between mid-September and mid-May, with a break over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Levels range from beginner to advanced, registration is open throughout the year, and a placement evaluation is part of the sign-up. A small materials fee of forty dollars covers a textbook and workbook set; classes themselves are free.
Program director and teacher Steve Amar, a Neelsville-supported missionary with Christar who ministers to Iranian and Afghan neighbors in the metro Washington region, oversees the program. The church translates program information into English, Spanish, Persian, and French, and the program's popularity has led to waitlists in some levels. ESOL is also one of the church's local mission partnerships: volunteers from the church assist teachers, and ESL help is listed among the ways members can plug in to local outreach.
MomCo and Family Support
MomCo, Neelsville's version of MOPS International, meets twice a month on Tuesday mornings during the school year for mothers with children from newborn through age five. The group offers a circle of friends, mentoring from older moms, practical parenting resources, and a built-in Bible and leadership component; childcare is provided so that mothers can step away from the daily routine. During the summer, MomCo meets informally for playdates and gathers at local parks and events.
Local Missions in Germantown
The local missions team frames its work around Jesus' words in Matthew 25: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the prisoner. Several partnerships flow directly out of that call.
- Refugee resettlement. Since 2022, Neelsville has helped refugee families settle in Montgomery County, with both volunteer and financial support directed through a dedicated page on the church site.
- Take a Lapp for ALS. Each fall, members walk in the Walk to Defeat ALS in memory of a brother in Christ, Rodney Lapp, raising money for research and care.
- Blood drives. The Red Cross hosts three or four blood drives at the church each year.
- Christar. Neelsville supports Steve and Kathi Amar as they minister to Iranian and Afghan neighbors in the metro Washington region.
- Germantown HELP. The church supports a partner that delivers emergency food up to twelve times a year, offers prescription assistance, and coordinates holiday help.
- Fatherhood program. Volunteers travel to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds to mentor incarcerated men in fathering and life skills, with Craig Wilson leading that effort.
- Food pantry. A small pantry of non-perishable food is available for Germantown neighbors during office hours, with extra donations shared with Germantown HELP.
- Rebuilding Together. Each spring, the church partners with Rebuilding Together Montgomery County to repair and modify homes for low-income homeowners.
- Rockville Women's Center. The church supports the center's free pregnancy testing, ultrasound, STD testing, abortion consultation, and referrals.
- Christmas outreach. Each December, the church works with Germantown HELP to support local families with gifts and a Christmas meal.
Global Partners Across Five Continents
Neelsville also sustains a wide network of global mission partners, hosting missionaries on furlough and encouraging adults and students to consider short-term trips or vocational mission service.
- P&J Bell work in the Western Mediterranean to engage, evangelize, and empower local believers.
- Fraser Bennett serves with Wycliffe's partner organization, SIL Global, as product manager for Bloom, a software platform for creating books and Bible stories for new readers.
- Steve and Kim Blewett are Wycliffe linguists who have worked in Papua New Guinea since 1982; they were married at Neelsville in 1980 and helped develop the Rapoisi alphabet and translation programs.
- Howard and Jo-Ann Brant continue more than fifty years of evangelism and church planting with SIM, mentoring Ethiopian missionaries and supporting the Gurage Theological and Pastoral Training College.
- The Couillard family provide aviation support for church planters in remote regions of Brazil through Ethnos360 Aviation.
- Laszlo Mission League continues Bible translation follow-up, education, teacher training, and a medical center among the Sepik River villages in Papua New Guinea.
- Sons of Thunder in Zambia combines church planting, Farming God's Way agriculture, a medical complex, preschools and a primary school, a work/study program, and a free Nshima Kitchen for surrounding communities.
- Medical Benevolence Foundation (MBF) equips indigenous churches with medical ministries in developing countries; Neelsville specifically supports the FSIL School of Nursing scholarship fund in Haiti.
- Rev. William Okletey and Susuana pastor Blessed Redemption Outreach Ministry (BROM) in Accra, Ghana, an evangelism, Bible school, and literacy ministry that is now building a larger worship center.
- Gary and Pat Sheppard, now retired from SIM, encourage neighbors in their Sebring, Florida retirement community through transportation, hospitality, and Bible verse packets.
Pastors, Staff, and Lay Leaders
Pastor Jeff Rickett brings more than twenty years of pastoral leadership and a counseling background to his role as senior pastor. He co-founded Heart Song Counseling, a national biblical counseling ministry for singles and couples, and has served in pastoral roles in Herndon, Columbia, Annapolis, and Howard County, Maryland. He holds a B.A. from McDaniel College and an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary.
Pastor SeongSu (Hong) serves as Pastor of Next Generation Ministries, equipping families to disciple children from birth through twelfth grade. He and his wife Kathy are active in the life of the church and the surrounding community.
Ulung joined Neelsville in 2026 as Worship Director. Trained in flute, electric guitar, and film and commercial composition, he shares a particular passion for reimagining traditional hymns, a project featured on his YouTube channel Hymns Made Fresh.
Michelle Nelson oversees the church's administration, communications, events, and facilities teams. She joined the staff in 2019 after fifteen years in design and project management and has been ordained as a Deacon.
Gaelle Wakam and Alison round out the staff, with Alison contributing through the Praise Band, Choir, and Children's Ministry alongside her administrative role.
The church is governed by a Session of pastors and ruling elders, a board of deacons led by Co-Moderators Carol Harris, Lynn Kroah, and Vangie Fletcher, and a board of trustees who care for property and assets. A Benevolence Team of deacons provides short-term help and referrals for those in the congregation and the wider Germantown area.
Joining the Neelsville Family
Neelsville describes its members as covenant partners, a name drawn from ECO's vocabulary that emphasizes the promises members make to care for one another, to grow together, and to share God's love with the wider community. Those interested in taking that step are invited to First Steps meetings and Covenant Partner classes, with the church's Flourishing Pathway offering a map for next steps of faith, baptism, Bible study, membership, and service. The church office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Monday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and can be reached at 301-972-3916 or office@neelsville.org.