Friendship Baptist Celebrates 25th Anniversary June 5

By Cassie Felch
Posted: June 1, 2009

Twenty-five years ago, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, located in Ft. Worth, Texas, recruited seminarians to visit the state of Maryland in hopes of establishing new churches. Mark Massey, now a senior pastor, answered the call and soon founded Sykesville Baptist Church, which met at locations as varied as local schools, the Sykesville Hardware Store, and even Springfield Hospital Center.

In 1990, the church settled into its current location at 1391 Sykesville Road (Route 32) and changed its name to Friendship Baptist Church. The congregation has grown from 25 members to over 550 and has become a fixture in the community. In addition to Massey, Associate Pastor John Hevey, Discipleship Pastor David Miller, Worship Pastor Phil Respass, and Youth Pastor T. J. Johnson now serve the ever-growing flock.

Although perhaps most widely recognized greeting visitors to the Howard County Fair, FBC also coordinates a community yard sale each May and supports county organizations such as God’s Trucking Ministry in Jessup, Young Life of Patapsco Valley, the Christian Jail Ministry, and the new Crosslife Community Church in Elkridge.

The church also aids those in need statewide through a Food Pantry Mission, Lunch for the Hungry, and the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore City. At the nationwide level, FBC has performed disaster relief after Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, and internationally, it partners twice annually with Hananeel Baptist Church in Puebla, Mexico, to assist with construction, medical clinics, and Vacation Bible School. The church has also sent members to Rwanda, Viet Nam, China, Scotland, the Philippines, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Burundi, Nicaragua, and Moldova.

The congregation of Friendship Baptist plans to celebrate its 25th anniversary Friday, June 5 with a banquet and special program.

For more information about the church, call 410-442-5506 or go to www.fbcmd.org.

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