Our Church
Our Church
Babcock Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland is a devout Christian community composed of individuals of various backgrounds. Whether you are rich or poor, young or old, black or white, liberal or conservative, we open our doors to you!
Join us in our Sunday morning worship service at 10:00 AM, and you will see that our church indeed reflects the diversity and strength of our surrounding communities.
We are a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We find that the word “church” sounds intimidating to some people, maybe even to you. If that is the case, we regret that. We want you to know that we are just a group of ordinary people who are doing the best we can with what God has given us. We strive to follow Jesus and aspire to become more like Him. We’ll be the first ones to admit that we are far from being perfect; but we’ll keep trying anyway!
Please take your time and explore our website. If you like what you see, consider visiting us in person. If you decide to stop by and join us at our Sunday worship service, we promise to greet you warmly and help you feel at home.
We also assure you that you will not be pressured or judged. We wouldn’t want to be treated that way, so we won’t do it to you.
History
History
The Reverend Dr. Maltbie Davenport Babcock was born August 3, 1858 in Syracuse, New York. It was in the fall of 1887 that Dr. Babcock was called to his second pastorate, the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. He developed an almost universal appeal and was a very popular speaker at college campuses and counseled many young people. Indeed, he gathered so many that it became almost inevitable that the church would expand by spinning off a sister congregation.
In late 1888, the session of Brown Church authorized the establishment of a new Sunday school, which was begun in Clifton Hall on Druid Hill Avenue. In 1891, property was acquired at the corner of North and Madison Avenue to build a permanent home for the new congregation and a motion was passed naming the church the Park Presbyterian Church of Baltimore City.
The chapel was erected in 1892 and on May 30, 1893 the fledgling 34-member congregation was formally accepted into the Presbytery of Baltimore. After Dr. Babcock’s death in 1901, the church was renamed Babcock Memorial Presbyterian Church.
As the church matured and the congregation grew, many members began to suggest that the church's mission at North and Madison was nearing completion. The Session made arrangements with the Presbytery of Baltimore to move to a new location.
The Council of Churches had allotted a Loch Raven Boulevard site to the Presbyterian denomination which was part of the Stansbury Homestead. Slightly more than four acres of land were purchased by Babcock Memorial Presbyterian Church and the first service was held on October 9, 1949 in the Stansbury mansion.
On September 18, 1955, the main church building and two floors of the educational wing were dedicated. The church building was completed in 1966 when the third floor of the educational wing and the bell tower were constructed. The church experienced a period of growth and activity from 1966 until the middle of the next decade. In the early 1980s, the session passed a resolution to rename the church Babcock Presbyterian Church.
The members of Babcock Presbyterian Church have continued to solidify our identity as God's people and Christ's ambassadors to an aching world. Small group ministries that empower people to grow in their spirituality, an increasing awareness of our responsibility in the areas of mission and evangelism, along with making Christian Education for children and adults one of our high priorities have become some of the hallmarks of our congregation.
Above all, the call to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ continues to be our highest priority as we seek to serve him and be a light in the community.
There is so much going on, so many ministries and activities to choose from, not to keep us busy, but to keep us grounded in Christ and in fellowship with each other so we can be empowered to tell the world the Good News of salvation!
In this narrative of the church, we hope you have caught the spirit of hope and possibility present in the life of Babcock. This is a time of growing, of expanding ministry and of a heartfelt searching for Gods guidance into the future.
Though this was a brief look back, the present church is looking forward! God bless and guide us and those who will follow, that the love of Jesus Christ may be proclaimed in word and deed through the people who are called.
Creation Care
Creation Care
God made us in His own image and gave us dominion over creation. Our dominion results from being created in the image of God and as we exercise dominion in creation we imitate God. God is the majestic, powerful, sovereign God who creates. That’s how Genesis 1 represents human beings. We have a kingly calling; a royal calling. We, not in the absolute sense in the way God rules, but we rule like God rules. We create with a small “c”. He creates from nothing we create in a different sense. The picture of our role as having dominion over creation is a parallel of Genesis 1 said about God. We’re not on the same level as God, but under His authority. So, we have a kingly calling – we are to rule over creation. Therefore, it is appropriate to use creation for the benefit of humanity since God created every human being in his image.
In Genesis 2, we learn of God as God who is concerned about His creation; God who comes into the Garden of Eden to care for and have fellowship with His creation. God creates Adam and Eve and gives Adam the job of tending and keeping the garden – to care for it. Just as the picture of God in Genesis 1 reflects our role as human beings in having dominion, so now the picture of God in Genesis 2 is reflected in the job that God gave Adam to do. God is concerned for His creation and we, as His vice regents, should tend to it and care for it. This is the double sided coin: dominion and care and concern so that we don’t abuse creation.