Oakland Mills Community Church celebrates its own Homecoming

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News

OAKLAND MILLS ? Hymn books encircled vibrant, fresh flowers, making the perfect centerpiece to welcome church and community members alike to the Oakland Mills Community Church?s Homecoming celebration.

The event, which was open to the community, celebrated the history of the church, as well as offered time for fellowship and singing. ?We?re going to sing a lot of songs,? church elder Jack Edwards said with a chuckle. ?We like to sing down here.?

After singing, event goers heard a brief history of the church, including some of the programs the church has had over the last 30 years, before taking a look toward the church?s future.

The event began around 9:30 a.m., as church and community members began to trickle in. In the afternoon, Edwards led a conversation on ?The Voice of the Martyrs.? ?We went to a conference on ?The Voice of the Martyr? in July and it affected us pretty good,? Edwards said of why he wanted to bring the conversation back to Oakland Mills.

Church member Anne Sourwine said she was hoping to see some new faces at the event. ?This is a community church and we want to be in fellowship with the community,? she said.

Of all of the weekend events, Sourwine said she was most excited about Sunday?s Church in the Park, which was held in the TTT Shelter in Saunder?s Park.

Sunday?s worship service, Pastor Rich Morman said, was a great way to finish up the weekend. This was the second time the church has held an outdoor service and Morman said it?s been quite popular.

Morman said the Oakland Mills area gets a lot of traffic, but he?s not sure travelers know the church still is open and active. ?The main thing is just reaching out into the community to remind them who we are.?

The other goal of the weekend was to have a little fun. ?That?s really what this weekend is about, getting together with old friends and making new ones.?