scene from a “time gone bye”. The mellow sound of the antique
pump organ fills the chapel with music adding to the holiday
atmosphere.
Whether you are a first-time visitor, an occasional visitor or a
regular worshipper, a variety of seasonal programs offered to the
public every Sunday evening at 7:00 pm at the chapel from the
Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 26th, through Epiphany
Sunday on January 7th, those in attendance will have the
opportunity to celebrate a Christmas as families did during an
earlier time period.
Today, surrounded by the homes of the Linganore communities,
the church is still a part of the Baltimore/Washington Conference
of the United Methodist Church. Fairview is part of the parish
consisting of Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church and New
Market United Methodist Church but it is maintained by nine
trustees. Through the efforts of these nine trustees, a worship team
and two guiding pastors, Fairview Chapel throughout the year
provides unique weekly ecumenical services each Sunday at 7:00
PM which are guided by visiting pastors. These pastors represent
a variety of denominations. Worship opportunities in word, song,
story, drama and scripture make services special all year.
This year’s Advent theme “Do You Have Room?” will take you on
a biblical journey to Bethlehem in search of the Christ child and
the meaning of the season. Along the way, you will view verbal
and musical portraits of individuals and their role in the Nativity
Story. You will be invited to explore your relationship with God as
you imagine that you are there to witness the events which forever
changed the world.
Fairview’s unique and creative holiday worship services, as well
as the four services on Christmas Eve, endeavor to recreate “the
greatest story ever told”. These services begin on November 26th
with a “Prelude To Christmas” and ends on Epiphany Sunday
January 7, 2018. Fairview’s leadership team prays that you will see
with the eyes of your heart and soul the story of the nativity and
the gifts of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
King’s String Concert - “A Prelude To Christmas”
“Somebody’s Knocking”
As in the past eight years, the holiday season begins the weekend
after Thanksgiving and features the return of the King’s Strings.
This service focuses on the announcement of Christ’s birth and His
coming. The joy, hope, peace and love of the Christmas season will
be highlighted by the musical talents of the King family’s children,
along with their parents, the Rev. John and Cindy King who come
to us from the Brethren in Christ Church in Mechanicsburg, PA.
The gift of music from this special family has become the
traditional beginning of the Christmas season at the chapel.
The sounds of a variety of stringed instruments and the vocal
presentations reverberating within the stone walls of the chapel
will be an inspiring start to the season and its enduring message.
Because of the popularity of this group two services will be offered
to the public, the first service at 5:00 pm and the second service at
7:00 pm.
Holiday Open House
Fairview invites the public to a holiday open house on Saturday,
December 2nd between the hours of 5:30 and 7:00 pm. Stop in for
light refreshments and a preview of Fairview’s upcoming holiday
programs while enjoying the sweet sound of holiday music. Come
and see the freshly decorated chapel with its traditional festive
decorations. Receive a special gift for your family which has been
specially crafted for Fairview Chapel. Listen to the music of the
season, take time to pray, prepare yourself for the Advent season,
and hear a new Christmas story, Josephina- The Stable Cat, which
has been written for children and will be presented to the public
for the first time at 6:15.
First Sunday of Advent
“DoYou Have Room” Rev. Paul Munday Retired Church of
the Brethren Pastor with “Music To Worship By”
At 7 PM on December 3rd, a service of worship and praise will
focus on the gift of the Christ child, the Candle of Hope and the
Hope which God sent to our world in the form of His son.
Fairview Chapel is pleased to welcome back to our Advent series,
The Reverend Dr. Paul E. Mundey. Joining Paul will be the musical
ensemble HeartSong, a much acclaimed a ccapella singing group
hailing from Central Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD. The
theme for this service will be: ‘Hope For The Hard-Pressed.’
The Rev. Dr. Paul E. Mundey has been a pastor, church administrator,
writer, speaker and teacher for more than 40 years. In June, 2016,
Pastor Paul completed a twenty year tenure at the Frederick Church
of the Brethren in Frederick, MD., the largest congregation in the
denomination. Most recently he was a Visiting Scholar at Princeton
Theological Seminary, Princeton, N.J. Along with guest lecturing in
classes, Mundey worked on a number of writing projects, including a
manuscript on time and faith, and a devotional book on the Sermon
on the Mount.
Pastor Munday has led holiday programs at Fairview in the past
which have been well-received because of his dynamic, creative
and unique style which has inspired all in attendance. The music
and word will weave a beautiful advent tapestry honoring God’s
great gift – the child born in a lowly manger.
Second Sunday of Advent
“I Have No Room – Hero or Villain?” With Music by
Vocalists Teresa Martin and Mark Beall
The leadership team of Fairview Chapel encourages all to attend
a unique Advent worship service written just for Fairview Chapel
on the evening of the second Sunday in Advent, December 10th
at 7:00 PM. The service begins with the lighting of the candle of
Peace and focuses on this candle as the symbol of Christ - the
“Light of the World”. This unique program asks “if you have room
for Him?”
Almost everyone has a clear picture in their mind of what
Bethlehem looked like two thousand years ago and of how the
nativity story should be depicted. Yet, almost all Christmas
pageants include one character who never actually appears in
the biblical Christmas story, the innkeeper who turns Joseph and
Mary away from his inn.
He is usually portrayed as a cold-hearted individual shooing away
the holy family to the stable out back. Since we literally know
nothing about thi