St. John's Mission

St. John's mission is to glorify God by witnessing, serving, teaching and growing in Christ. We at St. John's seek to practice our faith in action and words by sharing the Gospel of Christ's love with friends, acquaintances, and strangers, as we encourage them to become responsible members of His church.

The many spiritual and social activities offered at St. John's serve to promote and reinforce our mission. We encourage members to support this mission by participating in the activities and programs of the church. We also seek to share our time, talent, and treasure helping others in need in our community and abroad, caring for one another as God cares for us.

Please accept our invitation to worship at St. John's United Church of Christ. We are an open community of Christians always eager to welcome those who which to share God's grace and love made abundant to us through His Son Jesus Christ

St. John's Vision Statement

St. John's United Church of Christ is a fellowship of individual hearts open to the abundant love of the Holy Spirit. Worshipping the Lord through giving of self, time, talents, and treasures, we praise His Holy Name through programs for all. Together, seeking understanding through scripture, we celebrate the camaraderie of faith in Jesus Christ, spreading His joy and encouraging others to join us in the work of serving God's children. We prayerfully trust God will unite us in caring, acceptance, and love for one another.

The St. John's Heritage

On March 9, 1867, a small group of Baltimoreans of German descent started a German Protestant congregation in what is now southwest Baltimore. The name of the original congregation was Die Deutscher Evangelisch Lutherische St. Johannes Gemeinde. The church was erected the following year at Catherine and Lombard Streets. The congregation remained there, eventually with a complex of three buildings, until the summer of 1960 when they moved to our present Catonsville location. The members held worship services in the mansion house until our present colonial church complex was dedicated in 1967- the 100th Anniversary year.

In our 135 year history, there have been 15 pastors and a number of name changes as our denomination merged with others. In 1922, we joined the Evangelical Synod of North America to become Evengelical Lutheran. We then joined the Reformed Church to become Evangelical and Reformed in 1934. We became part of the United Church of Christ in 1957 through the merger with the Congregational Christian Church. These affiliations were all accomplished through a majority vote within our congregation. Congregations in the UCC are affiliated-independent entities, a fact which is compatible with our heritage.

St. John's Strives to be a dynamic and welcoming congregation, actively proclaiming the Good News of Christ's love as we follow our motto of many years, Go Right On Working.