Hancock United Methodist Church
Hancock MD

Our Mission

Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Our Vision

Build relationships that change lives and lead to committed disciples.

We plan to accomplish this through building meaningful relationships between each other and our communities with Jesus Christ at the center. By creating these relationships, we strive to change lives as God's active love is demonstrated through our actions and connections with one another.

 

http://www.hancockumc.org  

 

 

The Methodist Church was the first to be built in Hancock and for many years remained the only church in the community. The earliest record of Methodist Church meetings in this area was in 1787. In that year, the Rev. Robert Ayers preached at the Widow Flint’s—now the John and Debbie Cohill property—for four weeks. In the early 1800s, church was held in a log school house on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and High Street where the building housing the Loaves and Fishes store now stands. On May 18, 1828, the ground on which the Methodist Church now stands was deeded by Thomas C. Brent to the trustees in trust for the Methodist Episcopal Church of Hancock. The Hancock Church was the largest in an eight-church circuit in a radius of twenty-five miles. The original church had a center aisle and was heated by a large stove on each side of the room. The church was rebuilt in 1909 while the Rev. J.P. Feltner was minister. A booklet called Bricks was printed and the books were sold to buy bricks to build the new church. The new church had two aisles, with the front of the sanctuary facing south. The basement addition was acquired by voluntary labor in 1934. In 1939, with the union of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Protestant North, and Methodist Protestant South, the Ladies Aid became the Women’s Society of Christian Service. The circuit was also divided at this time, and the church was renamed the Methodist Church. The Education Building was erected in 1953. In 1954, the congregation sold the parsonage on the corner of Main Street and Route 522 and purchased the McKelvey house, next to the church, for the parsonage. In 1961, land was purchased from John Hammond for a parking lot. In 1962, the congregation voted to remodel and enlarge the sanctuary at an approximate cost of $74,500. In 1967, the name of the church was changed to the Hancock United Methodist Church as a result of the joining of the Methodist Church with the Evangelical United Brethren Church. In 1986, the parsonage was completely renovated and re-bricked. The kitchen in the basement was completely remodeled in 1995. In 1999, the basement became handicap accessible with the completion of a handicap ramp. In 2003, construction and remodeling of the Upper Room began. This project involved a remodeling of the Education Building, which had been constructed in 1953, and the addition of a ramp. The lower level included new bathrooms, a new kitchen, and new carpeting. The upper level included a pastor’s office, new kitchen, bathrooms, youth room, and social hall. Renovations were completed by members of the congregation.