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the mission of columbia baptist fellowship

"To be an expression of God's love through our relationship with Jesus the Christ by going deeper in our worship, fellowship, and discipleship and by going wider in our ministry and mission"

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THE STORY OF COLUMBIA BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP

1968

The idea of CBF began in April, 1968, when sixteen people met to discuss the possibility of beginning a Baptist church in the new town of Columbia. Representatives of seven Baptist churches from the area formed the Columbia Missions Committee.

1970's

1970

 in 1970, the Columbia Missions Committee called James Hamblen of the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention to serve as the first Director of Southern Baptist Activities for Columbia. That same year, under his pastoral guidance, a group of six families began to conduct services in their homes. They defined themselves as "a people on a journey and a pilgrimage to discover and practice the New Testament experience of church together." They called themselves the Columbia Baptist Fellowship and referred to themselves as a "tent people," a term which emphasized the journey motif and suited a people who emphasized mission more than building.

1970-1973

The First Presbyterian Church of Howard County generously provided worship space on Sunday afternoons. During the spring of 1973, in order to have a morning worship time, the growing group worshipped for a brief time in Faulkner Ridge Elementary School.  When the onset of winter brought an energy crisis and restricted heating in the school, Abiding Savior Lutheran Church invited the Fellowship to share its facility.

CBF remained a Southern Baptist Mission under the guidance of James Hamblen until it was constituted a church in a charter service in March, 1973. There were forty-four charter members. In June, 1973, the church called John Woodall to be its pastor, a post in which he remained until 1980.

1975

At sunrise on Easter Sunday, 1975, the Columbia Baptist Fellowship moved into its permanent worship space at The Meeting House, the Interfaith Center in Oakland Mills.

1980-Present

Dr. Roger Bridges served as interim pastor until 1981 when Dr. Steve McNeely was called, continuing as pastor until 2001. Dr. Homer Carter served as interim from 2001 until Robert Jordan was called as pastor in 2003 and remained until 2010. Ron Mallow filled the interim position from 2010 to 2012 when Dr. David Stancil arrived. Pastor Dave retired in 2020, and CBF called then Associate Pastor for Youth and Outreach Rev. Andrew J. James, Jr. as our first African-American pastor, in 2022. 

our 5 principles

worship

connect

grow

serve

go

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the meeting house

The Meeting House, an interfaith center in Columbia, Maryland, is home to most of our worship and fellowship activities. We are blessed as a family of Christian faith when guests join us for worship.

who we are

We Love, We Serve, We Give, We Worship, We Pray, We Make a Difference. 

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interfaith hands united

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