02-16-2023 Howard Mag - Flipbook - Page 62
RELIGION
Attendees light prayer candles during an interfaith vigil that included St. John’s Episcopal Church, Columbia Jewish Congregation, Dar Al-Taqwa Mosque,
Patapsco Friends Meeting and Christ Church to show unified support for refugees.
PHOTO BY KENNETH K. LAM
T
he faith communities that worship in Howard
County include Protestant, Roman Catholic,
Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Christian Scientist,
Seventh-day Adventist, Mennonite, Baha’i, Quaker and
Unitarian Universalist groups. The county was home
to more than 150 places of worship in 2010, according to data from the Association of Statisticians and
Religious Bodies.
Congregants meet in interfaith centers, churches,
synagogues, schools or neighborhood facilities. Many
foreign-language congregations have formed in recent
years.
INTERFAITH CENTERS
With Columbia’s founding in 1967 came the concept
of interfaith centers. These centers in Wilde Lake,
Oakland Mills, River Hill, Owen Brown and Kings
Contrivance are home to a number of diverse worship
communities. Although the coronavirus continues to
spread and infection rates continue to rise, these interfaith centers remain available to individuals.
Oakland Mills Interfaith Center — The Meeting
House
410-730-4090
themeetinghouse.org
Owen Brown Interfaith Center
410-381-2000
obicolumbia.org
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| Winter 2023 | howardmagazine.com
The Gathering Place in River Hill
443-416-7977
thegatheringplacemd.com
Wilde Lake Interfaith Center
410-730-7920
thewildelakeinterfaithcenter.com
Kings Contrivance Interfaith Campus:
Orthodox Church of Saint Matthew
240-755-0324
stmatthewoca.org
Cornerstone Church
410-381-8308
thecornerstonechurch.net
BON SECOURS
For more than 50 years, the Bon Secours Retreat
and Conference Center in Marriottsville has offered
a place of retreat for groups or individuals interested
in spending some quiet time in peace, reflection and
prayer. The center, run by the Sisters of Bon Secours,
welcomes self-guided retreats but also offers both
day and weekend-long retreats and workshops. It
has 70 guest suites, meeting rooms, a chapel and a
dining room, and elsewhere on the 300-acre site are
a reflecting pond, labyrinth, Zen-style peace garden,
outdoor swimming pool, fitness center and bookstore.
Call 410-442-3120 or visit rccbonsecours.com for more
information.
RELIGIOUS RESOURCES
Baha’is of Howard County
410-730-6540
bahaisofhowardcounty.org
Baltimore-Washington
Conference of the United
Methodist Church
410-309-3400
bwcumc.org
Catholic Charities of Baltimore
667-600-2000
catholiccharities-md.org
Dar Al-Taqwa Islamic Center
410-997-5711
taqwa.net
Jewish Federation of Howard
County
410-730-4976
jewishhowardcounty.org
Salvation Army Howard
County Service Center
443-656-3376
salvationarmycm.org