[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 59 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  CHELTENHAM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CELEBRATES ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 12, 1998

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, on September 27, 1998, Cheltenham United 
Methodist Church will celebrate its 125th anniversary. This white-
framed country church in Cheltenham, Maryland has been serving the 
religious and secular needs of its community since 1873 when its 
founders met under the chestnut trees that grew where the church now 
stands.
  Although small in size, Cheltenham Church is very active and has a 
number of ministries that reach out to the local community and beyond. 
A few of their many activities include serving meals at the Hughesville 
Shelter for Battered Women, making 1000-plus sandwiches for the 
homeless for Martha's Table in Washington, D.C., contributing to the 
Upper Marlboro Food Bank, assisting patients at St. Elizabeth's 
Hospital at their Sunday church services, and sponsoring several needy 
families in the area.
  Cheltenham Church is an excellent example of late 19th century rural 
church architecture. Among its other features, the original doorknob 
and chandeliers remain. The pulpit, still in use today, was made from a 
cherry tree that fell on church property before the church was built. 
The bricks for the foundation were hauled from nearby Nottingham by 
horse and wagon and had been used during the 18th century as ballast in 
English ships.
  Although the church stands a short distance from a major highway, it 
retains much of its historic setting, buffered by its historic 
graveyard. It is a noticeable landmark in a still rural area of Prince 
George's County.
  To the members of Cheltenham United Methodist Church, and to their 
members who have gone on before, we congratulate you on your 125 years 
of service to your church and to your community!

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