As several founding members of Laurel's Oaklands Presbyterian Church prepare for the congregation's 50th anniversary, all say their unbreakable bond in friendship created a welcoming and unfettered home.
In a weekend of celebration on May 14 and 15, founding charter members are gathering the congregation community for "Through These Doors," an anniversary reflection of Oaklands' history and future through worship, offering and fellowship.
After walking through the wooden doors of the home-turned-congregation, charter members Cal Kirby and his wife, Linda, sit in a cozy family room to the right in front of a fireplace. Other original members, including the Rev. Paul Anderson, pastor for 41 years; current pastor the Rev. LeAnn Hodges; and choir directors Gailyn Gwin and Norman Crabtree, join them, sharing tales of Oaklands' foundation, which began in September 1965.
As he looks around the room, Cal Kirby said he remembers the very first service the couple attended. Fox Rest Apartments on Briarwood Drive – the Kirby's home at the time – served as the congregation's original home, where members rented the gymnasium on Sunday mornings after the Presbyterian Council acknowledged a growth in Presbyterian worship.
"There were just rows of chairs lined up where the basketball court was," Kirby said. "Gailyn was the choir director [and] she had an Army field organ that you pumped with your feet. As she was playing, it moved and she kept having to scoot up the bench after every hymn."
Several of the charter's original 47 members lived in Fox Rest, Kirby said, creating a tight-knit foundation that continued to grow. After a week, Kirby said he joined the choir and Linda became a Sunday school teacher.
Linda Kirby said the majority of members were young and white, with a few older church-goers in their late 30s. While the younger population were radical liberals, she said, older individuals remained conservative, creating a little tension in the church.
"One by one, the conservatives either changed or found out that this wasn't a church that they signed up for. This happened within the first two years," Linda Kirby said. "After that, it's always been an extremely welcoming church. As the church has evolved, it is amazing how welcoming and family-like it is."
Led by organizing pastor the Rev. Richard Strohl, the Kirbys said, attendance climbed at Oaklands Presbyterian. The church found a permanent setting in a private home off Laurel-Bowie Road in February 1966, where it remains today. For $110,000, the congregation purchased the home, including almost five acres of surrounding land.
An official charter was signed on April 24, 1966. Their work only persisted as services continued in the home's half-finished basement for 12 years, Cal Kirby said, while construction of a sanctuary began upstairs.
"It was a transition," he said. "There were people who didn't want to build this because they thought that the closeness of the people would change, we would become a big church and not be the same type of welcoming church."
But, the atmosphere remained the same, welcoming Anderson as pastor in 1969, who remained with Oaklands until his retirement in May 2010.
"When [Richard Strohl] came here and organized this church, one of his goals was to make this church very socially aware, particularly working with the poor at that time," Anderson said. "This has always been a very open, hospitable church. Through my years as pastor, it continued in that direction with the food pantry, the shelter and welcoming LGBTQ people."
Through Oaklands' evolution, including its completed sanctuary in 1978, Anderson said he and the members stayed involved in ongoing movements, like protesting the Vietnam War and supporting gender equality, with natural progression.
"It was a huge step back then," he said. "One of the most telling moments of that whole thing was when one of our members asked if I would perform a civil union between he and his partner. I thought, 'Oh my gosh, this is going to create a problem.'"
Anderson said at that time, around 1998, the ecclesiastical constitutional provision of the church did not include performing same-gender marriage.
Anderson said he went before the session of Presbyterian elders, informing them of the request and his decision to fulfill it. The ceremony was later performed at the Washington Ethical Society in Washington, D.C. After an outpouring of support from the Oaklands' community, Anderson said same-sex union requests continued.
"Following that, another couple asked me if I would perform their same-sex union and they wanted to do it at the church," Anderson said, once again, going before the session. "They said, 'Paul, you officiated my wife and me in our ceremony and you didn't come to the session to ask permission. You've done several other weddings and you didn't ask permission. I think you should just go ahead and do it."
Hodges, who took over as pastor from Anderson in 2013, said the LGBTQ community is still very much a part of Oaklands. After the marriages became legal in Maryland in 2013, Hodges said the church constitutional changed.
"As of last summer, we are now allowed to perform the marriage of two people," Hodges said. "Pastors are free to marry anyone they deem worthy of marriage regardless of gender."
The church actively encourages and participates in a variety of services, shifting standards of ordination, while continuing to support LGBTQ members.
"I respect that we won't all agree on our interpretation," Hodges said. "We are not all of one mind, but we are also not quiet about our advocacy. There's a healthy respect and curiosity among the members who would not affirm this radical celebration of people across all lines."
Oaklands recognized itself since day one, said Linda Kirby, still a devoted member alongside her husband.
"You can be having an awful time outside. Your regular life can be going into the hole," she said. "But you walk in the doors and you are immediately surrounded by love; it's palpable. Everybody feels that way."
With a direction set and celebration in sight, Hodges said Oaklands Presbyterian will continue the work of its founding members as "a safe place to have hard conversations."
"The uniqueness of Oaklands is that it's safe and sacred space," Hodges said. "We'll continue and go deeper into a place where conflicting and contentious issues can be addressed in a safe way with theological integrity."
Celebration
Celebrations of Oaklands Presbyterian Church will begin Saturday, Mary 14 at 7 p.m. at the church, featuring guest speakers as they share five decades of the ministry's story and pictures, as well as a reception.
Worship will continue Sunday, May 15 at 11 a.m. with a worship service by Anderson and music by Gwin and Crabtree. A special Thanksgiving offering will also be held to thank members for their contributions. The service will be followed by a free luncheon, with donations accepted. Reservations are appreciated but not required; contact Cal Kirby at 301-210-6777 or ckirby59@comcast.net.