Emmanuel Baust Church Cemetery, Old Taneytown Road (Rt 832) near Tyrone, Westminster, Carroll Co., Maryland
A Short History of Emmanuel (Baust) UCC
In the latter part of the 18th century German immigrants came to our region. It was a natural part of their settling here that they built homes, started farms and businesses, and established schools and churches. Many of those German-speaking people shared a similar faith heritage in Germany as Protestant Christians. Those who were rooted in the Reformed and Lutheran traditions often joined together in building a church. Each would secure the services of an itinerant pastor to provide the essential services of preaching, Baptisms, Holy Communion, and the rites of the church. In the early years, one of our pastors might provide (not all on the same Sunday) services to five or six different congregations.
"Baust" Church derives its name, familiar to many of the local residents, from Valentine Baust, who donated the land for the church. This was a common practice in this region. German Reformed and Lutheran folks jointly built and maintained a church facility while providing services for those who wanted to worship in their respective traditions. Congregations of Reformed (now UCC) and Lutheran heritage shared worship space at out location for well over 200 years. An Emmanuel (Baust) Lutheran congregation held its last service of worship at this location on September 25, 2005. The Emmanuel (Baust) United Church of Christ congregation continues its ministry here and intends to do so for generations to come.
Emmanuel (Baust) is one of several UCC congregations in Carroll County: Grace (Taneytown), St. Paul's (Westminster), Krider's (Westminster), St. Mary's (Silver Run/ north of Westminster), Grace (Keysville), St. Matthew's (Pleasant Valley/ Westminster), Trinity (Manchester), St. Marks (Hampstead), and Lazarus (Lineboro).
There have been three different church buildings on our site, the present one having been built 1908. Our lovely stained glass windows date from that era and are a meaningful part of our worship setting. Large theme windows depict Jesus in Gethsemane, Jesus knocking at the door, and Jesus as the "Good Shepherd". A variety of smaller windows contain various symbols of our Christian faith and heritage.
Emmanuel (Baust) United Church of Christ, as stated, has its roots in the German Reformed Church. The United Church of Christ is the result of mergers for what were once four separate denominations: Reformed, Evangelical, Christian, and Congregational. For more information about the history and beliefs of the United Church of Christ, we suggest you check out the UCC web site.