Weller United Methodist Church began its life as Weller’s United Brethren in Christ Church in what was then known as Mechanicstown (later Thurmont). The building was constructed starting in 1830 on land at the top of a hill donated by a local entrepreneur named Jacob Weller. Jacob was best known locally for his match factory, located at the bottom of the hill on Main Street. He always signed his name with “BS” for Black Smith because there were many other Jacob Wellers in the area including his father, who died in 1831 and was the first person to be buried in the church cemetery.
Learn more about Jacob Weller here.
Over the years, Weller’s Church played an important role in shaping the spiritual life of the community. The Church School provided religious instruction for many years from the mid-19th century to the present. Weller was the church home to local officials, businessmen, farmers, and their families, many of whom traveled several miles on a Sunday to take part in church life.
Weller followed the basic contours of American religious life throughout the 20th century.
- In 1915, increased membership led to an extension of the building by 20 feet, construction of a bell tower/entryway, and removal of the cupola from the top of the building.
- As the Great Depression started, a basement under the Sanctuary was dug out—mostly with volunteer labor from church members—to make room for a social hall.
- During the 1930s, the church sponsored a number of revivals and welcomed both local preachers and traveling evangelists who held rallies at three locations on the Thurmont circuit: Thurmont, Deerfield (in Sabillasville), and Eyler’s Valley.
- Church members prayed for and supported soldiers from Thurmont who took part in both World Wars.
- In the “Baby Boom” years following the Second Word War, the church added an education wing which included a basement fellowship hall, main level classrooms and an office. A steeple was added to the bell tower in the mid-1960s.
- President Jimmy Carter and his family visited Weller on May 15, 1977, during one of his visits to nearby Camp David.
- During the early 1990s, Weller helped rally local churches to oppose a resurgence of racist bigotry by organizing local public events that celebrated the love of Jesus Christ for all people.
- A few years later, the church purchased a private home across the street to serve as an activities building, with rooms for Sunday School classes and a Youth Group room.
Weller was a United Brethren in Christ Church for most of its life but in 1947, the United Brethren joined with the Evangelical Church to form the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB). In 1968, the EUB merged with the Methodist Church to create the current United Methodist Church.
The early years of a new century finds Weller continuing to make a difference for Jesus Christ in the community.
- Weller offers Sunday worship services where people are becoming disciples of Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, Bible study and service.
- Sunday School for all ages runs from September through June and topical Bible Studies provide additional opportunities for additional spiritual growth.
- The church has an active mission program which supports several local, faith-based charities. We also make bimonthly trips to Mission Central, a relief supply warehouse in Mechanicsburg, PA, where church members pack supplies for humanitarian relief.
- Our puppet ministry, The Potter’s Hands, provides a place for youth to grow their faith as they share stories of God’s love through puppetry.
- We also take part in the Thurmont Ministerium, a network of faith communities that works to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it provides for human needs in the northern Frederick County area.
Weller has a rich history and has been the spiritual home for several generations of north county residents, their friends and families. We are a historically-minded church, but we want to make history by making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of Thurmont, and the world.
