St. Paul is an outgrowth of St. John Methodist Episcopal Church on Soller’s Wharf Road. It was founded in 1866 at the corner of Cove Point Road. The congregation was chartered as a Methodist Episcopal Church South after being denied a charter in the M. E. Church North. The original St. Paul Church building was a log structure that stood in the area of the cemetery now occupied by large cedar trees. In 18 years, St. Paul had outgrown its log building, and a new frame building was constructed right over the log structure, which was dismantled and carried out the door piece by piece.

During the early 1900s, St. Paul was part of a four-point charge with Huntingtown, Emmanuel, and Central and had ‘preaching services’ on alternate weekends. In 1930, the present Sanctuary was constructed. This structure and furnishings cost $8,000!

In 1939, the three branches of Methodism merged, and St. Paul was added to the Solomons-Olivet Charge. Two additions to the church were added in 1951: an addition to the back of the church (now Fellowship Hall), and in 1965, the T. Rayner Wilson Building was completed and became the new education facility.

The late sixties and early seventies brought many changes to Methodism and to Calvert County. In 1968, the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to become the United Methodist Church. In the County, the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant was constructed, the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge was opened, and the four-lane highway to Solomons was completed. This meant much growth for the County, and after much consideration, the church decided to become a single-station charge in 1980. A new parsonage was built on the north end of the property for the pastor’s family.

During the 1980s, the church continued to grow rapidly with the addition of more adult and children’s Sunday School classes, a second worship service, the SPUMPS preschool program and the revitalization of the United Methodist Youth Fellowship.

Growth continued, and in 1993, the Christian Life Center (CLC), complete with an Activity Center, meeting rooms, an office suite, a library, a kitchen, and more classrooms, was consecrated. St. Paul was able to introduce a contemporary praise worship service in the CLC and add another traditional worship service in the Sanctuary, thus having three services available on Sunday mornings. With the need for additional education space, four new classrooms were built onto the CLC in 2002.

As Lusby grows with the construction of an industrial park located diagonally across from the church along with new shopping centers, and as people relocate to support nearby U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), St. Paul continues to be challenged by growth and opportunities. Most of all, St. Paul continues to be richly blessed by God and seeks to be a blessing to the community and world.

St. Paul United Methodist Church – A place where “It’s All About Love”!

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