March-2024 Cooperative Living-Choptank - CH20

  
   
     

   
   
  
- Pastor Bill Carroll
T
o tell the story of the last
church standing in Betterton,
Maryland, you have to fi rst
touch on the history of Betterton
itself. The town sits atop and within
a steep north facing hill where the
Chesapeake Bay and the Sassafras
River meet. Founded as a true fi shing
village, Main Street begins at the
water's edge. Naturally, Betterton
became a great location for local
farmers and watermen to ship
their products to larger markets in
Baltimore and beyond. As the town
grew, so did the need for faith, and
Methodists began congregating at
The Old Crew Homestead in 1868.
During the fi rst part of the century,
Betterton would become a place to
vacation for city folk escaping the
summer's heat. With the town's
rapid growth, the hard workers of
Betterton needed a larger and more
permanent place of worship. They
found one at the top of the hill and,
One Piece
at a Time
Choptank Trust Donates
to Church Renovation
By Bobby Schaller, MultiMedia Manager
in 1914, began building the church
that continues to stand today,
overlooking the Bay, at the corner of
Main Street and 3rd Avenue.
Betterton Methodist Church is one
story, with an expansive gable roof,
an engaged square bell tower and
unique Catholic-style stained glass
windows on all sides. Unfortunately,
when the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
opened in 1952 vacationers started
to take the drive down to the ocean,
bypassing Betterton. By and by,
Betterton's tourism industry waned
along with the church's upkeep.
Walking in one Sunday morning,
20 | COOPERATIVE LIVING | MARCH 2024 |
Pastor Bill Carroll noticed a large
part of the stucco wall hanging high
above the entrance. While knocking
the mortar down, he knew right
away something had to be done.
The church had enough money
to fi x the bell tower's siding but
after that, they had to get creative.
They brainstormed and started
fundraising and looking for grants.
Being a Choptank member himself,
he applied for a Choptank Trust
donation. Choptank awarded three
donations over fi ve years totaling
$11,500 toward church renovations.
Realizing it would take quite a bit
more, church leadership decided to
renovate one piece at a time.
The beautiful stained glass windows
were in bad shape. Harkening back
to days of old when most folks were
illiterate, they are a parable of Jesus'
life and purpose. They also hold
clues to the town's history. With
opalescent glass, predominantly
| CHOPTANK ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE |
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March-2024 Cooperative Living-Choptank

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