Our ministries are focused on eliminating the spiritual roots of poverty while also meeting the immediate needs of the poor among us.
Participate in a local mission during Sunday School first Sunday of the month!
The Food Pantry helps thousands of individuals and families each year. Click Here to email the team.
Tuesdays 1-2:30 and 5-6 p.m.
Thursdays 1-2:30 p.m.
Holiday Food Baskets ensure that those who need it have a meal for Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other special occasions.
CROP Walk raises money each year for food banks and pantries. Click for more information.
Camp Hope volunteers tirelessly make repairs to homes in our community each summer.
Emergency Fund is for individuals and families who need emergency assistance with rent or utilities. Referral from Social Services required.
LaVale United is connected with the local branch of Habitat for Humanity. If you or someone you know wants to become a homeowner check out their website or call the church office.
Children’s Sunday School, for Preschool through Middle School, is offered during the school year on Sunday mornings, with a robust at-home component. Lessons and activities focus on God’s love for us all. Our wonderful children’s volunteers lead the groups – Erica Tan, Joyce Martz, Jim Mullan, Brandi Harper, Phyllys Hager, Cassie Puffenberger, Nora Kennell, Madison Grim, Sue Brant, Debbie Devlin, and others. Register here.
Vacation Bible School usually happens towards the end of summer. Check in here for exciting details!
Youth Group, for grades 6-12, meets weekly during the school year on Sunday nights @ 6:30 for food, fun, and faith lessons. WAVE retreat happens every year in January. Summers are for fun outings and hard work! Our Youth Group is led by a dedicated group of adult volunteers – Janelle Moffett, Cliff and Cassie Puffenberger, Hannah Reynard, and Brittany Brant.
Adult Bible Studies for different interests happen year round. Keep up to date on current offerings on our Facebook page and here on the website.
Our Abundant Living Facebook group for women only focuses on health and fitness goals.
Our Stephen Ministry Team hold occasional Grief and Divorce Support Groups.
Marriage Prep, Marriage Counseling, Fertility Issues? Rev. Frankie would love to talk.
Our building functions as a community center for LaVale and is open for use for your party or group. Give the church office a call.
Bible Study – The United Methodist Church endorses Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. We hold monthly Bible studies at LaVale United. RSVP here.
We partner with various local missions and charities including Fellowship of Christian Athletes, United Campus Ministry, Union Rescue Mission, 1st Way Pregnancy Center.
Check out UMCOR to find out how the gifts of our United Methodist congregation share with the larger denomination around the world.
Scouts – both boys and girls – base their fun, service, community engagement and leadership development program from our building. For more information: Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
Our Prayer Quilts, created by The Knotty Quilters, provide beauty and comfort for individuals who request prayer. We all pray over them before they’re delivered to the recipients.
An Embroidery Group meets monthly to create beautiful works of art, and is led by world class teacher, Karen Phillips-Schwallon. Only $35 / month. Call the church office for more info.
Our Sunday School Teachers
Cassie Puffenberger has worked with children in the church setting since she was teenager. When she’s not working as an administrative assistant at Frostburg State University, she enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her husband, Cliff, and their dogs, Moose and River.
Joyce, a retired banker, first started teaching Sunday School during her son’s childhood. Throughout the years, she has volunteered with Youth Fellowship, Scouts, Bible School, and now continues that with her grandsons. She and her husband joined LUMC in 1997.
Jim is a retired wildlife biologist with the MD DNR and an Adjunct Instructor at Garrett College. A member of LUMC since 1987, Jim has taught Sunday School and Communion Classes for the last 15 years.
Deborah "Debbie" Devlin, M.Ed. is a professional educator, writer, and educational content creator. As a lecturer in mathematics at Frostburg State University and college-prep teacher in Upward Bound for grades 9 - 12, Mrs. Devlin believes in active-learning through inquiry in which students are nurtured to question, reason, and make conceptual connections. She unabashedly employs her faith as a follower of Christ in her teaching via positive encouragement and believes that teenagers, dripping with sarcasm, snark, and creative genius, are probably the world’s coolest creatures (despite the existence of red pandas and axolotls). Mrs. Devlin is a Christian first; everything else falls out from there. She loves her family, theology, poetry, birds, dogs, travel, hiking, biking, and coffee.
Janelle Moffett has been a youth leader at our church since July of 2012. She was a Mathematics Secondary Education major and has always enjoyed working with young people, but gets tremendous joy in walking along side them and helping them to think through their tough faith questions.
Cliff Puffenberger is a park ranger at Rocky Gap State Park. He has been working with youth as an environmental educator since 2009. When he’s not working, he enjoys traveling with his wife, Cassie, and being outdoors.