Church Leadership

 
  Worship Leaders

    Pastor: Rev. Richard Baker 

     Certified Lay Minister: Merri Sayler 

     Music Ministry:

          Organist and Choir Director: Rachel Olson 

          Soul Seekers Director: Gene Eyler

     Nursery Coordinator: Rachel Wivell

     Technology Coordinator: Matt Sayler

   Lay Leadership

    Church Council Chair: Bill Wivell

     Staff-Parish Committee Chair: Lisa McLeod-Simmons

     Finance Committee Chair: Gene Eyler

    Treasurer: Rachel Wivell

    Endowment Fund Committee Chair: Jeffrey Simmons:

    Trustee Chair: Chuck Hawley

    Missions and Outreach Chair: Merri Sayler

    Education Committee Chair: Fran Eyler

    Lay Member to the Annual Conference: Bill Wivell

   Emmitsburg Council of Churches Liaison: Donna Hawley

  Community Meal Coordinators

     Bill Clarke, Debbie Clarke, Merri Sayler

Rev. Richard Baker

A Letter from the Pastor

I’d like to take this time to introduce myself.  My name is Richard Baker and I was appointed to pastor the churches of Messiah UMC in Taneytown and Trinity UMC in Emmitsburg on July 1, 2018.

I am a second career pastor. For almost 30 years I owned a carpentry construction business building new homes in Carroll and Frederick County. I loved interacting with my clients and also the people that worked for me. After coming to know the Lord, I offered employment opportunities to those in recovery ministries. We hired recovering substance abusers, along with people completing prison sentences. God calls for us to look out for the lost and downtrodden and because of the wonderful mercy I was shown, I attempted to offer that mercy to others.

After returning to church and seeing God at work, I began to get involved in the mission ministries. I went to Costa Rica and worked on an Indian Reservation building a school and got a firsthand look at people living their faith as a natural extension of who they were and I wanted that in my life. Shortly afterwards, I heard God call me into ministry.

I have served in 3 pastoral settings, the most recent in Walkersville MD. I started serving in a 3 point Charge and then went on to a single station church, and recently I felt God calling me back to the smaller churches. I love a church where you are invited to be a part of many families’ lives. I love a church where everyone pitches in to help. I see real evidence of that in both churches.

I have been married for 36 years to the love of my life, Desiree. We have 3 adult children, Garrett, Elizabeth, and Emmett. Our son, Garrett, is married with 3 children of his own and they are the delight of my life.

I look forward to meeting all of you and joining together in the work God has called us to. I ask God’s blessings on each of you as we go on toward perfection in Christ. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

Blessings,

Pastor Richard Baker

Trinity United Methodist Church | 313 W Main Street | P.O. Box 481|  Emmitsburg, MD 21727
301-447-3740