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First, we come with grateful hearts to worship and glorify God. We invite you to join us as we lift our voices through song and prayer in passionate worship to the One who is worthy.
Second, we come to receive from the Lord. We expect to be refreshed by God’s presence, strengthened by his grace, encouraged by his promises, and transformed by his truth. We trust you will encounter God in worship and in the preaching of God’s Word. We strive to provide gospel-centered Bible teaching that is relevant to our lives.
Third, we come to encourage one another. So you will see people caring for each other through prayer, words of encouragement, the reading of Scripture, greeting, and a multitude of other ways.
Our church members serve in ways that make Sunday morning meaningful for your whole family.
The friendly volunteers at the Children’s Ministry check-in center would love to answer your questions.
Parking Crew: Look for the Sovereign Grace Church signs and smiles of our volunteers, many of them teenagers, who will show you where to park.
Greeters: From the moment you arrive, you’ll be greeted by people who are genuinely glad to see you. Our greeters and ushers are happy to answer questions, provide resource materials, and direct you where you need to go.
After the service officially ends, you’ll find people praying with one another, laughing together, catching up on what’s been going on, or talking about the sermon. We just love to be together.
Guest Reception: You are invited to attend a reception held in your honor immediately following the service. We’ll serve snacks and drinks, and introduce ourselves. The reception is a great opportunity to learn more about our church from one of our pastors and to meet new people.
The next generation is one of our greatest ministry priorities. A unique aspect of our youth ministry is that parents are involved with their kids. Young people in 9th through 12th grades, along with their parents, attend two meetings a month together where they have fun and learn how to grow in their relationship with God and in their relationships as parents and teens.
“Parent-driven youth ministry”...what’s that?
We call our youth ministry a “parent-driven youth ministry.” The basic idea is that we believe God calls Christian parents to be the primary influence in their children’s lives (Eph 6:4). So, rather than building a youth ministry with minimal parental involvement, we encourage parents to be involved in all youth activities and to be the primary mentors in their teenagers’ lives.
We know that it’s a counter-cultural idea, but we find that BOTH youth and parents benefit and are deeply grateful for this model. Come check it out for yourself.
We’re seeking to build a relational, spiritual and biblical fellowshipping community, where the gospel of Jesus Christ transforms our lives.
For most, being single is a season of life given by God. Unfortunately for some, being single becomes a consuming identity. However, God views singleness very differently. God considers this season as a gift which affords a unique opportunity for a believer to grow in their faith, build relationships, and serve others. Just as importantly, we have to remember that we are not defined by our stage of life. A believer’s identity is first in Christ, and then they are part of the whole church family. The singles ministry at Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick is not designed to replace the church, but provides opportunities where singles can build deep, loving relationships and receive teaching relevant to being single.
Currently, the singles ministry meets once a month as a large group for a time of hang out (including food!), worship, and teaching. We also meet on Tuesday nights for singles fellowship. The first two Tuesdays of the month we meet together to discuss aspects of biblical fellowship and then take time for sharing and caring. The second two Tuesdays of the month, the singles break down into smaller, same gender groups for accountability. Throughout the month there are also various events and outings. Please contact Andrew Pennington if you would like more information or would like to be included on our email distribution list.
During our Sunday service, we provide safe and fun classes for children from infants through middle school using age specific Bible curricula, Bible stories, music, and activities that reinforce the biblical teaching.
In our Children’s Ministry, you can expect the following:
One of the privileges and responsibilities of membership in the church is active participation in a group that meets bimonthly in members’ homes. These groups are called “Care Groups” because their primary purpose is to help us walk with God in our daily lives. Care group leaders are church members who have met with pastors and have been trained in leadership and counseling, and who are leading gospel-centered lives characterized by integrity and humility. In care group, we ask each other about our challenges and seek to find, through prayer and Bible study, how God is working in us and through us as we face the tests of life. This not only involves prayer and counsel and encouragement, but also helping each other with practical needs—such as meals for a family in need, or networking help to find a job—so that we can live as a community which displays the love of Christ.
Call Becca Kless at the church office, 301-874-0580 for information about meeting times and places for care groups.
You don’t have to be a church member to attend a care group, but if you’d like to find out more about care groups, one way to do that is to attend our Starting Point class.
Starting Point is the place to get to know Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick better. You’ll get to know our pastor and our beliefs and values, and meet other people who are exploring whether Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick is to be their church home.
Starting Point is designed to help you make a wise and informed decision about your involvement at SGCF. We think you’ll enjoy the class and find it to be a worthwhile investment of your time.
Call the church office at 301-874-0580 for more details, dates and how to sign up for the Starting Point class.
We are excited about our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade middle school ministry! Sunday mornings the middle schoolers remain in the main meeting until after worship. They are then dismissed to their own class with a curriculum specifically and designed to for middle school.
One unique aspect of our middle ministry is that parents are involved with their kids. Middle schoolers in 6th through 8th grades, along with their parents, attend a monthly meeting together where they have fun and learn how to grow in their relationship with God and in their relationships as parents and middle schoolers.
So what is this “Parent-driven youth ministry”...
We call our middle school ministry a “parent-driven youth ministry.” The basic idea is that we believe God calls Christian parents to be the primary influence in their children’s lives (Eph 6:4). So, rather than building a middle school ministry with minimal parental involvement, we encourage parents to be involved in all of their activities and to be the primary mentors in their young teenagers’ lives.
We know that it’s a counter-cultural idea, but we find that BOTH the youth and parents benefit and are deeply grateful for this model. Come check it out for yourself.
Todd: Since coming to this church, I am much more aware of my role in fostering the spiritual growth of my family, as well as paying close attention to my own I am also moving into a deeper relationship with my wife and my children
Shari: We have heard teaching from God’s Word that has changed our lives. That teaching has been modeled by the leaders of the church, and even some who don’t hold leadership positions.
I’m so excited to be part of a church that is willing to stand up to the prevailing culture, that wants to become wise and discerning through God’s Word, that is seeking to love and embrace sinners like ourselves, and whose members desire to become more like Jesus.
We realized how spiritually hungry we were, when we came here and heard that the Gospel should affect every area of our lives. Now we’re learning how to put the good news about Jesus into everyday practice in a way we never understood before. Many people have helped us to do that. The results? Our marriage is deeper, our children love to come to this church as much as we do (they LOVE the kids classes here), and we’re learning how to raise our kids with greater wisdom and patience.
Watching our children grow in grace, seeing young men take leadership roles in the church, planning for a facility one day, and especially seeing the Gospel spread in Frederick are just a few of the things we are so excited to be part of here.
I was so affected personally by the first service I attended here, that I can easily overlook the fact that my children were loved, taught, and cared for as well. I felt like God was speaking directly to me in that service, and then I found out how much my children loved it too. If my children had hated it, I wonder if I would have come back so enthusiastically, if at all. And I needed to be here, I needed to come back….so thank you! Hannah cheers when I tell her it’s Sunday, we’re going to church. She’s asked me on Monday (and every other day) how many more days it will be until we can go to church again.
I love going to Teen Care Group and the bimonthly meetings. First, we have our regular meeting. As soon as I walk in, I’m greeted by several people who truly care and love me, whether that be leaders or my amazing friends. Care Group is a time to invest in our lives with messages, song and support by equipping us with the Gospel and how to apply it everyday. I love that parents are involved. I have a much better relationship with my parents because of Youth Group and the opportunity to really sit down, talk and ask each other questions that lead to the heart. It helps me to have my own Bible centered convictions. At first, I didn’t think I would like the idea of having parents at care group, but now I see the importance of their involvement helping me to lead a cross centered life.
This is discipleship and it’s what the Bible commands! Unlike most youth groups, our parents take time to stop what they’re doing, and invest in our lives by coming to care group with us. That is a huge act of love! Care group is a place where I can be built up and encouraged in Christ, see some of my amazing friends, and connect on a deeper level with my parents. If I share that I’m struggling in some way, I’ll have several friends either give me Bible verses or ask how they can pray for me. I love that! The teens in our church really take time for one another. The social meetings are so much fun, whether it’s going to a corn maze in October or literally having a Ball in June.
I spent years’ battling who was going to be ruler of my life, myself or Jesus. Through a faithful friend who invested her time and prayers into my life, and listened to the command from Jesus written in Matthew 28:19 when Jesus said “Therefore go and make Disciples of all nations” Jesus won, He graciously opened my eyes to who and what the gospel is! As I learned of the importance in being part of a body of believers, I prayed to be led to a church filled with truth and care. My prayer was answered as I was led to Sovereign Grace of Frederick. Through the teachings at Sovereign Grace of Frederick I am experiencing heart change and spiritual growth in my life!
One day someone asked me, “What do you have at your church”? I read out loud an email that had been sent out to our care group asking for prayer. I read the responses that were sent back from members in my care group saying, “I AM ON MY KNEES NOW”! That’s what I have! A body of prayer and care warriors! As a single woman who desires a Godly husband, I have been asked “Why not find a church with more singles your age”? I don’t feel singled out at Sovereign Grace. What I have experienced is true gospel centered teaching amongst a loving body of believers. God is Sovereign, at anytime He can bring my husband through those doors! Single or married we all have a part to play in the body of Christ.
Knowing what a church believes should be of critical importance to its members and to anyone exploring involvement in that church.
Although labels can be misunderstood, there are some things which characterize us:
Because we are a part of a larger ministry that serves churches on several continents, we’d encourage you to click this link and see the Sovereign Grace Ministries Statement of Faith, which our church adheres to as well.
One of our great joys is to be closely connected to the church that sent us here, Covenant Life Church (CLC) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. We are also part of Sovereign Grace Ministries, a growing family of 70 churches in the United States and in six other countries, whose members are passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Although we are a local church with our own church government, we experience the tremendous benefit of ongoing training, accountability, support, and care from both Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries.
Sovereign Grace is devoted to planting and building local churches, with a strong doctrinal basis that is evangelical, Reformed, and charismatic. The ministry supports churches and provides training and resources for pastors.
We share common goals with other Sovereign Grace Ministries churches:
As part of its mission to equip and develop local churches, Sovereign Grace Ministries benefits us in the following ways:
Although we opened our doors in September 2006, our history is a lot older than that. Two thirds of our initial members were living in Frederick County when we started, but they had been making a long commute south as members of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, some of them for many years. For well over a decade, it had been their desire and the desire of the pastors at Covenant Life to begin a church in Frederick. Many of our members had invited friends and neighbors for years to CLC, but their invitations were not accepted because of the distance. In July 2006, it was the joy of Covenant Life to send 76 of its adult members to start what is now Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick.
Our mission is to build a community of gospel-centered people. We believe that the good news about Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection was given by God to do more than get people into heaven. The gospel is also God’s plan to change people over their lifetime to resemble Christ more and more. So our mission has an outward direction: to proclaim the gospel to those who don’t know Jesus Christ and are not currently following him. And our mission also has an inward direction: to help our members learn how the good news about Christ changes the way they view treat their spouse, lead their children, relate to money, handle their sexuality, and so much more.
Chris Silard
Email: csilard2@sovgracefrederick.org
Phone: 301-874-5963
Trav Neumann
Email: tneumann@sovgracefrederick.org
Phone: 301-824-9035
Albert Turner
Email: aturner@sovgracefrederick.org
Phone: 301-874-0580*
*Albert does not yet have a direct office line. This is the main office number.
Chris Silard first heard the gospel at age 17, when his cousin told him the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. “I responded to it that same day,” Chris recalls, 33 years later. He became a member of Covenant Life Church in 1982.
Chris joined the Covenant Life pastoral staff in 1996. He provided pastoral care and training for caregroup leaders and their families, oversaw the adoption and children’s ministries, helped to plan parent training, and served on the Covenant Life School board. A gifted speaker, Chris was ordained as a pastor in 2003 and remained on staff until being sent from CLC in 2006 to begin the new Frederick church.
Chris grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. He and Marie have been married since 1983 and have four daughters.
In 2006, Chris and Marie were sent from CLC to Frederick County to plant Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick.
Chris says, “I attribute the growth of our church in this first year to the wisdom of the leadership team that serves with me, the gospel-centered lives of our members, and the grace and favor of God. We’re trying to build a church of people faithful to the gospel in every part of their lives.
“Nobody’s more excited and more amazed at what God has built here in our first year as a church than I am. The abundant grace of God has brought us people who are characterized by their love for God’s Word, their love to serve, their hunger for Christian relationships, and evangelism. We know that anything we accomplish here will only be by God’s favor and mercy. It would not be an overstatement to say that the roots of a gospel-centered community are well underway.”
Trav Neumann has a successful business background and has been serving in our church since 2006. A graduate of the Sovereign Grace Pastors College, Trav serves as an associate pastor over church administration, helps to provide pastoral care to our members, and shares in the preaching responsibilities. Trav also oversees evangelism, outreach, and ministry development. Trav and his wife Cindy have been married for thirty years and have three children: Julie (29), Ben (26), and Emmie (14).
In August of 1992, during a talk with his father about eternal salvation, Albert’s eyes were opened by God to believe the Good News that Jesus Christ had paid for all of his sins, past present and future, on the cross. “It was the greatest, most joy-filled day of my life,” recalls Albert, “and it will remain so until I see Him face to face.”
“The second greatest day of my life,” was September 8, 2007, “when I married my very best friend, Jennifer.” They have one (so far!) beautiful daughter Marie, born in 2009.
Albert and Jen spent their first few years of marriage in Chesapeake VA, where Albert served at Sovereign Grace Chesapeake leading worship and overseeing singles. Prior to this Albert had been a pastor for worship and small groups at Grace Bible Church in Northern Virginia.
“I am so grateful and humbled that God has allowed me – a weak and sinful man - to be involved in shepherding his precious people. I can’t think of any privilege more amazing than the opportunity to be on a pastoral team serving and caring for the family that Jesus died for. I want to love His church and be used together with His church to see those who have no hope find the only true hope in this world. As a forgiven sinner I want to serve the Savior who came “not to call the righteous, but sinners” to Himself (Mark 2:17).
In June of 2010 Albert graduated from Sovereign Grace Ministries Pastors College. He also holds a masters degree in biblical exegesis from Capitol Bible Seminary and a bachelors degree in economics from the College of William and Mary.
These core values shape the way we do ministry and build relationships in our church. The values below help us put into practice what we believe the Bible:
It would be our privilege and joy to have you join us on a Sunday morning to find out more about who we are, what we believe, and how we live out the gospel.
We meet on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at Tuscarora High School.
Children’s Ministry is provided for infants and children through age ten. We also have middle school ministry for 6th-8th graders.
The school is located on Ballenger Creek Pike/MD-351 in Frederick, Maryland.
We are committed to building a community of gospel-centered people.
How does God want us to think about, serve, influence, and engage our culture?
This 7 week series beginning on March 4th will address these questions. Come join us!
We meet on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at Tuscarora High School.
Children’s Ministry is provided for infants and children through age ten. We also have middle school ministry for 6th-8th graders.
Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick
5257 Buckeystown Pike #510
Frederick, MD 21704 Get directions
Email: office@sovgracefrederick.org
Phone: (301) 874-0580
We meet at 10:00 Sunday mornings at the Tuscarora High School in Ballenger Creek, Frederick, Maryland.
When you arrive, please follow the sign to our visitors’ parking spaces.
Once inside the school, ushers will help assist you locating various ministries in the school.
Children’s Ministry staff will assist you in signing in your children for ages 0-10 year olds.
Middle School children (grade 6-8) are dismissed to their class after the main meeting worship service.
The Sunday morning meeting is approximately one and a half hours long (10 ~ 11:30). In the meeting, you will be given a visitor pack providing information about our care groups and an invitation to let us know how we may serve you.
You are invited to attend a guest reception in your honor immediately following the meeting where you can enjoy refreshments, learn more about our church, and talk with a pastor.
We are so glad you found us. We are here to build a community of gospel-centered people. We believe that the good news of the gospel was given by God to do more than get people into heaven. The gospel is also God’s plan to help people grow and change to resemble Christ more and more. So we are here to not only proclaim the gospel, but to also help our people learn how the good news about Christ changes the way they live their lives, treat their spouse, lead their children, relate to money, handle their sexuality, and so much more.
One way we do this is by helping those who have spiritual needs and questions. Call our church office or send us an email and someone from our staff will be in touch with you.
We also offer classes on various topics throughout the year that will help you better understand God and your relationship to Him through the gospel. Some of these include Christianity Explored, Starting Point, and other classes noted on our calendar.
The gospel is the good news of God’s saving actions on our behalf through the person and work of Jesus Christ. In the gospel we discover that each of us has been alienated from God through failures to do what he requires of us. Because God is holy and just, he must bring justice for the sins each person has committed. In God’s unexplainable love, he freely chose to send His Son, who is both fully God and also fully man, to take the place of sinners and receive the justice of God for their sins when he died on a Cross. Christ was then resurrected from the dead and now lives in heaven and is the Savior of all who will turn from their sins and place their trust in what Jesus did to reconcile them to God. Those who believe the gospel receive the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of eternal life.