Church History

Countryside Fellowship Church was first known as Laurel Chapel and began on Easter Sunday in 1987. Not having a home of its own, it held services in public school buildings. In 1989, the church began meeting at Bollman Bridge Elementary School and Patuxent Valley Middle School in Savage and changed its name, since it was no longer located in Laurel.

In the summer of 1994, discussions with local churches about sharing space began. When Countryside's founding pastor, Dan Schmidt, approached Grace Christian Church, its pastor and congregation gave the buildings to Countryside debt free.

According to Grace's former pastor, Rev. Melvin Larson, who was interviewed at the time, "We had come to the end of our road as a congregation. The congregation continued to grow older. As it grew older, some of them died, and we weren't renewing our members. We had less than 30 members." One member in particular, Doris White, said, "I just couldn't let it close. We just felt like we had to keep it going." Mrs. White joined the congregation of Countryside and is still an active member.

The sanctuary building and annex had been neglected for a number of years, with termite damage and water leaks, but members of both congregations worked to repair and restore both buildings. Countryside held its first service in the sanctuary October 30, 1994.