Staff
Rev. Elizabeth Baird
Rev. Baird has been in Ministry at RCC for the past six years. Before leading this congregation, she held positions as Assistant Minister at Aspen Hill Christian Church and as the minister of Young Adults and Youth at First Christian, Falls Church. Rev. Baird has also served as a Chaplain at George Mason University. She is currently the President of the Christian Church Capital Area Minister's Association. She enjoys providing opportunities for Clergy to gather for education and Self Care. She has also served the region as a camp counselor for the past 25 years and as a camp director for the past 6. Before receiving her Master's of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary and embarking on a vocation in Ministry, Rev. Baird received her Bachelor's in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has served as a social worker in dementia and Alzheimer's units, worked for the Fairfax County government office for Children for 7 years, and provided instructional assistance in Fairfax County public schools for over 10 years. Rev. Baird is the proud wife of Gary and proud mother of Rachel. In her spare time she volunteers as a Girl Scout Leader.
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Sarah Osborne, Office Manager
Sarah and her family have been members of Rockville Christian Church for ten years. Her three kids have grown up in the church and have brought a renewed sense of youth and understanding to the congregation. As a special needs family, the Osbornes have opened the way to a more understanding and inclusive congregation. You may witness this during Sunday service. With Sarah’s help, we are able to include some of our special needs congregants in our service. As our Pastor always says, “All are Welcome.” In addition to her administrative duties, Sarah helps the Pastor and congregants plan and execute any church functions and gets the most enjoyment out of working with the youth. In her role as Sunday school teacher and youth leader, Sarah has been able to start many great programs--including a youth lead Mother’s Day service and many great youth lead community outreach projects. Sarah has always encouraged the youth to be as involved as possible in their church saying, “It’s your Church home too.”
Story of our Church and Denomination
Rockville Christian is a church on a mission to Know, Grow, and Go. Every ministry or fellowship idea we implement is a small church with a big heart for service. Every fifth Sunday, we meet and serve in the community rather than worship in the pews. This has included painting and other small repairs for community members, cleaning hiking paths, writing Mother's Day cards to women in shelters, and delivering meals to the homeless. Regretfully, we haven't been able to gather or get out as we would like to during the past year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we have continued to meet the needs of the community by fulfilling emergency needs at a local shelter and setting up a small library along with supporting larger community and general church initiatives.
In 1822, the McClenahan family immigrated from Ireland to Rockville to teach English. Soon after, the family met for worship, and the group began expanding. They eventually began meeting at Rockville Academy and various homes. The original McClenahan home was sold in 1841, and the McClenahan’s returned to Baltimore where they helped organize a church in Washington, DC – the future location of National City Christian Church. McClenahan passed away in 1856 at the age of 66.
On July 23, 1866, the Articles of Incorporation were accepted by the congregation. The first Article stated the church should be called “The Disciples Church of Rockville. The church had been called the “Disciples Church”, the “Christian Church of Rockville” and the “Church of Christ of Rockville” as reflected by a record book kept from 1878 to 1912. However, beginning in 1892, our church has been officially known as “Rockville Christian Church”.
Rockville Christian Church is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination. It is affiliated regionally with the Christian Church Capital Area. You can access their website by clicking here.
You can also learn more about our denomination by going to www.disciples.org