About Us

Our Story

Silas First [Missionary] Baptist Church (Silas) has been serving the community within Severna Park, Maryland since 1904. Under the current leadership of Pastor Jesse E. Young, Silas is still a strong pillar of worship within the Severna Park area. The church’s vision of “Cultivating Discipleship” is designed to align with the mission and vision of the church to meet the needs of its member. The overall mission of Silas is to win souls for the glory of God by the teaching and preaching of God’s Word through worship services, bible study, evangelism, mission work and Christian education. This is accomplished by using the resources of various ministries, auxiliaries and organizations of the church coupled with reaching beyond the walls of the church into the community to benefit mankind with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Young has been working hard from the day he stepped in the door to spiritually develop the members of Silas through praying, discipleship and evangelism. At Silas, Pastor Young, with the help of the Lord, has created much enthusiasm among the members of the Silas congregation and the Anne Arundel County church community.

To better equip himself for greater ministry at Silas, Pastor Young earned his Bachelor of Science in Religion from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and a Masters in Pastoral Counseling, magna cum laude, from the Andersonville Theological Seminary in Camilla, GA. He is presently working on his doctorate at Andersonville.

Pastor Young also teaches three Bible studies each week, in addition to producing eight one-hour television broadcasts of the church at worship. These broadcasts are aired each Tuesday through Sunday in the Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County cable television viewing areas.

Along with his ministry work and other accomplishments, Pastor Young was blessed with the help of the Lord and the Silas congregation to erect a new sanctuary, fellowship hall with classrooms, and they were able to pay off the thirty-year mortgage in just six years. Under his pastoral leadership the church purchased the land that the original founder of Silas’s house was situated on and was paid for after eight years. These three quarters of an acre parcel of land will be used for the purpose of erecting the church’s future Outreach and Community Center…Outside of Silas, He has served as the founder and the leader of the Cluster Churches United for Christ in Anne Arundel County which consist of 14 churches of various denominations and presently serves as the music coordinator for the UBMC of Maryland and the Minister’s Conference of Baltimore and Vicinity Inc.

Pastor Young is married to Gwendolyn O. Young and they parent two children, Dr. Robert Eugene Young and Jessica Shari McLeod and are blessed with two granddaughters, Noelle and Robyn and two grandsons, Antonio Jesse and Preston. His continuous theme for his walk in Christ is, “If Jesus Goes With Me, I’ll Go Anywhere.”

The Silas First Baptist Church of Severna Park had a most humble beginning at a prayer meeting in a boarding house called The Sandbank. The Rev. Louis Jeffries had come to Severna Park, Maryland, from North Carolina. A God-fearing man, Rev. Jeffries needed a house of worship. It was not enough that he would go back to his room and pray because there was no Baptist church in the area.

Rev. Jeffries and his friends were inspired to pray in The Sandbank boarding house on Sunday mornings. During the prayer meetings and testifying services, Rev. Louis Jeffries was led by the Lord to start the Silas First Baptist Church in May 1904, along with Daniel Thompson, Scott Noland, Thomas Syc and Reuben Clarkston. These men became the first trustees of the Silas First Baptist Church. The church was incorporated under the State of Maryland on July 27, 1904.

Rev. Jeffries and many friends of the community constructed the first Silas First Baptist Church building for a house of worship unto the Lord. Rev. Jeffries served Silas for many years as the founding pastor before he was called from labor to reward in 1944.

The Rev. Norris Morgan was called to serve as the second pastor of Silas and under his pastorate, many great works were carried out to increase the membership. In January of 1972, Rev. Morgan was called to his heavenly home. But God always has a ram in the bush.

The Rev. Emory James Rich, who was called to be the assistant pastor in 1957, was elected the third pastor of Silas in 1972. Rev. Rich served Silas as pastor for seventeen years. He too made great strides in moving the church forward. Rev. Rich’s health began to fail him. In October of 1988, he resigned from the pastorate of the Silas First Baptist Church, leaving the Silas family without a pastor.

In June of 1989, Silas was instructed by the Lord to call as the fourth pastor of Silas First (Missionary) Baptist Church of Severna Park, Maryland, the Rev. Jesse E. Young. He assumed his office as pastor-elect on Sunday July 2, 1989. Under the leadership of Pastor Young and the Silas family, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, in 1995, Silas broke ground for the new sanctuary and fellowship hall that the church now occupies. The Silas membership marched into its new edifice in July of 1998 and dedicated it on the fourth Sunday in September 1998.