Final Expense Whole Life Insurance

A New Church on Columbia Street By the early twentieth century, St. Luke’s needed a larger and more modern building. The congregation purchased property for a new church in 1914, but construction was delayed, in part because of the First World War. A large Gothic-style stone church was finally constructed during the 1920s at 11 Columbia Street, at the intersection of Columbia and Polk streets. Designed to serve as both a sanctuary and an education building, it provided St. Luke’s with considerably more room for worship, Sunday school classes and other congregational activities. St. Luke’s officially moved from the Town Clock Church into its new Columbia Street home on June 5, 1927. The Columbia Street building therefore became the second home of the congregation that had built the Town Clock Church. ​​​​St. Luke’s Moves Again St. Luke’s remained in the Columbia Street church for approximately 33 years. As its congregation and programs continued to develop, the property did not provide sufficient room for further expansion. In 1957, the congregation voted to relocate. A new St. Luke’s Lutheran Church was constructed at 1601 Frederick Street and dedicated on May 1, 1960. That remains the congregation’s home today. The three locations represent successive chapters in the history of the same congregation: Town Clock Church on Bedford Street → St. Luke’s Church at 11 Columbia Street → present St. Luke’s Lutheran Church on Frederick Street After St. Luke’s departed, the Town Clock Church remained standing and became the home of First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. ​ From Lutheran Church to Jewish Synagogue The Columbia Street building began another important chapter in 1960 when it was purchased by Beth Jacob Anseh Hebrew Congregation. Beth Jacob had been organized in Cumberland in 1913 as an Orthodox Jewish congregation. Its members initially worshipped in private homes and rented halls before establishing a synagogue on North Centre Street. The congregation became Conservative in 1949.      During the 1950s, Beth Jacob outgrew its Centre Street building. When St. Luke’s moved to Frederick Street, Beth Jacob purchased the former Lutheran church at 11 Columbia Street and converted it into a synagogue. ​      Relatively few structural alterations were required. Jewish symbols were incorporated into some of the stained-glass windows, and a Torah ark was installed in the sanctuary. The spacious interior included a balcony surrounding the upper sanctuary, religious-school rooms, a small chapel, a large kitchen and a vestry with a stage. Another lower level reportedly contained a small basketball court.      For more than two decades, the building served as a center of Jewish worship, education and community life. Newspaper notices from the period record religious services, meetings, social events and rummage sales held at Beth Jacob Synagogue. ​ The Columbia Building As Cumberland’s Jewish population declined, the large building became increasingly difficult for the smaller Beth Jacob congregation to maintain. During the late 1980s, it was sold and renovated for new purposes.      In November 1987, the Cumberland Area Health Education Center—later known as AHEC West—moved its offices and student residences into the renovated building. Over the following years, the property accommodated offices, educational programs, residences, a preschool and other community uses.      Beth Jacob retained the small chapel for regular services for a period after the larger building was converted. Some ceremonial objects and historical materials were transferred to the Jewish Historical Society of Maryland, while the congregation’s Torah ark was donated to Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia, Maryland.      Two stained-glass panels from the Columbia Street building were later donated to Cumberland’s B’er Chayim Temple. Beth Jacob and B’er Chayim completed their merger in 1998, and the combined congregation emerged at B’er Chayim in January 1999. ​ ​ ​