About Us

Discovering Christ, Belonging to Christ, Serving with Christ

Catoctin Church has a long history of serving Christ's mission in Waterford. Yes, we have lots of strong traditions, but the we're still trying to follow the One who who makes all things new. It doesn't really matter how long you've been around or how old the building is. Church is about relationships - with God in Christ, with one another, with yourself. We don't always get it right, but we strive to show the love and compassion of Jesus every day.



Our Services

Service Times

Sunday
11:00am
"Traditional" - a liturgical service in the sanctuary. It's not really stuffy or formal, but we save the snacks and drinks until after the service.

What to Expect

What are services like?
Short answer: we pray, we sing, we read, we listen, and we respond. Longer answer: Our worship service is “liturgical” in style. That means that we participate in the service by using printed prayers and responses for a number of parts. Everyone gets to take part that way. The service is led by a “liturgist” (that’s a member who leads the liturgy) and the pastor. The liturgy is projected at the front of the sanctuary. You can experience previous services at www.catoctin.org/sermons. We extend a hand of blessing at the end of the service, either taking someone’s hand or putting a hand on someone’s shoulder, when we receive the benediction. It helps bind us together. We like to eat with each other after the service, so we have a fellowship time. Sometimes it’s light snacks, sometimes you can make a meal out of it. The point is to share hospitality and enjoy each other’s company for a while.

What is the community like?
We are a mix of farm families that have been here for generations, exurbanites who moved into the area as it has experienced massive growth in the last 30 years, and folks who have just moved in this year. We have folks regularly attending who are in their 90s, 80s, 70s, 60, 50s, 40s, and 30s, and it thins out a good bit after that. So there's lots of wisdom in our crowd, hopefully. On the whole, we are a pretty healthy and well-behaved system. Our folks care for each other, enjoy each other's company, and work together pretty well. We are striving to be ever more engaged in the community and to become more inclusive of all God's children.

What if I'm not a Christian?
Doesn't matter if you're not a Christian. We hope you will come anyway! You’re not the first one in that category to pass through our doors. Pretty sure the roof won’t cave in. You are welcome here.


Leadership

David Douthett

David Douthett
Pastor

Pastor David was born and raised a Presbyterian in western Pennsylvania. He studied aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech, because he's sort of a geek. While he was doing that, God called him into the ministry (and to be honest, the world is a safer place for his not being an engineer). David received his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he met and fell in love with Molly, his wife and colleague. He served as pastor in three churches in Ohio before starting at Catoctin in 2004. Teaching and leading worship are among his favorite parts of ministry. David is also an amateur astronomer, which renews his sense of awe and wonder.

Location & Directions

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