Patuxent Presbyterian Church
23421 Kingston Creek Road
California, Maryland 20619
Phone: (301) 863-2033
FAX: (301) 863-8004

Location

* Directions to PPC
* The Building in Which We Gather
* About the Neighborhood

Directions to PPC

Patuxent Presbyterian Church is located in St. Mary's County in Southern Maryland at the junction of KingstonCreek Road & Route 4, on the north side of the road.

  • From Leonardtown, Maryland, we're 7 miles east from thejunction of Route 4 and Route 5.
  • From California, Maryland, we're 1 mile eastfrom the junction of Route 4 and Route 235.
  • From Solomon's Island, Maryland, we're one mile west of the Thomas Johnson Bridge on Route 4.

If you'd like further directions, please call our church office at (301) 863-2033.

The two maps below are modifications of images from the MapQuest atlas service.

The Close-Up Map


The Longer View


The Building In Which We Gather

The Patuxent Presbyterian Church building, designed by a well-known architect and completed in 1995, sits on a prominent knoll overlooking the busy traffic of Route 4 in St. Mary's County. Anyone driving past will see a bright white building with steeply-pitched roofs, topped with a six foot high cross.

Inside, the open and airy spaces invite you to feel welcome. The sanctuary, with its 45-foot-high peaked cathedral ceiling, seats 280 people. While the sanctuary uses stained-glass windows from our previous building, many clear-glass windows let the sunlight shine through. Our building also includes a large central narthex area for fellowship and after-worship conversation, and classroom areas for Christian education for all ages.

By building a church with dramatic qualities on high ground by a busy highway, Patuxent Presbyterian Church makes a statement to all who pass by: This is an important building!

About the Neighborhood

Nestled in a rural residential neighborhood, Patuxent Presbyterian Church serves St. Mary's County and Calvert County. Today, St. Mary's County lives harmoniously with its past. The horse and buggy of the Amish still trot on the asphalt roads made for automobiles. Oystermen still hand-tong for oysters while jets roar overhead. Calvert County offers the fun and excitement of the resort village of Solomons Island, two miles from the church door. Solomons offers restaurants, sailing, waterskiing, fishing and more.

Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis are our urban neighbors. All three are within a ninety-minute drive -- and with them, all the shopping, culture, and opportunities that metropolitan areas have to offer.

The major employer of this area is the Naval Air Warfare Center/Naval Air Station (NAWC/NAS) Patuxent River, known simply as "Pax River" to the locals, and its supporting defense contracting community. During 1997, the Naval Base will complete the transfer of 5,000 jobs from Crystal City, VA. and Warminster, PA -- the equivalent of moving a Fortune 500 company virtually next door to PPC. The area expects a population growth of 10,000 within the next four years!

There are 146 churches in Southern Maryland. The Roman Catholic, deeply rooted in this area, is the largest followed by United Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Pentecostal and Lutheran. The Catholic, Episcopal and Methodist churches were prominent in early Calvert County history and remain a strong element in the community. The closest Presbyterian Church in Calvert County is 35 miles to the north.

In addition to the public school system, Southern Maryland is home to several institutions of higher education:

Southern Maryland also has an active Internet community. Here are some links containing information local to Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's Counties: