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On a quiet Sunday morning, the homes on a Mount Airy cul-de-sac lay silent except for one house, where a small, but steady stream of cars pull into a sprawling ranch.

Greetings ring out through a screen door as people walk into a room with furniture pushed to the side, a fireplace silent on the side and a moveable altar at the front.

It's the meeting of The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, a new division of the Anglican Church that meets in the home of a member.

Neat rows of metal folding chairs fill the center of the room, topped by hymnals and bulletins. Songs of praise float up through an attic — not lofty cathedral ceilings — and people don't kneel on special pews, but instead a wooden floor covered in rugs.

Evy Tomlin of Mount Airy has attended the church since it formed in January. She said it's a first for her to meet in a home church. "I love it," she said.

Tomlin said although the space is multi-purpose, the meeting place doesn't matter much.

"The symbols of our faith still are here as well as the spirit and the truth," she said in the meeting room as voices murmured in the adjoining kitchen and dining room during a fellowship time after the service. "I don't think it's the building, but it's the spirit of God, the worship, the people."

And members — who vary in age from 7 to 80 — are content with their humble surroundings.

"There's a greater intimacy at this point," said member Bob Craney. "As we grow, we want to maintain that."

Joe Maley, the owner of the home, agreed, sayin the balance between encouraging growth, while also maintaining closeness has always been a struggle for the church. The church is still at a size that when a member is gone, the missing member usually notifies leaders so the service is not held for them in case they're running late.

"People have been very good about calling in for vacation," the Rev. Dennis Hewitt said.

The "mission church," a new congregation with the Anglican Church in America, is recognized by the Rev. Louis Campese of the Eastern United States

Many members know each other from a different church. Maley said after hearing Hewitt's vision for a new church called The Sacred Heart of Jesus, he thought and prayed about how to be a part of it.

Two weeks later, the church met in his house on Jan. 25.

"The very first time we came together, there was such a sweet spirit here," said Frederick resident and member Paula Niederberger. The first meeting was filled to capacity for the church that averages 15 to 20 people a Sunday.

Church members plan to move out of the house, though they haven't found a place suitable and affordable yet. They would be more visible and able to grow in a different location said Hewitt, saying the church is looking primarily in Mount Airy, but not ruling out surrounding areas.

He envisions a place people can stop by. Other parishioners look forward to a designated area for other activities.

"I would like for us to have sacred space, have it set apart for worship," Tomlin said.

If you go

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, a new mission being established by the Anglican Church in America, gathers at 9:30 a.m. Sundays for Holy Eucharist at the home of Joe Maley, 5704 Catoctin View Court, Mount Airy.

For information, call Dennis Hewitt, 410-804-2332 or Lawrence Weinholt, 301-620-7208.

E-mail Angie Cochrun at acochrun@gazette.net.