Our Mission

We're Taking Jesus to the World

Who We Are

Abbott Church is a worshiping community centered on the Good News of Jesus Christ. We gather to worship, grow in faith, and serve others. Our desire is to share the love of Christ in both word and action while helping people grow as followers of Jesus in Highlandtown, East Baltimore, and beyond

Our Vision

Our vision is to share the hope of Jesus Christ with our neighbors regardless of their ethnicity, race, class, beliefs & backgrounds. Abbott and its members serve as disciples and missionaries of God. They reach out to our families, our church, Highlandtown, our country and the world. By recognizing our shared brokenness and living out the Gospel, we desire to see all people come to know Jesus Christ and experience his welcome into the family of God, and grow as disciple-makers in His Kingdom

We Value

The Gospel is the Good News that God saves and restores us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By grace through faith our sins are forgiven and we are welcomed into God’s family. This Good News not only gives us new life but continues to transform us as we grow in Christ each day

The Bible is God’s inspired and trustworthy Word. Through Scripture we come to know the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and His plan to redeem the world through Jesus Christ. God’s Word shapes our beliefs, guides our lives, and teaches us how to live for His glory

We believe the Christian life is meant to be lived together. We build meaningful relationships through fellowship. We encourage each other in faith and grow as a Christ-centered community. The Gospel brings people from different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences together as one family in God

We center our worship services on Scripture, heartfelt prayer, and Christ-centered music, blending contemporary worship songs from today’s Christian radio with meaningful traditional hymns to create a space where people can encounter God, grow spiritually, and worship together as a church family

Discipleship is the lifelong journey of following Jesus and growing in His grace. We encourage spiritual growth through Scripture, mentorship, and community as we deepen our relationship with Christ. As we learn and grow together, we seek to live out our faith in everyday life

God’s mercy toward us moves us to show mercy to others. We seek to care for those in need through compassion, service, and generosity. In both word and action we desire to reflect the love and heart of Christ in our community and beyond

Prayer is at the heart of our relationship with God. It reminds us that we depend on Him for guidance, strength, and wisdom. As a church we pray for God’s kingdom to grow in our lives, in our city, and throughout the world

Leadership

Meet our staff and elders

Chris Garriott

Chris Garriott

Pastor

A Baltimore County native, Chris grew up in Granite and graduated from Randallstown High, where Young Life and his church youth ministry profoundly influenced him. He went to college, received a civil engineering degree, and went to work in transportation engineering with MDOT

During this time, he began to sense God’s call to go to seminary. He went to Covenant Theological Seminary, got involved with New City Fellowship Church, and learned about God’s love for the city and Gospel reconciliation. After seminary Chris taught Bible and coached Baseball at Westminster Christian Academy and then went to work with his brother Chuck in Oklahoma at Heritage Presbyterian church as youth pastor for eight years. In 2006 Chris came back to Maryland to lead the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at the University of Maryland in College Park

Chris loves music, playing the guitar and his beloved Orioles and Ravens

Julius Fischer

Julius Fischer

Worship Director/Elder

Julius Fischer, Jr. is a Baltimore native. He was born in Highlandtown, and grew up in nearby Dundalk. As a young teenager, his music interests set him on a divergent path as he both studied bassoon at the Peabody Conservatory Prep and played keyboard in a pop variety band that performed a KISS tribute show

He earned his B.S. degree in Music Education with a piano major from Towson University. For many years, Julius taught piano at the local community college and worked as a freelance musician in the Baltimore/Washington area where he did everything from musical theatre to Klezmer

Julius delights in inspiring children in their musical endeavors through lessons offered through the Abbott Center for the Arts. Julius and his wife, Angela—who teaches Latin and Logic at a Classical Christian School—have two adult daughters: Hannah, who teaches fourth grade in the Baltimore County Public School system, and Isabelle, a tattoo artist

A woman smiling at the camera, Highlandtown Church Abbott Memorial Presbyterian

Debbie Halterman

Church Administrator

Debbie was born in Baltimore and has attended Abbott Church for as far back as she can remember. She recalls sitting in the fourth pew from the front with her grandfather, parents, and twin sister

Debbie and her husband have three children, six grandchildren, and four cats. Retired from her full-time job, she now works in the church office two days a week. Debbie also enjoys doing various types of art in her spare time

A man smiles at the camera at Abbott Memorial Presbyterian, Highlandtown Church

Jim Hicks

Elder

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Jim and his wife Rachel relocated to Baltimore with their two (now young adult) children in late 2013 after stints in Phoenix, Arizona and Chengdu, China. Jim has always been drawn to people who are different than him—who come from different places, speak different languages, and have different cultures. In response to this God-given interest, Jim learned Spanish and enjoys speaking in español with folks whenever he has the opportunity

He and Rachel live in Highlandtown and love the multicultural diversity of the 
neighborhood, as well as its interesting urban character, walkability, and, of course, Patterson Park! A big proponent of local community, Jim values being able to bike downtown to work in fifteen minutes, walk to church in ten minutes, and pop into Ricardo’s to buy bags of plantain chips (the sweet ones) in one minute. Jim is a history buff, sports fan, and outdoor enthusiast

A man wearing a cap smiliing at the camera at Canton church Abbott Memorial Presbyterian

Thomas Hoffman

Elder


A historic photo of Abbott Church, Highlandtown, Baltimore

History of Abbott

Abbott Church has been a community of worship for over 140 years. It is located at the corner of Bank Street and Highland Avenue

Welsh immigrants living in Canton founded the church, and services were conducted in both Welsh and English to extend the reach of the gospel throughout the neighborhood

Our Connection

Abbott Memorial Presbyterian Church is part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). We are connected locally through the Chesapeake Presbytery of Central Maryland, a network of more than 30 churches that work together in ministry and mission