Asbury United Methodist Church Records, 1836-1986

Links

• View catalog record
• View finding aid

Creator

Asbury United Methodist Church (Washington, D.C.)

Location

Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division

Extent

• 5 microfilm reels.

Scope/Contents Notes

The records of Asbury United Methodist Church (Washington,D.C.) are divided into four series: Vital, Administrative,Miscellaneous and ChurchPublications Records.

The Vital Records series is comprised of ledgers and bound books containing listings of baptisms, preparatory and full membership, marriagesand deaths, 1929-1986. The Administrative Records series includes board of trustees minutes, Charge Conference reports and minutes of the administrative (official) board, 1941-1986. The Miscellaneous Records series groups together legal and historical documents, proclamations and minutes of variouschurch committees, 1836-1986. The Church Publications series, 1915-1993, includes anniversary journals, newsletters, and a recent comprehensive history, "Asbury Our Legacy, Our Faith, 1836-1993."

Biographical/Historical Notes

The Asbury United Methodist Church was established by non-white members of Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church in 1836. The latter was organized in 1834 in Washington and had black worshippers as members of its congregation from its inception. Discriminatory conditions and paternalisticcontrol by their white brethren became intolerable to blacks, leading to the separation of these two congregations and the eventual formal establishment of individual churches.

In 1864 the church joined the Washington Annual Conference that incorporated black Methodist churches in central, southern and western Maryland, the District of Columbia and northern Virginia. Well over twenty pastors have led this church since its founding, with its present building opening in 1916. The longest pastorate was that of Reverend Robert Moten Williams, who served from 1931 to1955. Membership increased during his leadership from 1800to 4700, with the initation of many programs directed toward involvement and self improvement, church expansion and renovation, and community and national concerns. In 1968 the Asbury United Methodist Church was formed by the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church.

Controlled Access Terms

• Asbury United Methodist Church (Washington, D.C.)
• Asbury United Methodist Church (Washington, D.C.) -- History.
• Evangelical United Brethren Church.
• African American Methodists.
• African Americans -- Religion.
• African American churches -- Washington (D.C.)
• Methodists -- Washington (D.C.)
• African Americans -- Washington (D.C.)

Additional Creator Name

• Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Project funded by the Lilly Endowment.