Online Archives

By Irvin Lockman
Special to the UMConnection

On Oct. 27, 1864, at Sharp Street Church, presiding Bishop Levi Scott formed the Washington Conference. An air of jubilation and pride invaded the proceedings when the bishop announced this victory, along with the soulful news of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the nation?s slaves.

'God?s hour has come,' the bishop said. 'Many will go to sleep in the chains of slavery, and at the midnight hour the yoke will break and the shackles will fall away. The day of freedom has been won.'

What a glorious moment these pioneers carried as they went forth to bring good tidings.

Nathaniel Carroll was the only surviving member of that class of 16 preachers when he joined the Washington Conference. Carroll was born near Smithville in Calvert County in 1838.

He moved to Baltimore in 1857 and joined John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church. He was ordained an elder in the old Mount Zion ME Church in Washington on March 1, 1868. He was one of the founders of the Aged Men and Women?s Home in 1869 (which is now know as the N.M. Carroll Home); and was president of the Home for 32 years. He organized the Preacher?s Aid Society of the Washington Conference in 1870 and the Ladies? Union Aid Society in 1903.

He was also an avid collector of books. He had a great interest in reading newspaper and journals. He was known for his expertise in helping people who were in need of medicine and medical care. In fact, one of his nine children became a doctor.

Carroll died at the age of 93 in 1931.

When the Washington Conference was formed, Benjamin Brown took to the floor and charged the bishop to address the needs of moral and educational elevation by providing a school of learning. This was the beginning of Centenary Biblical Institute, which today is Morgan University in Baltimore.

In 1890, the Centenary Biblical Institute was renamed Morgan State College, after one of its great benefactors, the Rev. Lyttleton F. Morgan, an outstanding preacher in the Baltimore ME Conference.

Morgan College became one of the most prestigious degree-granting institutions in the state. However, in 1939, the ruinous effects of the Great Depression made it necessary for the Methodist Church to sell the school to the state of Maryland.

When the church relinquished the college, it invested the proceeds of the sale in the building of Morgan Christian Center, situated in the southeast corner of the campus on land adjacent to the school. This land was provided by Rev. Henry Naylor, an African-American Methodist clergyman.

The chapel was named after Susie Carr Love, the first female to graduate from Morgan in 1878. It was dedicated Dec. 16, 1941. The cost of the center was $150,000; the remainder of the funds from the sale of the school was placed in an endowment fund.

Another great leader in the Washington Conference was Henry Addison Carroll, Nathaniel?s brother, who was a member of Metropolitan Church, which was renamed Orchard Church. This building was believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, which carried slaves to freedom.

Henry later became pastor of Ames Church, which led the city in new evangelism efforts. His son, Julian, followed him in ministry in the Washington Conference, as did Julian?s son, Edward Carroll.

After serving St. Mark?s Church in Harlem, N.Y., and as a chaplain in the military, Edward returned to Baltimore. He joined his father at Sharp Street Church and then became a district superintendent, integrated churches, and then became bishop of the Boston Area.

When writing in the book 'Those Incredible Methodists,' Bishop Carroll noted the difficulties and joys the Washington Conference faced as it grew in size and power. Three years after its start, with 7,877 members, it grew to 14,261 members and 3,053 probationers, with church property valued at more than half a million dollars. It went from only two districts with 17 circuits to six districts and 103 circuits or stations.

The story of the Washington Conference will not fully be told until people know of the experiences of lay people going back to Frederick Douglas and Mary McCloud Bethune. The Washington Conference created a long line of splendor from every church, in every city and town in this region. What a story. The dedicated leaders who gave time and talent to the work of the church should always be remembered.

Strong men and women keep coming. They keep coming on!

The Rev. Irvin Lockman, who was ordained in 1950 as a member of the Washington Conference, is a retired pastor, now living in Glen Burnie.

SIDEBAR:
The former Washington Conference reunion will begin on Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. with a communion and memorial service at historic Sharp Street UMC in Baltimore.

On Sept. 23, events will be held at the Marriott Hunt Valley Inn, 245 Shawan Road in Hunt Valley.

At 8:30 a.m., the history of the Washington Conference will be explored with opening devotions by Bishop Forrest C. Stith.

From 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. a worship, performance and discussion time will be led by the Rev. Marilyn Thorton, director of curriculum resources for African Americans at the United Methodist Publishing House.

At 7 p.m. a banquet, honoring former members and friends of the Washington Conference will be held. It will cost $65.

On Sunday morning, churches throughout the BWC are encouraged to use a special liturgy in their worship services.

This resource is available on the conference Web site at www.bwcumc.org.