ILR Program: The Story of Two Churches

"The Story of Two Churches: Moving from the Past, Building a Better Future,” is a 2022 AARCH Society documentary. It explores the shared history of two of Frederick’s oldest churches, an African American church, Asbury United Methodist, and a white church, All Saints’ Episcopal. After looking at the period of enslavement and emancipation, the film looks at more recent history and how the two congregations have worked together in the last decade. The documentary ends with interviews of people who have taken part in community conversations, conveying a message of hope for race relations today. Instructors Joan D. Thomas and Sarah H. Heald will give a brief introduction, show the 30-minute documentary, and then facilitate discussion and answer questions.

Instructors: 

· Joan D. Thomas is currently employed with USAMMDA at Ft. Detrick. Joan joined AARCH in 2015 to deepen her knowledge of Frederick County’s African American history and to support her mother who was a Living Treasure. She and her family are 5th generation Fredericktonians and have spent many years researching their family history. Joan is a member of Asbury United Methodist Church and was interviewed for this documentary. Joan is a member of the AARCH Research Committee.

· Sarah H. Heald is a retired National Park Service historian, curator, and exhibits planner. She has a MA in American History and has been a member of AARCH Society since 2013. She has worked on a variety of AARCH Society projects and has been a member of the Education Committee since 2018. She is also a member of All Saints’ Episcopal Church and was on the team that made this documentary in 2021-22.

 This program was previously part of the African American History lecture series, which was organized for FCC and presented by instructors from the African American Resources-Cultural and Heritage (AARCH) Society, to offer opportunities to expand the knowledge and understanding about present-day Frederick by learning about the history of African Americans in Frederick County. AARCH identifies, collects, preserves, and makes publicly accessible, through its programs and services, the objects, artifacts, and stories about the history, rich heritage and culture and the contributions of African Americans in Frederick County past and present and in doing so educates, enriches, and enlightens this and future generations. Through its programs, services, research, and activities, the Society also recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary resiliency of African Americans in the County.