From Humble Beginnings To A Profound Impact: A Brief History Of Lovely Lane United Methodist Church And Its Effect On The African American Community Of Baltimore, Maryland

Abstract

The first Methodist Episcopal Church (ME Church) of Baltimore, Maryland was founded in 1772 by Reverend Joseph Pilmoor, an English missionary and disciple of the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. Pilmoor was sent to America from England by Wesley in 1769, to teach the Methodist faith. He landed in Philadelphia and made his way to Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, preaching the Methodist religion. While preaching in Baltimore, he was granted use of Otterbein Chapel also known as the Old Dutch Church. The people of Baltimore responded favorably to Methodism, so that in 1774 the Lovely Lane Meeting House was constructed at Redwood and South streets. In 1784, this became the site of the Christmas Conference which organized the American ME Church. The church moved several times from the Redwood and South Streets location to Light Street (two locations), Charles and Fayette Streets and was known as First Methodist Episcopal Church. Outpost churches known as The Baltimore City Station were established divided by race. The "Colored Methodist Society" was initiated in 1785. "The Colored Methodist Society" produced two of the oldest African American Methodist Churches in the country, Sharp Street Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church (1797) and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (1815). The present location of Lovely Lane United Methodist Church is at 2200 North Calvert Street. It was erected as a centennial memorial of the 1784 Christmas Conference. In 1954, it assumed the name of Lovely Lane United Methodist Church after being named First Methodist Church for a number of years. It is known as the "Mother Church" of American Methodism. The Church currently serves as a place of worship for approximately two hundred members. It is also the home of the Methodist Historical Society and houses an active museum and archive. Additionally, it has initiated several institutions of higher education which include the Centenary Biblical Institute, now known as Morgan State University (MSU), which was established in 1867. MSU was the first institution of higher education for African Americans in Baltimore, Maryland and for the first seventy-two years it was partially funded and fully managed by Lovely Lane Methodist Church. Morgan State University is still in existence today and has conferred thousand of degrees since its inception in 1867. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the role that Lovely Lane United Methodist Church had in "birthing" the African American Methodist Community of Baltimore, Maryland, and its surrounding environs. The time period examined in this thesis includes the founding of Methodism in America in 1772, the establishment of First Methodist Church (Lovely Lane) from its beginning in 1774, founding of the "Colored Methodist Society" in 1784, Sharp Street Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church in 1797, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816, and the Centenary Bible Institute (Morgan College)1867.