About The Church
Sharp Street Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in 1822 in Sandy Spring, Maryland. Quaker settlers were instrumental in Sharp Street's beginning when they freed their slaves after the Revolutionary War. Sharp Street is the oldest black church in Montgomery County. The church was named for the Sharp Street Methodist Church in Baltimore that was established in 1802. It was in 1968 that United Methodism began and Sharp Street became Sharp Street United Methodist Church.
Sharp Street's first place of worship was a little cabin referred to as "An Independent Methodist Church for Colored People of Sandy Spring". During those times, Maryland laws prohibited assembly of blacks without white supervision. An acre of land was conveyed to blacks by Thomas L. Brooke and Sophia Brooke in 1854 for the purpose of erecting a place of worship. The land was deeded to William Stabler, Richard Bentley and Alpon Gilpins, all Quakers, to be held for the people of color in Sandy Spring. Any misuse of the land would revert the property to the Brooke family heirs.
It was in 1886 that the land was transferred from Richard Bentley, et. al., trustees of the first part, to Remus Q. Hill, S.E. Powell and Levi Hall, trustee of the church. The log cabin was replaced by a frame building that was remodeled in 1887.
The church burned down in 1920 and services continued to be held in the Odd Fellows Hall while funds were raised to rebuild the church. The present church was erected in 1923 and has had subsequent enlargements and renovations.
It was in 1888 that the church obtained a plot of land in Ashton, Maryland for $500 where a parsonage was built for pastors of the church. Other properties include tracts of land in Brighton and Sandy Spring, adjacent to the church, which was acquired in 1984, envisioning future expansion.
The record books indicate that the first trustees were land owners in Sandy Spring, (including, but not limited to) T. Mitchell, W. Bowen, J.E. Wetherald, H. Plummer, Sarah Owens, T. Marriott, N. Powell, A. Waters, S. Plumphery, Samuel Cole and E.E. Alcorn. Other leading citizens of the community were Caleb Dorsey, Caleb Pumphrey, Samuel Budd, Richard Hill, and J.T. Budd. Today, the ancestors of these and others, still live within the community supporting Sharp Street United Methodist Church.
Sharp Street United Methodist Church has been a vital presence in the community since its existence. In the early years, its purpose in the community was not simply to worship, but as a social, educational and cultural institution. Today, Sharp Street continues to build its spiritual foundation on Jesus Christ and the knowledge that we must be in fellowship with one another. Therefore, we adopt the following vision statement to be a "Beacon of Christian Faith for all Nations" supported in the scriptures by James 1:22, James 2:18 and Matthew 28:19 as we endeavor to do God's will.