22. Faith Community United Methodist Church

Faith United Methodist Church and Rev. Sam Green

Sarah Young, a free black woman, deeded land to establish the Colored People’s Methodist Episcopal Church in 1844. Now known as Faith Community United Methodist Church, this church is the second structure to house this still-active congregation.

Reverend Samuel Green, a free black preacher, was one of the church’s first trustees. A highly respected preacher, he offered hope and resistance to slavery. His preaching did not escape the close scrutiny by white overseers, however. African-Americans regarded southern white ministers as part of the system of slavery. These ministers stressed obedience and patience.

Born in slavery, Green purchased his freedom in 1834. Within 10 years, he purchased the freedom of his wife, “Kitty.” His children, however, remained enslaved and out of his reach. In 1854, his son, Sam, Jr., fled to Canada, but Green’s daughter, Sarah, was sold away from her two little children and never seen again.

Green turned anger into action. As an Underground Railroad agent, Reverend Green helped Harriet Tubman and many others to freedom, including a group of freedom seekers called the “Dover Eight” in March 1857. He was caught and brought to trial. Unable to convict Green, the white jury acquitted him. He was soon charged with possession of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a violation of Maryland’s law governing possession of abolitionist literature by people of color. He was sentenced to ten years in prison.