Documentary Chronicles History Of Asbury Town Neck United Methodist Church

Asbury Town Neck United Methodist Church has been profiled in the documentary “The History of Asbury Town Neck United Methodist Church and Community,” directed by Charles Germain and sponsored by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County. This documentary is part of the Magothy River Association (MRA)’s Magothy Living History Project, which is preserving the history of Severna Park by creating films based around collected oral histories.

Asbury Town Neck was founded in 1888 when Thomas Sye purchased Old Stone House plantation land from the Tydings family to serve as the church’s homestead. Since then, Asbury Town Neck has grown into its current footprint, which includes a food pantry, an expanded parsonage and a worship hall, which opened in 1990. Currently, the church has multiple worship choirs, maintains the Asbury Church Assistance Network (ACAN) that feeds about 1,800 families a week, and continues its growth under the direction of the Rev. Tori Butler.

Filmmaker Charles Germain graduated 10 years ago with his filmmaking degree from Boston University before moving to the Washington, D.C., area. Previously, he directed other documentaries for the Magothy River Association’s Living History Project, including ones about the Beechwood community and Old Stone House plantation. For him, the beginning stage of crafting the Asbury documentary involved getting church members to sit down with him.

“First, we interviewed old-timers from the church … so they could bring back to us stories from the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s,” Germain said.

Obtaining these interviews was not a one-man effort, and Germain credited Asbury member Jolynn Winn for encouraging and organizing them. “She is really cohesive for the church and the film as she gathered together all 10 people we interviewed and found the original church documents,” Germain said of Winn, who was also interviewed in the film.

As the film traces history, especially from the 1940s through 1960s, it documents topics with historical implications today, ranging from environmental issues and impacts to integration. For example, during those decades, Cattail Creek was a staple for the community with its easily accessible drinking water and supply of seafood. One congregant, Theodore Pack, recalled how, as a boy, he drank from Cattail Creek’s fresh water. However, he said, “When they sold Packtown, they took all the trees and foliage and just let it wash down in there,” which ruined the potable water of the creek.

During integration, Anne Arundel County Black students could decide to attend either Bates High School, which served all Black students throughout the county, or the newly integrated Severna Park High School (SPHS). The parishioners made different choices based on their personal needs.

Congregant Raymond Smith chose Bates for two reasons. First, he noted, “The main thing for Bates was that it was a vocational school. So, I chose Bates because of the bricklaying.”

With that skill, he even laid the foundation for his own house. Second, Smith avoided SPHS because some of the white students would start fights. Louis Pack concurred. He was one of the first students to integrate SPHS.

“We had to fight … we had to fight every day,” he said.

The documentary also provides examples of the Black and white communities coming together. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel devastated the mid-Atlantic, killing hundreds and knocking out power for days in Severna Park. Germain mentioned how local businesses, like Dawson’s General Store, offered free refrigeration to the Town Neck families.

“They were able to bring their food to a white-owned business to make sure they were not losing out. I found this quite remarkable,” Germain said.

One constant is that Asbury Town Neck remains a family and a source of support for its members. When Linwood Jackson’s mother died, he was not officially part of the community but, instead, had been frequenting Baltimore-based gambling halls. However, his mother’s Asbury community embraced him. It was this kindness that stuck with Jackson.

“These Christians accepted me,” he said. “Not only did they give my mother a good farewell; they fed my whole family.”

Asbury Town Neck has served its congregants with that spirit of family and service since 1888 and will continue to do so. Additionally, Germain wants to make more Asbury-based documentaries and hopes that more people will tell their stories.