At least twice during White Rock United Methodist Church's Nov. 9 celebration of its 140th anniversary, former and current church pastors invoked a passage of scripture that brought shouts and murmurs of approval from the congregation:

"Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Sidney Sheppard, 87, a lifelong church member and local historian is -- along with Eldridge Costley and church lay leader William Hudson -- one of a handful of elders who have become living symbols of White Rock's long, spiritually rich history.

On Sunday, it fell to Sheppard, a retired educator, to put that history in context for younger members of the congregation.

In a stern tone, but without apparent bitterness, Sheppard reminded the 40 or so worshippers that before the Civil War, Maryland was a slave state where those in bondage were forbidden to congregate or worship on the Sabbath ... at least not without their owners' permission.

"They held clandestine services in the woods," Sheppard said, "and (slave holders) had people whose job it was to ride around in the woods and break up those prayer meetings."

He added that the present-day White Rock Church building, located near the intersection of White Rock and Slacks roads in the Sykesville area, is built upon the foundation of the original house of worship.

According to Sheppard, the original church was built by newly-freed slaves who followed Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's army north from Georgia and settled in Maryland.

"The reason they got this site at the top of the hill is because it was full of white rocks, and couldn't be cultivated," Sheppard said.

"That's how the church got its name."

'Old Hen Coop'

Along with current pastor, the Rev. Douglas Sands, four former pastors -- Ernest Johnson Sr., LaRessa Smith-Horn, James Smith and Doris Ridgley -- took part in the special afternoon service. Together, the five clergy members represent nearly two and a half decades of service to the church.

But before the celebration got under way, church elder Eldridge Costley, 93, quietly recalled that his maternal grandfather, Henry Jackson, helped build the original church in 1868 and 1869.

It was a log cabin affectionately called the "Old Hen Coop."

Costley takes equal pride in the fact that more than a century later, his own adult children were instrumental in completing a recent round of renovations to the present-day church.

"This was my mother's church and my father's church," Costley, a retired farmer and heavy equipment operator added. "All my family belonged to this church."

Sidney Sheppard has often recalled how he grew up during the era of strict segregation, when blacks were barred from local restaurants and movie theaters.

Consequently, the church served as his community's social center as well as its spiritual center.

Sheppard says before his time, when black citizens' business was not welcomed by conventional lending institutions, the church probably served as the community's financial center as well.

"Back in 1868, White Rock Road was just a wagon trail and there weren't any $250,000 houses around here," Sheppard said in is comments to the congregation.

"The character of the community has changed over the years," he said, then added with quiet pride, "The character and integrity of our church has not changed.

"It's still the spiritual center of our community, and it's still a family church."

After the service, Rev. Sands, who became White Rock's pastor last year, said he feels a special mission to ensure that small, historic black churches like White Rock remain alive and vital.

"It's become part of my ministry to help keep the congregations encouraged and enthused," Sands explained.

"These churches are of tremendous importance to the development of the Christian faith in our nation and the cultural development that has taken place," he added. "If you go back and examine their histories, you realize how critically important they are."

White Rock United Methodist Church

1868: White Rock Methodist Episcopal Church is organized. The Rev. Stephen Tasco becomes the first of 38 pastors who have served the church over the years.

1868-1869: The first church, a log cabin, sometimes called the "Old Hen Coop," is built. People from nearby communities like Johnsville, Cooksville and Sykesville would walk four or five miles just to attend the new church. At the time the church was part of the "Reisterstown Circuit," which included churches in Piney Grove, Poolesville and Reisterstown that were all served by the same itinerant preacher.

1943: During the administration of the Rev. Roscoe Williams, the church undergoes the first of several major 20th-century refurbishments.

1983: The church appoints its first woman pastor, the Rev. Barbara Sands.

1985: The cornerstone is laid for a new church building. The new building is completed and consecrated on Nov. 17, 1985.

Information from a history of White Rock Church, compiled by Clayonia Colbert-Dorsey, whose family has been active in the church since the late-1800s.

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