Black Church History

Virginia Church Black History

Black history is American History and today I’ve chosen to share Virginia Black Church History since some of the first organized churches were here in Viriginia.

The First Baptist Church, founded in 1774 in Lunenburg County relocated to Petersburg after a fire in 1820, is the first African-American Baptist congregations in the United States, and one of the oldest black churches in the nation. It established one of the first local schools for black children in the nation.

First African Baptist Church of Richmond was founded in 1841. The original congregation included both slaves and free Blacks. The church was located on the site of the First Baptist Church of 1802.

First Baptist Church of Williamsburg  was founded in 1776 by free and enslaved Black people.  The first building was a brush arbor at Green Spring Plantation. The second building was a brick church built in 1856. The current church is located at 727 Scotland Street. 

Virginia law required the Black church to retain white leadership which ended post-civil war. Black churches  often accepted financial help from northern white organizations and became dominant forces for civil rights activism, literacy education, and job training because these were the paths to true freedom for meaningful change and reform.

The historical church my family (many still do) and I attended in Alexandria, Virginia is Woodlawn Methodist Episcopal Church founded in 1866.  The Woodlawn area, formerly part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, was home to African Americans who had been free landowners before the Civil War, people recently emancipated from slavery, and northern Quakers who had arrived in the 1840s.  Woodlawn Methodist church was built on land purchased from Quakers, housed a Freedmen’s Bureau school that became a public school by 1871. The congregation established a cemetery and in 1888 built a new sanctuary. When Fort Belvoir expanded during World War II, the church moved to the historically black community of Gum Springs. The  cemetery remains at Fort Belvoir with many of my family members buried there including my grandparents and great-grandparents.

DEI Design Essentials Inspiration

Design Essentials and Inspiration-Pillows

Refreshing a room can be easy. While some pillows have a greater purpose than others, they are very useful to add color decoration and comfort.  They are one of the most inexpensive ways to refresh a room and provide a good night sleep. 

Beds are adorned with multiple pillows to give a rich feel.  Pillows may have to be  removed each night and returned in the morning, but studies show a well made bed promotes a good night sleep.

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Snow Days

If your home doesn't get much snow in an area, you understand how below freezing tempaerature will allow it to linger. Our January snowfall has last for more than 20 days. That may not seem long for some geographical areas, but it's long for Northern Virginia. Watch to see what else it made me awareness of; fading from the sun.

Fading of wood can be corrected without complete sanding with a water-based wood rejuvenator unless it's very excessive. 

 

Store It

Christmas decorations can be very expensive. Taking proper care of them since they are reused each year, is important.  The secret to my abundance of ornament and decorations is after the holiday liquidation sales. 

Purchase clear containers for ease of identifying my ornaments and decorations.  If your containers are not see through or you keep them in boxes for storage, label them.  Store them well and they can last a long time.

 

Three Kings Day

Three Kings Day, also known as the Epiphany, celebrated January 6.  It’s  a Christian celebration that commemorates the Biblical story of the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem and first saw baby Jesus and brought him gifts.  They traveled a far distance to pay homage to Christ with fine gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Three Kings Day marks the official 12th day of Christmas and concludes the Christmas season.  It is celebrated in most Latin American and Caribbean countries. It is celebrated for days or weeks depending on the culture.

Christmas Shop Tours

Watch my favorite Christmas tree shops that I have visited all over the country. 

 

Fall Leaves Summer Breeze

A Fall day with Summer Vibes.

Al Fresco dining is great when possible. The fresh air and cool breezes with good food make for perfect dining. A beautiful tablescape is like the icing on the cake and set the stage. 

The pasta salad I enjoyed with my garlic mushroom pizza is easy to make with just a few ingredients. 

 

I box of Pasta (your choice of kind)

I bottle of Italian dressing 

1/2 Cup of scliced green onion

1 Cup of Diced of tomato (or sliced cherry tomato)

I package of imitation crab (or shrimp) 

Boil pasta, drain and chill. Add in all other ingredients once pasta is cool. Pour only 3/4 of the bottle of Italian dressing over pasta and chill salad for about 1 hour. Pour remaining Italian dressing before serving. 

I used multi-colored cork screw pasta for a more appealing look, but when using other kinds of pasta, it's been enjoyed just as much.  

Enjoy!