The Greater Mt. Nebo AME church in Bowie now has more than 1,000 members and plenty of land off Old Mitchellville Road with plans to add a large sanctuary to its existing building.
But even with an eye toward the future, the congregation has never lost sight of its past, which began in 1877 when three men started the original Mt. Nebo AME church on an acre of ground atop a hill overlooking nearby Queen Anne Road.
On Saturday afternoon, Greater Mt. Nebo on Old Mitchellville Road will host a gospel concert to help pay for the ongoing restoration of the congregation’s historic one-story wooden building that was built in 1925, about six years after the original log church burned down.
The historic church site on Queen Anne Road south of Central Avenue in Upper Marlboro is about 2.5 miles from the current church site on Old Mitchellville Road north of Central Avenue.
The congregation is trying to restore the Queen Anne Road building, on the county’s list of historic churches, to the way it looked when it was first built, a process expected to cost about $100,000, based on an estimate in 2003.
Members have been slowly raising money since then, and currently have about $20,000, said Glenda West, president of the nonprofit Friends of Historic Mt. Nebo Preservation Committee, which is raising money for the restoration.
“We’re trying to get some guidance about what types of grants we can apply for, but they require matching grants ... and there’s a lot of paperwork,” she said.
Members recently were able to give the historic church a new coat of paint and repair a corner of the foundation, but the building still needs a new roof and new flooring, which would enable it to reopen for wedding and baptisms, West said.
Members also want to restore the original pews that are still in the church, which was in used for 60 years before the building closed in 1985 when Mt. Nebo AME expanded to a new church on Queen Anne Road and ultimately to Old Mitchellville Road in 2004.
Last year, thanks to an idea from Patrick Lynch of Upper Marlboro, also a member of the preservation committee, the church held its first fundraising gospel concert, which proved to be successful, West said..
“We raised a few thousand dollars,” she said. “This is the second time we’ve done something of this magnitude.”
The preservation committee also has an ongoing “Pennies A Day, Lighting the Way” campaign with a large water jug in the lobby of the church on Old Mitchellville Road, which accepts loose change for anyone who wants to contribute.
“It’s little bit that keeps adding up,” West said.
Also on display in the current church’s lobby is the bell that once rang at the church, some of the ledgers that kept track of donations in the historic building and a Bible dating to 1899.
Lynch was also able to get a copy of the original deed for the property, which the founders bought for $134.55, which hangs on the wall next to a drawing of the old church.
The gospel concert will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Greater Mt. Nebo AME church at 1001 Old Mitchellville Road in Bowie, where the Rev. Jonathan Weaver is the current pastor.
He did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday.
The donation is $15 per adult.
Singing will be the Mt. Nebo Gospel Singers, the Vintage Gospel Singers and the Gospel Persuasions.
For a detailed history of the church with photos, visit www.gmnebo.org.
vterhune@gazette.net
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