Our church graciously granted my wife a six-week sabbatical this summer. This means we had a chance to do something unusual on a Sunday morning: We could worship where we chose or even [gasp!] choose not to worship at all. On one of the Sunday's during her leave, we went to Ward's Memorial United Methodist Church located in Owings, MD in Calvert County – very close to the farm where I grew up. If the name sounds familiar, it's because the church is named after my great-great grandfather Joseph, who sold the land so that a church could be built. It sounds like a noble gesture, but as my wife did some ancestry work, we discovered there might have been a "shadow side" to the decision.
In 2021 my dad passed away, and my brother and I became co-owners of the Ward family farm. In 2025, I sold my portion of the farm to my brother and he became sole owner. From the start, Laurie and I felt that we should offer some form of "tithe" from the farm sale proceeds. As we prayed about where to give, Ward's Memorial came to mind. While our contribution doesn't make up for any past injustice that may have transpired, it does acknowledge it – and our desire to forge a “new day" together in Christ.
What follows is an extended version of the remarks I gave on Sunday August 30, 2026, at Ward’s Memorial. i also included some photos from the day with descriptive captions.
As you read my story, I encourage you to think about your own, What “shadows” might be hiding in plain sight in your family’s history? Perhaps you can probe a bit deeper as I did and learn more about your own story.
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| The property on which Ward's Memorial sits dataes back to 1907; it was given by my great-great grandfather Joseph Ward Fire destroyed the original building and a new building was built in 1963. Remodeling of the second building took place from 1985–1994. Rev. Bruce Chambers (second name in first row) was in his 26th year of ministry at Wards when the historical summary included below was written. Since Chambers served from 1932–1960 (~28 years) I deduce that the summary shown below must date to ~1958. |
So, Ananias went and entered the house. He said: “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your wayhere [on the Road to Damascus] has sent me so you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and his sight was restored. Then he got up, and was baptized, andafter taking some food, he regained his strength—Acts 9:17–19.
Greetings, my name is Alan Ward. My wife is Rev. Laurie Gates–Ward, pastor at Good Shepherd UMC in Waldorf, MD. My wife is currently enjoying a six-week sabbatical leave, which his what allows us to be with you on a Sunday morning. We have two young adult children, Brady and Rebecca. I work for NASA as a science writer and am a Certified Lay Servant in the UMC and an Global Ministries Earthkeeper. I could tell you a lot-more of my story (ask me at the potluck!) but today I’d like to focus my remarks on a specific place where my family’s story intersects with the tale of this church.
I grew up on a farm called Locust Hill, located about a mile from this church, on the other side of Rte. 260, off of Horace Ward Rd. The road is named after my great-grandfather Horace. After my dad passed away in 2021, I became co-owner of that farm with my brother. Last year, I sold my portion to him, so now he Is the sole owner of the Ward family property.
Where my family story intersects with the story begins several generations ago when the Ward farm was much larger than it is today, extending across what is now Rte. 260 to encompass the property on which this church is built. I had always been told that my great-great grandfather, Joseph Ward, sold this property in the early 1900s to allow a church to be built here. When doing some ancestry research, my wife, with the aid of conference Historian Bonnie McCubbin, tracked down some of the documentation that confirms this.
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Summary of Ward's UMC's early history (c. 1958). In the early 1900s Jamison Holland and his wife Louise moved to Paris, MD (now considered part of Owings). When they arrived, they found there was no church or school (that they could attend) within walking distance. So, they did something that in that day required courage. They crossed racial barriers, approaching a while family they knew – my paternal great-great grandparents, Joseph and Ellen Ward – about the possibility of purchasing a plot of land from them on which they could build a church. (Would it also be used as a school?) While Joseph would not give them a deed to the property – because he didn't want the Conference involved – he did allow Jamison, Louise and their associates to cut down timber on a portion of his property, so long as they used it to build a church (and named it after him). According to this record, it was not until a little later, in 1906, when Horace Ward (Joesph's son – and my great-grandfather) gave the Trustees of Ward's Church the offical deed to the property (see copy below). Note the history summary shows a picture of William Smith, the oldest living Trustee at the time the article was written. |
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Copy of the Deed of Sale with my great-great grandparents signatures. While the script text is harder to read on this document it gives the details of the sale and spells out the portion of the farm that was sold so that Ward's Memorial UMC could be built. The signatures of my great-great grandparents (Joseph and Ellen) are clearly visible. Closer inspection reveals that the original of this document went to Frank Giles, who is listed on the deed, along with Jamison Holland, and the other founding Trustees of Ward's Church. Also, it appears I may have had another relative present for this transaction. The Justice of the Peace, in front of whom they completed the sale of the property, is someone named Ben H. Ward(?). So, maybe my ancestors got a family discount for their legal fees? |
Now on the surface a white man giving some land so some African Americans can build a church seems like a noble gesture by my dear great-great grandad. Now y’all can have a church “all to yourselves.” However, the documentation my wife found also revealed that there were stipulations on the sale. It seems Joseph required that the church to be built be named in honor of him – hence the name – Ward’s Memorial – that persists to the present day. Also, based on the segregated history of the time. I doubt Joseph’s motivation for making the land donation were altruistic. Quite frankly, he probably did it so he and his white friends could worship more comfortably. And let’s be clear, when he said comfort, he didn’t mean that there were too many worshippers. No, he meant that he and his friends would prefer to worship separate from blacks. In keeping with the wording of the Jim Crow laws of the day, perhaps Joseph could feel good thinking he gave them a “separate but equal” place to worship God. Although, my guess is my ancestor didn’t give up any high-value property; he kept the fertile land for himself. Maybe he even got a tax write off for his “benevolence.”
I suspect this audience knows this script far better than I do, because you and/or your ancestors have lived some variation on this theme. For years, I have to admit I only heard the bright side of this family story. An African American man named Ralph Holland (a relative of Jamison Holland, the "founder" of Ward's), or. “Mr. Ralph” as we called him, owned a small house and piece of property almost directly across Horace Ward Rd from our farm. He helped us out on the farm on many occasions, working in the tobacco field, stripping room, bucking hay, and such. Over time he became friends with my family. I remember that, particularly after his wife, “Miss Ida” passed away, he would come and visit and talk with my dad – and especially my mom. He said many memorable – and I must admit, humorous – words of wisdom at our kitchen table over the years, often having to do with the subject of money. But I do recall he also seemed to know something about the history of Ward’s Memorial He more than once said something to the effect of, Yeah, Joe Ward ‘bought and paid’ for that church. Honestly it seemed to frame my ancestor in a positive light, and I was hearing it as a younger child, so I never thought to question it.
In retrospect, however, I realize I hadn’t allowed myself to know the full story. If you drive down Horace Ward Rd, the home where “Mr. Ralph” once lived is just one of several owned by African American families. None are particularly fancy homes, but most have persisted for many years, being added onto or remodeled as families grew and changed. Growing up, my brother would play basketball with some of the kids from across the road. So, we interacted with each other, riding the school bus, at times playing together. We always waved when we saw one another; we plowed snow for them – but I cannot say that I formed deep friendships with any of the kids my age from across the road. I knew who they were, but it ended there. And in all those years, it never occurred to me to inquire why all those families live around the periphery of current or former Ward propriety.
My white privileged bubble of naïveté persisted until I got married, at which point my wife promptly popped it I think at one point I made this observation to her, and she hardly missed a beat, pointing out that the origin probably dates back to the years after slavery, when people who worked on the Ward farm may have been given some property to live on; they may have even been sharecroppers who got land in exchange for working on the farm. Lightbulb! Once I heard it, I felt a bit like the Apostle Paul, in the scripture at the beginning of this article; it was a bit like scales falling form my eyes to realize what had been there, right in front of me, all along. Why had I never made the connection? Because now, I couldn’t not see it….
I remember when Laurie later broached this same topic with my dad, he too seemed to be blissfully unaware of this history, still questioning my wife if that was the reason those homes were there. It illustrates how we can choose to overlook the shadow side of our family history for a long time.
I don’t want to simplify things too much, these issues have to do with race are thorny and complex, I’m not here to cast judgment on my ancestors. I can't say for sure what Joseph's motives were in selling this property. A common response from people like me waking up the realities of injustices done by previous generations of their family is to say: “Well, It wasn’t ME that did it, so I can’t be responsible.” It’s an understandable position. While technically the statement is true , I think it the knee-jerk reaction to say it reveals a defensive posture that we as white people take in discussions of race and reconciliation. In general, we don’t have a great deal of tolerance for discussing these kinds of topics at all.
While sometimes it might be true there’s really nothing we can do about a past injustice, often, if we’re willing to keep the conversation going and get creative, we discover that there are things that can be done. We just have to choose to do them.
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My wife, Rev,. Laurie Gates–Ward, [Good Shepherd UMC, Waldorf, MD] and I with Pastor Eloise Newman [Ward's Mermorial UMC, Owings, MD] on August 24, 2026, on the altar at Ward's Memorial. |
Which brings me to why my wife and I are here standing before this congregation today, I mentioned that last year, we sold our portion of the family farm to my brother. Co-ownership may have seemed like a good idea when my dad set it up via a Trust but trust me when I tell you that it was not a good situation for all parties involved. While it was hard to let go of the land, I think it was the right thing for me, and it allowed the farm to stay in our family, which I really did want to see happen.
Not long after the sale was final, Laurie and I sensed that we should “tithe” on a portion of the income received. And as we thought and prayed about it, one of the ideas that kept coming back to us was to offer a financial gift to the church that bares my family’s name. No, this small gift doesn’t “make up” for injustices committed by past generations of my family – as if that were possible. The point is to acknowledge whatever happened in the past that may have been unjust and to offer a financial gift as a token of that recognition and a commitment to work together toward the “hopeful future” we believe God envisions for all people.
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We came on a day where Ward's Memorial UMC jointed with St. Matthews UMC for a day of spirit-filled worship that included uplifting music. There was a choir that led the music for the morning [top]. Two of the choir members performed a duet for one song [bottom]. There was also plenty of congregational singing, prayer, and praising God our Savior during the service.
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It’s clear that however the property came into your hands, you and the saints that came before you in this place have made good use of this property. I can sense that God is present here. Despite the questionable motives of the original land deal, you all have made this place a spiritual home for many years. As with Joseph (both the one in Genesis and my ancestor), what someone may have intended for evil, you all have turned into good. I pray this gift can be put to work to keep building the Kin-dom of God here at Ward’s Memorial.
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