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Eugene Matthews interview, part 1, 2022-06-02

 Item
Identifier: dcpl_dcohc041_01_01.wav

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

D.C. Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) is a citywide initiative to train community members in oral history skills, fund new and ongoing oral history projects, connect volunteers with oral history projects, and publicize existing oral history collections. DCOHC is a project of DC Public Library, HumanitiesDC, and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. This collection contains oral history interviews, transcripts, and indexes produced by DCOHC grantees.

Dates

  • Creation: 2022-06-02

Creator

Biographical / Historical

Rev. Dr. Eugene W. Matthews has been a United Methodist minister since 1965. Adopted by his aunt and uncle, he attended schools in Anne Arundel County before joining the Air Force after high school. He was an analyst for the National Security Agency from 1962 to 1975, and simultaneously served much of that time as a part-time local pastor. He went on to full-time pastorates in Buffalo and Baltimore and then became a district superintendent before serving his longest pastorate at Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. from 1992 to 2004. He later served as a district superintendent again and at the time of his interview was serving a third church after his 2008 retirement. Beyond local congregational leadership, he served as a member of the United Methodist Church’s General Council on Finance and Administration and as the first African American chair of the Baltimore-Washington Conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry.

Extent

From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Rev. Dr. Eugene W. Matthews describes his childhood in Hanover, Maryland, where he was adopted by his aunt and uncle and baptized by his great-grandfather. He recalls attending the one high school for African Americans in Anne Arundel County before joining the Air Force and spending most of his military service in Germany. He describes meeting his wife while working at Crownsville State Hospital in Maryland before becoming an analyst for the National Security Agency. He describes the difficult decision to pursue seminary and full-time ministry, followed by his leadership of churches in Buffalo and Baltimore, and serving as a district superintendent before and after his longest pastorate at Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. He recalls overseeing the start of new traditions at Asbury, including the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Breakfast and singles and couples ministries. He describes attending the Million Man March with other United Methodist men and how, though officially retired in 2008, he has gone on to serve at three more churches.

Repository Details

Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository

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