The true value of education for some was learning to read the Bible. For these persons, education allowed them participation in shaping what perhaps was the most significant African American institutions in Georgetown or elsewhere -- The Church. Conceivably the most integrated institution in Georgetown's early days was the church. African Americans often attended the same services of the same ministers as their white masters. However, internally, African Americans faced discrimination in the "house of God," that tested both their faith and patience. Some ministers even refused to baptize black infants. Black Georgetowners would respond by conducting their own mass baptisms in Rock Creek. Eventually, they would seek autonomy in churches of their own, where they would not be subjected to the humiliations that white churches afforded them.

In 1816, blacks would organize Mount Zion United Methodist Church, the oldest black church in Washington, D.C. Others like First Baptist and Jerusalem would follow. Soon, these black congregations began to provide education for black children, spiritual support for the enslaved and free, and it is believed a hiding place for those who were following the "drinking gourd" (also referred to as the North Star). Yes, the Church provided Black Georgetowners with an opportunity to truly exercise freedom from white supervision and to help them to improve their own conditions.

Unfortunately, the Church is one of the last surviving reminders of Black Georgetown, even though most of its members have moved away from the historic neighborhood. The evidence of change is all around. Tourists flock to the shops, mall, restaurants and bars. No more is seen of the African American owned businesses that dotted M Street a half-century ago. Yet, the spirit of Black Georgetown still lives on. It lives on in the buildings where the people once worked. It lives on in the Churches where African American congregations still worship. It lives on in Rock Creek. Many who lived in Black Georgetown return, every now and then, just for a visit. Just to reconnect with their former home.

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