Roberts Memorial is the oldest Black Methodist Church in Virginia, founded in 1832. Prior to 1830, the Black Methodists in Alexandria and the surrounding areas were members of the white Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. By 1830, the Black Methodists of Trinity had swelled in numbers and wanted to establish their own congregation. The cornerstone of Davis Chapel (named after the white minister of Trinity) was laid in 1832. When a group of white Methodist from Trinity church cemented their loyalty to the south (slavery) and named as their pastor the Rev. Davis, Davis Chapel was renamed Roberts Chapel. The members of Roberts Chapel included free and enslaved people determined to serve God and their Community. Roberts Memorial became a beacon of light to the Black community of Alexandria and beyond. Roberts received renowned speakers such as Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington and many other influential leaders of the Black Community. Roberts and the contribution of their membership have been felt in the cultural, political, and intellectual landscape of the greater Washington, DC area for almost two centuries. In 1968, Roberts was included in the merger of Methodism (which brought an end to legal segregation in the Methodist Episcopal Church) and became known as Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church. Today, 187 years later, Roberts Memorial is still a vital body within the Virginia Annual Conference and is active in ‘making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world’.