Scotland AME Zion Church in Potomac, Maryland, Marks Centennial as Rebuilding Advances

The Scotland AME Zion Church on Seven Locks Road in the Scotland community of Potomac, Maryland, was built largely by hand by church members from 1915 to 1924 and opened in 1924 as the spiritual home of the local Black community, according to one report. The church is a Maryland State Historic Site, and a 2024 report on the church’s centennial described it as a landmark of that community.

In 2019, a flood collapsed a basement wall and severely damaged the church. The congregation was left without its own place of worship for five years, according to reports.

Reports differ on the causes of the water damage. County Executive Marc Elrich and Councilmember Andrew Friedson said that a community that did not value the church partially caused the damage. Friedson also said the church was the victim of floods of rain and floods of institutional racism, and he noted that nearby construction forced water runoff onto the church, which sits on lower ground.

Fundraising has been ongoing. One report said an interfaith and business community had raised $9 million in the past few years, with another $2.4 million still needed to rebuild, stabilize, and expand the church. A separate report described a $10 million fundraising campaign, while another put the 2nd Century Project’s goal at $11 million. That report said the gift discussed below brought the current total of cash and pledges to $8.2 million.

The J. Willard and Alice Marriott Foundation gave $1 million toward the restoration of the historic church, and the donation was announced during a visit to the construction site on Seven Locks Road. David Marriott, a trustee of the foundation, expressed enthusiasm for supporting the rebuilding effort. The Rev. Dr. Evalina Huggins, the church’s pastor, said the investment benefits Montgomery County and the nation. According to the report, the funds will rebuild the church and establish a community center offering education, counseling, and health care services, a plan that reflects the church’s care for its neighbors (Hebrews 13:16).

Another report said Jimmy Kemp, son of the late NFL quarterback and Member of Congress Jack Kemp, is among those raising funds for the church, working with Churchill High. Church members plan to hold their first service inside the new building in March 2025, according to the 2024 report.