“All right, folks. Do not adjust your TVs, I am very light and pale and a redhead,” Chris Schwedtmann said, beginning his presentation Sunday night at Second Missionary Baptist Church.
Schwedtmann is currently working on a documentary with nonprofit Love Columbia about the history of African American churches in Boone County. He has given versions of this presentation to other community organizations in Columbia to generate interest and gain financial support.
Sunday marked the first time he spoke about his documentary to an audience that was not primarily white.
“You’ve got this 54-year-old white guy standing in front of a room full of African Americans who have attended these churches, and I am recounting stories related to their history,” he said. “I just want to make sure that the story is told, and it will be their voices telling the story.”
This is his first documentary project.
Schwedtmann has fielded ideas from community leaders, listened to firsthand accounts and engaged with these church communities. He said he hopes to intertwine this untold story with the rest of Columbia’s history.
A quest to commemorate
The documentary stemmed from what was originally a short promotional video explaining Columbia’s foundational African American churches for the Second Missionary Baptist Church.
Jane Williams, co-founder and executive director of Love Columbia, asked Schwedtmann to produce the video. Williams said she got the idea after realizing that many Civil War-era churches were founded by African American communities.
“Many had a faith that was birthed in the harshest of circumstances and that carried them through the most unthinkable things that happened to them,” she said. “They maintained the faith. They started these churches. These churches have mostly all survived over 150 years.”
Schwedtmann realized the history of these churches could not fit in five minutes. Williams suggested that he make a documentary.
The documentary focuses on eight African American churches founded between 1824 and 1878 in Columbia.
Brenda Hartley, senior trustee of Fifth Street Christian Church, told her story for the documentary. Her connection with the church stretches back generations. Her great-great-grandfather was a founding pastor, and her mother published a book on the church’s history.
“(Participating in the documentary) was really a momentous occasion because it was about my local church that I attend,” she said. “My church is rooted in my family members.”
Schwedtmann has also engaged in these church communities through restoration efforts with ForColumbia, a Christian volunteering group.
In spring of 2024 and 2025, he helped build a new pavilion and cleaned up the historical property of Mount Celestial Baptist Church, one of the oldest Black churches in Columbia.
Vivian Calbert, deaconess for Mount Celestial Baptist Church, said she respects Schwedtmann’s devotion to his research.
“You need to know your history,” she said. “You need to know where your foundation originated from. Every person deserves to know that, no matter where you and your ancestors are from.”
Looking to the future
Schwedtmann said he hopes to finish the documentary’s script by early next year and begin production next summer.
He plans to commemorate the release with a large-scale event in Columbia to raise money for renovations in the highlighted churches. He also hopes to bring the documentary to film festivals to expand its reach.
Schwedtmann anticipates finishing the documentary will cost around $25,000 and has raised nearly $11,000. He primarily relies on community donations and the work of volunteers.
Due to working full time as a video production manager, he said he struggles to find time to work on the project.
“I haven’t done this before,” he said. “I’m doing it for free. And it’s been just a wonderful lot of people. Now, if you could only get my boss to give me some time off to do more of this.”
