Download This Version in Microsoft Word format
TO RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATE MT. ZION UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ON THE OCCASION OF ITS HISTORIC ONE HUNDRED FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY AND TO COMMEND THE CHURCH FOR A CENTURY AND A HALF OF SERVICE TO GOD AND THE COMMUNITY.
Whereas, having been officially inducted into Annual Conference in 1868 as Mt. Zion Methodist Episcopal Church of the Marsbluff Charge, now Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, will celebrate its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary in 2018; and
Whereas, the church can trace its origins back to the mid-1800s and was established when many African Americans freed by the Emancipation Proclamation sought their own place of worship. The first meetings took place in a bush shelter made of boards and covered with bushes near the present location of the church; and
Whereas, the first minister appointed to Mt. Zion United Methodist Church was Rev. J. W. Johnson. Ministers at this time served dual roles, serving as a minister educating the congregation in the Word of the Lord and educating the local community as a teacher; and
Whereas, the trustees of the church purchased one and three-fourths acres of land for $35 to establish a school house to educate freedmen and children irrespective of race or color. The church built the first school for African Americans in the Marsbluff community in a lodge near the canal of the current church; and
Whereas, the property for the current church was purchased in 1875 for $17.50. As time passed, the church has continuously been upgraded by modernizing technology, replacing the wood burning stove with a modern heating and cooling system, and expanding the church to fit more parishioners. The church was remodeled in 1972 and the name was officially changed to Mt. Zion United Methodist Church when the 1866 Black Conference and 1785 White Conference merged to form the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church; and
Whereas, although the church has gone through many physical changes, the congregation continues to respect and cherish its heritage while standing strong for the purpose of winning souls for Christ; and
Whereas, Mt. Zion United Methodist Church has been a beacon of light and a community worship center for one hundred fifty years and, God willing, will continue its godly heritage for many more years of worship and service. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and congratulate Mt. Zion United Methodist Church on the occasion of its historic one hundred and fiftieth anniversary and commend the church for a century and a half of service to God and the community.
This web page was last updated on October 3, 2018 at 5:59 PM