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“HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF MT. ZION MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1955 on Oct. 30, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF MT. ZION MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
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HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in East St. Louis, Illinois.
From the beginnings of holding prayer meetings at the home of Mother Jennie Thomas, Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church began.
As the prayer meetings grew, a mission was begun and larger facilities became necessary. Mother Thomas, along with Charlie Green and Belle Aikens, obtained a building site at 10th and Cook Streets in East St. Louis. On April 4, 1901, Mt. Zion was organized with the Rev. Allen Aikens as its first pastor, Brothers Woodard, Sandy Sherrod and William Easterly as Deacons; Brothers W. Jones and Prince as Trustees and W. Belle as Secretary. The membership grew under Rev. Aikens' leadership.
As the congregation grew, a larger place of worship was required. Though their resources were limited, the congregation was able to purchase land at 13th and Tudor. Construction on the new church started soon thereafter. Mt. Zion met in the basement of the building until it was completely built.
In 1919, Rev. BJ Smith was the pastor and under his leadership, a sanctuary was added and overall construction became complete. Following Rev. Smith, Rev. Lemon Johnson and Rev. JJ Olive came to serve as church pastors from 1931 to 1935, Under Rev. Olive, a baptismal pool was added to the church.
Following this period in the church's early growth, the Rev. B Haney became pastor, soon followed in 1947 by the Revs. Ephraim Thomas and James Clayborne. In 1947, Rev. WB Rouse became pastor at Mt. Zion. During his pastoral duties, membership of the church greatly increased. The church building became enlarged in 1951 and again in 1955. The sanctuary was expanded, classrooms were added and an organ and church furnishings were acquired.
At this time a parsonage was also added to the Church holdings at 919 Bond Avenue. In 1964, the Illinois Department of Transportation needed easements to assist in the construction of the Poplar Street Bridge, the church then purchased additional property at 24th and Bond Avenues in East St. Louis which became the church's present location.
In 1966, the Rev. C Cedric Claiborne was received as the new pastor of Mt. Zion. Under his tenure, the new church was constructed at a cost of $450,000 and the first worship service was held there in 1968. In 1972, however an explosion damaged the eastern wall of the church. A makeshift cover was used to protect the building up until 1974 when the cornerstone was laid for the new wall.
Activities initiated by the Rev. Claiborne include city-wide graduate services of Metro-East graduates and a Sunday evening broadcast via WESL. The church then employed a full-time church cemetery and a church publicity Director. In 1975, Rev. Rouse took over pastorship of Mt. Zion under his leadership a mortgage burning ceremony was held in 1979.
Between the years 1977-2001, several pieces of property were acquired, including a parking lot directly located across from the church, the church office, ground adjacent to the office building, the Jewish temple, Sunday school complex and an area east of that facility. In addition to expanding their land holdings, vehicles were secured over the years to help transport parishioners to the church. In 1976, two 60 passenger buses were purchased, in 1986, a utility van and two trucks were bought; in 1981 three vans were purchased; 1989 two additional vans were bought and from 1989 to 1999, additional vans and bus were acquired, bringing the church's fleet of vehicles to five.
Pastor Rouse holds workshops and institutes for members of the community. In 1977, the Nursing Home Visitation Team was organized and continues to go into the various nursing homes in the region providing spiritual guidance to their patients. Mt. Zion continues to be active in the needs of senior citizens. The Voices of Zion held its first concert at Powell Symphony Hall in St. Louis, Missouri in July 1983.
Mt. Zion continues to serve the community by providing Thanksgiving meals. During the South End Flood, church facilities were used by the Red Cross to feed flood victims. Mt. Zion also operates a food pantry, which is open to the public twice weekly.
Mt. Zions membership continues to grow. Under Rev. Rouse, he has also ordained some 16 new ministers. In 1994, the New Day Jail ministry was started going into various correctional facilities. They are responsible for providing spiritual guidance to inmates as well as providing Christmas gifts to children of the incarcerated.
The church's bookstore opened in 1996 and the Inspirational Voices Youth Choir finished their first CD recording out of the church itself. During this year, a ground breaking was held in June in preparation for the construction of new Classroom and administrative buildings.
Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist continues to grow and prosper, providing the spiritual needs and guidance for many people in the region.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 100 years of service of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church and salute the members of the church's congregation both past and present.
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