ITEM PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
The committee for the 115th anniversary of Zion Baptist Church, from left: Brenda Womack, David Murray, Thelma Riley, the Rev. Dr. Kirk B. Jones, Starry Poe, Rochelle Bluefort, Brenda Newell, and Deacon Jerry Alleyne.
By GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNN — Zion Baptist Church will celebrate its 115th anniversary in June, marking the occasion with a banquet fundraiser and a service.
Zion Baptist Church is the oldest continuous black church on the North Shore in the same location, according to Deacon Gerald Alleyne.
The anniversary is on June 22, 115 years after Zion Baptist Church opened its doors in 1902. A two-day celebration will mark the anniversary, with a jazz banquet on Saturday, June 24 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Wakefield, from 5 p.m. to midnight. The next day there will be a service at Zion at 10:30 a.m.
The church has survived two fires, one in 1949, that required the church to be rebuilt, according to a history of the church provided by Alleyne.
Rev. Dr. Kirk B. Jones, the senior pastor, said to come back from the fires demonstrates their commitment to God, to their faith and to the community. He said the church is a resource of inspiration for its members, but it’s also a source of social strength to the community.
“So, as pastor, I see us embracing our past so that we can draw strength to do those things that they did and even more in today’s world,” Jones said.
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Jones said money raised from the banquet will in turn help the church support its continued general programs, other ministries in the greater Lynn community, and a program it has to support those recovering from addiction. He said the banquet is a sign of the church’s commitment through linking spirituality and jazz, something it wants to expand on.
Thelma Riley, anniversary chair, said the goal is to raise $115,000, and the church has asked the congregation and the community for a dollar for every year the church has been in service.
The roots of Zion Baptist Church started with the Loyalist movement during the end of the American Revolution, and the freed slaves who came to Nova Scotia with the promise of land, freedom and work. Around 1880, a considerable number of Negroes who had settled around Annapolis Royal, Digby and Weymouth, Nova Scotia, then settled in Lynn. This group became so large that they wanted their own church to worship, according to a history of the church provided by Alleyne.
“I think it says a lot in the form of being faithful and steadfast,” said Brenda Newell. “When you think about 115 years ago, those persons coming from Nova Scotia, I’m sure that they came with a dream and not knowing what to expect, and when they arrived here and started their small congregation, it was just their faith that I think kept them going and the congregation grew. All that love that was brought here, instilled in the hearts of parishioners, it’s still here today. That has never ceased and that’s something that we can grow on, encouraging each other, loving each other.”
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.
