OUR HISTORY
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The AMEC grew out of the Free African Society (FAS) which Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1787. When officials at St. George’s MEC pulled blacks off their knees while praying, FAS members discovered just how far American Methodists would go to enforce racial discrimination against African Americans. Hence, these members of St. George’s made plans to transform their mutual aid society into an African congregation. Although most wanted to affiliate with the Protestant Episcopal Church, Allen led a small group who resolved to remain Methodists.
In 1794 Bethel AME was dedicated with Allen as pastor. To establish Bethel’s independence from interfering white Methodists, Allen, a former Delaware slave, successfully sued in the Pennsylvania courts in 1807 and 1815 for the right of his congregation to exist as an independent institution. Because black Methodists in other middle Atlantic communities encountered racism and desired religious autonomy, Allen called them to meet in Philadelphia to form a new Wesleyan denomination, the AME Church.
The geographical spread of the AMEC prior to the Civil War was mainly restricted to the Northeast and Midwest. Major congregations were established in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington DC, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, and other large Blacksmith’s Shop cities. Numerous northern communities also gained a substantial AME presence. Remarkably, the slave states of Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, and, for a few years, South Carolina, became additional locations for AME congregations. The denomination reached the Pacific Coast in the early 1850’s with churches in Stockton, Sacramento, San Francisco, and other places in California. Moreover, Bishop Morris Brown established the Canada Annual Conference.
The most significant era of denominational development occurred during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Oftentimes, with the permission of Union army officials AME clergy moved into the states of the collapsing Confederacy to pull newly freed slaves into their denomination. I Seek My Brethren, the title of an often-repeated sermon that Theophilus G. Steward preached in South Carolina, became a clarion call to evangelize fellow blacks in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Texas, and many other parts of the south. Hence, in 1880 AME membership reached 400,000 because of its rapid spread below the Mason-Dixon line. When Bishop Henry M. Turner pushed African Methodism across the Atlantic into Liberia and Sierra Leone in 1891 and into South Africa in 1896, the AME now laid claim to adherents on two continents.
While the AME is doctrinally Methodist, clergy, scholars, and lay persons have written important works which demonstrate the distinctive theology and praxis which have defined this Wesleyan body. Bishop Benjamin W. Arnett, in an address to the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, reminded the audience of the presence of blacks in the formation of Christianity. Bishop Benjamin T. Tanner wrote in 1895 in The Color of Solomon – What? that biblical scholars wrongly portrayed the son of David as a white man. In the post-civil rights era theologians James H. Cone, Cecil W. Cone, and Jacqueline Grant who came out of the AME tradition critiqued Euro-centric Christianity and African American churches for their shortcomings in fully impacting the plight of those oppressed by racism, sexism, and economic disadvantage.
Today, the African Methodist Episcopal Church has membership in twenty Episcopal Districts in thirty-nine countries on five continents. The work of the Church is administered by twenty-one active bishops, and nine General Officers who manage the departments of the Church.
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Local Church History of Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church - 1888 to Present
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Our Starting Points...
The Homestead Act of 1866 enabled freed men to acquire government land in Arkansas,
Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida. Some of the colonists lived in a community called
Freemanville. Located in Port Orange, Florida on Charles Street, north of city limits.
Freemanville was settled in 1869.
During its best times, Freemanville had its own school and two churches under the old
Methodist Episcopal Freeman Bureau and Records. The A.M.E. Church was located on
Dunlawton and Orange Avenue, in Port Orange.
As far as we can establish, Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church was first established in Port Orange, Florida in 1888, and later moved to Daytona Beach, under the pastorate of Reverend R.L. Spencer. He was succeeded by Reverend A.B. Osgood who started to build a new church because the church building was merely a shack. Reverend Osgood was assigned a new charge before completion. In 1888 under the leadership of Rev. James A. Long the church moved to it’s second location on South St, and the first corner stone was laid 1899. The church was in clustered surroundings near the Florida East Coast Railroad and because of the disturbance from the railroad, Reverend G.J. Oates and the faithful members decided to build a new church away from the noise of the railroad. After two years, Mount Zion AME Church was erected on its present site, 449 S. Campbell Street (now 449 S. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.) in 1924. The cornerstone was laid on November 27, 1927.
The pioneer families were: Sis. Pollie Dogins and family, The Beacy Ward family, Bro and
Sis. Alexander and family, Bro. and Sis. David Leaver and family, The Cato family, The Tisdale
family, Sis. Mamie Damon, Sis. Lizzie Ward, The Small family, The Belton family and the
Knight family.
​ The late Bishop George N. Collins was converted and joined Mount Zion under the pastorate of the Reverend C.S. Long. He served as an usher and was later called to ministry and ordained from Mount Zion. He returned to Mount Zion in 1931 and served as pastor for three years. He was elected to the bishopric in 1960 as the 80th elected and consecrated bishop of the AME Church. He served as the Presiding Prelate in the 15th Episcopal District and was assigned to the 11th Episcopal District in 1970 until his untimely death in 1971.
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During years 1934-1943 the following pastors served, Rev. M. T. Carey, Rev. Andrew Jackson,
under his leadership the first parsonage was built, Rev. S. G. Baker, Rev. S. D. Houston, Rev. J. R.
Blye, Rev. Judge Dean, Rev. C. S. Long, Rev. J.J. Harris, Rev. C. C. Simmons, Rev. S. J.
Johnson, Rev. L.R. Parker, Rev. W.H.A. Pickett, Rev. C.H. Boger, Rev. E.L. Pinckney, Rev. W.P.
Mitchell, Rev. J.A. Roberts.
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In 1943, Rev J. P. Epperson served as pastor 1 year.
In 1944, Rev. A.W. Smith served as pastor for 2 years.
In 1947, Rev. R.J. Blaine served as pastor for 1 year.
In 1948, Rev. G.P. Pierce served as pastor for 1 year..
In 1949, Rev. King David White served as pastor for 2 years.
In 1952, Rev. S.J. Jonhson served as pastor for 2 years.
In 1954, Rev. A. P. Postell served as pastor for two years.
In 1956, Reverend A.C. Chandler served as pastor for 5 years.
In 1961, Rev O. Houston served as Pastor for 7 years.
In 1968, Rev. A. W. Smith served as pastor for 3 years.
In 1971, Rev. Kenneth White served as pastor for 1 year.
In 1972, Rev. William M. Burke served as pastor for 5 years
In 1977, Rev. John Edward Connelly served as pastor for 4 years.
In 1981 Rev. M. C. Ross served as pastor for 5 years.
In 1986 Reverend Calvin M. Williams served as pastor for 10 years.
​In 1996, Reverend Ronnie L. Clark served as pastor for 3 years.
In 1999 Rev. F. Bernard Lemon served as pastor for 1 year.
In 2000 Rev. LaTanya W. Floyd served for 1 year.
In 2001, Rev. Leroy Washington, Jr. served for 5 years.
In 2006, Rev. D. Luther Bell served as pastor for 1 year.
In 2007, Rev Walter J. Lassiter served as pastor for 2 years
In 2009, Rev. David L. Connelly served as pastor for 5 years.
In 2013, Reverend Willie N. Barnes served as pastor for 6 years.
In 2019, Reverend Wendell C. Webster served as pastor for 3 years.
In December of 2021 our current pastor Rev. Sandara E. Williams was appointed to Mount Zion.
As you read the brief information on the Pastor who have served at Mount Zion during it’s history of
133 years you clearly notice that only men have served at this church. In December 2021 Reverend Sandara E. Williams was appointed as the first female pastor to lead Mount Zion through the vision God placed in her heart and mind to take them to greater heights and deeper depths. Under her leadership the contributions were, within the first 100 days she was able to lead the congregation in purchasing 3 air condition units in the amount of $46,000.00. Two were installed in the sanctuary and one in lower unit. All windows in the lower unit were covered with blinds, the cleaning company ODC Girls was hired to clean and maintain the church, the bathrooms in the lower unit were renovated, hands free soap dispensers and paper towel units were placed in all bathrooms, a front door monitoring security camera was installed at the church, two monitored security cameras were installed at the parsonage, a major face lift was done to the outside of the parsonage. She re-engaged the church with community outreach, on Wednesdays we give out free food, clothing and shoes, also partner with Advancing Health Access every Monday on the church grounds assisting those in the community. Spiritually she enhanced the worship experience by hiring a new Minister of Music and started a praise team to minister three Sundays out of the month.
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