S*1216 Session 121 (2015-2016)
S*1216 Resolution, By Coleman
A SENATE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR METROPOLITAN AFRICAN METHODIST
EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH UPON THE OCCASION OF ITS ONE HUNDRED FIFTIETH
ANNIVERSARY AND TO CONGRATULATE THE PASTOR, CONGREGATION, AND CHURCH STAFF FOR
MORE THAN A CENTURY AND A HALF OF FAITHFUL SERVICE TO THEIR CONGREGANTS AND
COMMUNITY.
04/07/16 Senate Introduced and adopted (Senate Journal-page 4)
S. 1216
A SENATE RESOLUTION
TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR METROPOLITAN AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH UPON THE OCCASION OF ITS ONE HUNDRED FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY AND TO CONGRATULATE THE PASTOR, CONGREGATION, AND CHURCH STAFF FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY AND A HALF OF FAITHFUL SERVICE TO THEIR CONGREGANTS AND COMMUNITY.
Whereas, the members of the Senate are pleased to learn that Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is celebrating its one hundred fiftieth year of dedicated service in 2016; and
Whereas, in 1866, after the civil War ended , Mr. Barney Burton sent for Rev. Byrd Hampton Taylor, pastor of Clinton Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina to come to Chester, South Carolina to organize a meeting at the county courthouse; and
Whereas, Rev. Taylor gave Dublin Isaac Walker a local preacher's license at the meeting, and left Barney Burton in charge of the group. The newly formed group chose the name Mount Zion A.M.E. Zion Church; and
Whereas, on March 24, 1867, Bishop Joseph J. Clinton organized the South Carolina Conference in Chester and ordained Rev. D.I. Walker as a deacon and elder and made him pastor of the Mount Zion Church; and
Whereas, the land for Mt. Zion was donated by Mr. James Hemphill, prominent lawyer and property owner, and the deed was signed by the trustees on July 12, 1868. On August 6, 1874, Mr. Hemphill deeded the cemetery property to the trustees; and
Whereas, Rev. Walker's tenure as pastor ended in 1872, although he remained as presiding elder of the Chester district through 1882; and
Whereas, at some point during the church's formative years, Mt. Zion was renamed Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church. During the pastorates of the Reverends Phelix Thompson and J.C. Price, the church erected a wooden structure; and
Whereas, the church thrived as a place of worship and as an intellectual center in the historic district of Chester. As the church continued to develop, funds were raised to build a brick structure. The new building was dedicated on Sunday, August 2, 1914; and
Whereas, on the morning of the dedication service, the sermon was delivered by the Rt. Rev. Bishop A.J. Warner, A.M., D.D., presiding bishop of the 8th Episcopal District of the A.M.E. Zion Church. Serving as pastor was Rev. H.S. McMullen, B.D. Rev. W.M. Robinson, D.D. was the presiding elder; and
Whereas, since its inception, God has used spirit-led gospel trumpeters to continue the legacy of the worshipful zeal and faith in God of the builders of the mother church called Mount Zion. Now in its 150th year of existence, Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church still thrives and serves as a place of transformation for all people; and
Whereas, the South Carolina Senate is grateful for the ministry of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and the members join with the congregation in celebrating this joyous milestone of the church's one hundred fiftieth anniversary. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the Senate, by this resolution, recognize and honor Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church upon the occasion of its one hundred fiftieth anniversary and congratulate the pastor, congregation, and church staff for more than a century and a half of faithful service to their congregants and community.
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