New York, NY - On Sunday, November 12, 2023, The Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church celebrated its 227th Anniversary. Reverend Dr. Malcolm J. Byrd, Senior Pastor, presided over the celebratory service. The morning hymn, The Church’s One Foundation, was led by the Paul Robeson Ensemble. Rev. Audrey Williamson offered the morning prayer, and the scripture, Proverbs 22:22-28, was read by Bro. Kermit Morris. Sis. Chloe Grimes Jones followed and shared Mother Zion’s illustrious history with the congregation.
Rev. Byrd’s sermon, “Don’t Move A Thing,” was lifted from the 28th Chapter of Proverbs 22: “Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors.” Rev. Byrd said he had recently been asked how and why Mother Zion has lasted so long. His answer: “Though we have moved from one location to the other, our congregation has managed to stay focused on our reason for our existence. We have not existed because this pulpit has always had good preachers; we have not lasted for 227 years because the music has always been good; we have not lasted for 227 years because we have been blessed with a social justice climate that has been beneficial to marginalize Black people.” Rev. Byrd said the reason Mother Zion has lasted for 227 years (and counting) is “because the hand of God has been upon us.” Mother Zion remains in existence because it recognizes the importance of maintaining and celebrating the “ancient boundary stone,” accomplishments and landmarks “set up by our ancestors," while moving forward, paving the way for future generations. Each one, teach one.
The service ended with a rousing, inspiring congregational rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing. Members, friends, and visitors were invited to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by the Mother Zion Food Ministry (Sis. Betty Byrd Lyons, Sis. Joan Brown & Culinary Crew).
THE LITANY OF REMEMBRANCE, which was led by Sis. Debra Chappelle-Polk, earlier in the service, encapsulated the history and the essence of Mother Zion from 1796 to the present:
Leader: we give you thanks, O God
People: we give you thanks, O God
Leader: before there was a United States of America, there was a witness of
liberation here in New York City, it was named the Free African Society, founded in 1774.
People: we give you thanks, O God
Leader: they met privately amongst themselves, yet God was watching!
People: we give you thanks, O God
Leader: they emerged as a Church now known as Mother Zion in 1796.
People: we give you thanks, O God
Leader: we remember James and Aurelia Varick, Peter Williams,
William Miller, Abraham Thompson, Levin Smith,
and others who broke the law to demand the right to assemble.
People: we give you thanks, O God
Leader: we remember Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm, who published the nation’s first Black newspaper, “Freedom’s Journal,” at Mother Zion in 1827.
People: we give thanks to you, O God
Leader: we remember the tireless efforts of the Mother Zion congregation, who labored for 50 years to abolish slavery in New York State. They succeeded on July 4, 1827.
People: we give thanks to you, O God
Leader: she joined our church in 1829. Her slave name was Isabella Baumfree, but in 1843, at the altar of Mother Zion, she became Sojourner Truth.
People: we give thanks to you, O God
Leader: for the hundreds of enslaved Africans who found safety and shelter in the cellar of Mother Zion as the leading stop on the Underground Railroad.
People: we give you thanks, O God
Leader: for our members Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, T. Thomas Fortune, Paul Robeson, Madam C.J. Walker, Samuel Battle, Dabney N. Montgomery, Ruth Whitehead Whaley, and others.
People: we give thanks to you, O God.
Leader: for the thousands who are gone and for the thousands who will come.
People: we give thanks to you, O God
All: we thank you, O God! Hallelujah, Amen!
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