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Zion Baptist Church

120 Years of Service!

In 1880, a large group of people from Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada, settled in the city of Lynn, Mass.  With help from a minister from the Maritime Baptist Convention in Wolverine, Canada, they built Union Baptist Church at 105 Church Street (near the railroad tracks).  Rev. Spencer B. Harris was Union's first pastor.  But on October 8, 1901, sparks from a passing locomotive ignited and damaged the roof of the church.  Between 1901 and 1902, Union rebuilt in the area of Fayette and Adams Street Extension.  The location was chosen because most of the members had settled in that area.

On June 22, 1902, they reopened under the leadership of Rev. L.C. Parrish.  The church name changed from Union Baptist to Zion Baptist Church.  Zion Baptist Church is the oldest continuous black church on the North Shore in the same location.

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OUR PASTORS (Past & Present)

1902     Rev. L.C. Parrish  - Served as pastor for four years

1914     Rev. John F. Hargraves   - celebrated Zion's 12th anniversary

1920     Rev. Jerome Miller   - burned Zion's first mortgage; membership was 260

1931     Rev White   - with help fromDeacon James Adgurson of Massachusetts Baptist Convention, Zion reopened after it was closed for more than a year

1947     Rev. Monte B. Gaines   - celebrated Zion's 45th anniversary with four days of services

1950     Rev. Williston Holbert   - rebuilt Zion and rededicated the new sancturay on Easter Sunday after it was destroyed in a 1949 fire

1954     Rev. Toussaint L. Davis   - burned Zion's second mortgage, which resulted from rebuilding the church in 1949-50

1960     Rev. Robert Clark   - started a building fund to build a parsonage and community center

1970     Rev. Enoch Oglesby   - celebrated Zion's 68th anniversary with a Worship and Praise Service on June 29

1977     Rev. Lewis Jenkins    - clelbrated Zion's 75th anniversary with a banquet at Anthony's Hawthorne Restaurant in Lynn

1978     Rev. Charles Gray   - appointed a committee of seven, chaired by Deacon Gerald Alleyne and Sister Margaret Kimber, that raised $40,000 in                        pledges toward the $125,000 building expansion

1982     Rev. Earl Trent   - served as interim minister for one year

1982     Rev. Dr. Everett Frye   - raised/added another $40,000 to the building expansion project; created annual business reports and introduced                            structured business meetings

1988     Rev. Walter R. Murray, Jr.   - secured a $290,000 mortgage for American Baptist Convention to build the new sanctuary, which was dedicated in                  1993; celebrated Zion's 92nd anniversary in the new sanctuary in 1994; honored with a "Banquet of Appreciation: in 1994; celebrated the Church's               95th anniversary at Angelica's Restaurant in 1997; built a dynamic ministry and increased Zion's membership   

2001     Rev. Dr. William C. Hill   - Celebrated Zion's 99th anniversary and Centennial (100th) anniversary.  On December 7, 2003 he led the service for yet              another Zion mortgage burning.  Also that year, Rev. Hill, Rev. Adrienne Berry-Burton and Rev. Anita Faber Robertson achieved Rev. Murray's                    dream of building expansion.  In 2007, Zion's 105th anniversary was celebrated with revival services, June 20-22

2014     Rev. Dr. Kirk Byron Jones accepted the position of Senior Pastor in November.  Rev. Dr. Jones, servant, preacher, teacher, and writer is a lover of                all things Zion and jazz.

2016     Rev. Jones formed the Presidents' Roundtable; re-established Zion's historic leadership role with Essex County Community Organization, created a              Re-entry and Recovery Ministry, created "Moment of Solitude" and organized the Church Anniversary Team.

2017    Rev. Dr. Kirk Byron Jones   - expanded Zion's clergy team to six pastors; trained and ordained six new deacons; walked 5 new deacons on April 23,             2017.  Deacon Ralph Tyler, Deacon Steven Beard, Deacon Janette Redding, Deacon David Murray, and  Deacon Dalphine Parker. He established a               "Zion Cares" program, established a New Members Ministry; created a Security Team Ministry; formed a Social Media Ministry; created                               "Good Morning Zion"; formed a Poets' and Writers' Ministry.   

2017    Celebrated the 115th Anniversary on June 24, 2017 with a banquet and ceremony held at the Sheraton Four Points, Wakefield.  Musical guest, Kirk               Whalum, a personal friend of Rev. Dr. Kirk Byron Jones performed jazz favorites.  

2019    Zion Baptist Church Youth Ministry, under the direction of Rev. Andre Bennett, held their first Youth Revival - themed:  Broken, Restored and                       Breakthrough.  Guest Speakers were:  Friday, July 13th - Rev. Bernadette Hickman-Maynard of Bethel A.M.E. Church Lynn, MA; Saturday, July 14th             - Pastor Jay LaPlanche of Motivation Church of Randolph, MA; Sunday, July 15th - Minister Danielle Wilson of New Life Ministries International of                  Hyannis, MA.

2019    Rev. Dr. Kirk Byron Jones licensed to minister on July 21, 2019 - Minister Roxi Green-Iyawe, Minister Cheryl Moore, and Minister Dalphine Parker.

2020    Definitely a trying year.  The entire world infected and affected by Corona Virus - COVID-19.  Church doors closed in mid-March and did not                         reopen.  We learned to use social media as a platform for all ministry work - including Sunday Service and thus broadened our reach to the                         community and the world.

“Lent is an opportunity to contemplate what
our Lord really did for us on the Cross.”

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Zion Baptist Church
4 Adams St Extension
Lynn, Ma 01902
PH:   (781) 595-0840
FAX:   (781) 595-5730

Rev. Dr. Kirk B. Jones, Pastor
Mary "Bunnie" Jones, First Lady

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