History

WHO ARE WE?

Mt. Zion Baptist Church (MZBC) is an active congregation located at 103 Mt. Zion Drive, Fountain Inn, South Carolina.

OUR VISION is to be a teaching and reaching church - where all members and every ministry work and commit to the proclamation and application of the Word of God.

OUR GOAL is to reach those who have not completely given their life to serving Jesus Christ, and to encourage them to develop a stronger and personal relationship with the Lord.

WHERE WE BEGAN... WHERE WE ARE... AND WHERE WE'RE GOING! 135 YEARS STILL GOING

The official beginnings of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Fountain Inn, South Carolina can be found in April 1888. Money was scarce and building methods were not the same as those of today, so the founders of our church showed their faith in God by constructing a crude brush arbor on a small lot three miles south of Fountain Inn.

A group of 23 Christian members, with serious concerns of saving souls, combined their forces and prayers to establish a church. Under the leadership and pastoral guidance of the late Rev. June Canady, the following members founded and organized Mt. Zion Baptist Church: Andy Sullivan, Elliot Garrett, John Tucker, John Childs, John Gilliam, Charles Williams and Vernell Bates - among others.

The church survived the hardship of time and gained in membership, promoting Christian services for mankind. As a result of this growth, within a few years a need arose to consider relocating. This move brought the church to its present site on Mt. Zion Drive in Fountain Inn. We were and continue to be grateful that God has so directed our spiritual growth with great pastors endowed with Christian wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Under Rev. Madden's pastoral leadership and spiritual guidance, we have made much progress in Christian and physical growth alike. We are grateful that God so directed him for 20 years, and under his administrative, we renovated, remodeled and purchased land. Due to the growth of our church, we completed a total renovation of the church to accommodate present membership and anticipated increase in numbers. A complete educational facility was complete April 4, 1982.

All members join with our pastor in thanking God and friends of the church for making our dream a reality.

As of the writing of this History, serving in leadership capacity (all who were ordained by Rev. S.N. Madden) are: Asst. Pastor Rev. Charles Cox; Iler Bolden, Jr., Chairman of Deacons; Henry Workman, Co-Chairman of Deacons; Jesse Starks; Benjamin Phelps; Willie Lee Fields; Harley Sweeney, Sr.; Lewis Stenhouse; Emanuel Sullivan and Robert Young.

MZBC MOTTO

Reaching the Lost, Teaching the Found - and that is what we strive to do at MZBC. We are continuing, both young and old, to serve the needs of our community through our services, study groups, members and ministries, and continue to look for ways to do God's will and to spread His word.