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 Mount Zion Baptist Church
N 32° 14.996 W 095° 42.676
15S E 244562 N 3571366
Texas Historical Marker at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 7669 FM 1803, in the Black Jack community, a little over eleven miles from Athens. It provides some background for the church and its ongoing community service.
Waymark Code: WM107N6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/15/2019
Views: 5
Marker Number: 13104
Marker Text:
Mount Zion Baptist Church organized in 1873 in the rural Black Jack community of Henderson County. Members met under a brush arbor until 1885, when they built their first sanctuary, a small frame structure. The congregation became a charter affiliate of the Henderson County Baptist Association in 1902. That same year, Mr. and Mrs. Joel Morton donated the sanctuary site to the church to secure its location. The Rev. Malachiah Reeves, a resident of Henderson County and veteran of the Civil War, served as the first pastor and as a trustee of Mount Zion. Since his tenure, many pastors have preached at the church while pursuing studies at Baylor University or Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Most of the church's early members were farmers, and the growth of the congregation was slow due to the sparse settlement of the agricultural community. By 1923, however, the congregation had outgrown its original sanctuary and built a new one. The present sanctuary was built in 1940, with later additions including a fellowship hall and Sunday school classrooms, as well as a baptistery. Until then, baptisms were held at many different locations, including small lakes and the First Baptist Church in Murchison.
Today, the Mount Zion congregation is active in mission work, and its buildings provide meeting space for community groups. Regular Sunday school classes, an important part of the church since its formation, provide religious education for members of all ages. Mount Zion Baptist Church continues to serve the Black Jack community as a focal point of activity for area residents. (2005)
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