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Church History
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"Look where He has brought
us from"
Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple has a long and illustrious history.
Founded in 1900 in a private home in Newport News VA, the Church experienced
many transitions and had 19 pastors from its inception through 1911.
In 1966 the Rev. Dr. M. Ivory Jefferson was called to lead SMZBT and served
faithfully until declining health caused him to retire in 1996.
In January 1997, Rev. Dr. Jerome Anthony Barber was called by the church
as senior pastor. From that date until the present the rolls of SMZBT have
grown from 300 members to 4000 members. We give glory to God that most
of that number have been new converts. Rev. Barber is instrumental in establishing
ministries in this local assembly that meet the needs of the church and
the community at large. He has a special passion for education and those
who have chosen education as their career field. His yearly recognition
of educators has evolved into a bi-annual gathering of what he has coined, “Educarers,” a
ministry established to bring attention to the needs of educators and students
and which stresses the caring and compassionate aspect of the teaching
profession.
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...anointing believers
in the Spirit of God.
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Outgrowing our edifice at 2003 Kecoughtan Road (pictured above), we relocated
to our new location at 3100 Butternut Drive in 2002. The Six House, Inc.,
our non-profit community outreach organization now occupies the old site.
The Six House serves the community by offering counseling, computer training,
financial literacy, the Back to School Festival, Christmas outreach and
many other activities.
Lead by our Assistant Pastor, Rev. Kevin G. Swann, “The
Greatest Assistant Pastor in the World." (as we affectionately call him) was
a blessing sent by God to “lift up the arms” of Pastor Barber.
Rev. Swann preached his initial sermon in 1997. In 1999, he was ordained
into ministry by Pastor Barber and in January 2000 he became the Assistant
Pastor of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple. God also blessed us to purchase
WTJZ, 1270 AM radio station, a major evangelism outreach.
Since July 2000, Pastor Barber has been involved in mobilizing the
4000 member congregation of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple to take
the gospel to the world. In addition, he has mobilized teams from
the United States of pastors, medical professionals, educators and
youth to conduct revivals, crusades, bible seminars, youth and women’s
conferences, teacher workshops, and medical clinics throughout the
Nairobi area. SMZBT is linked with the Harvest Fellowship Center,
Bishop Philemon Wachara of Nairobi, Kenya and with numerous ministries
throughout Kenya. Our newest connection is with Pastor Keith Jefferson
in Salvador Bahia, Brazil.
Pursing the vision that God has given to Pastor Barber, we are a
soul-winning church who will go into the entire world to preach the
Gospel of Jesus Christ; baptizing men, women and children in the
name of our Lord, and teaching them to obey all things that God has
commanded.
As God commands, we should obey. In May 2006, God called our assistant
pastor, Rev. Kevin G. Swann, to be the sixth Pastor of Ivy Baptist
Church in Newport News VA. With tears of joy, the SMZBT family said
farewell but not good-bye to our greatest assistant pastor in the
world.
"For
an in-depth history of our church"
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