Mt. Zion Apostolic Church

Our history is important and should be preserved, for it gives us a perspective on where we have come from and to where we are going. We now can understand that we are not alone, and that many saints have been through the same trials that we are going through now. Their struggles give us strength to know that we can make it through just as they did.

We gratefully acknowledge the Bible Sabbath Associations “Sabbath Sentinel”, and the author Terril Littrell for some of the information about the Holy Bible Mission Workers and the Dog Creek Church. We also appreciate the memories of Sis. Erma Jones and Bro. Jimmie Kidd. Without the help of these, this history would not have been possible.

Elder William Gilmore

While we are aware that, historically, there have been many groups through the ages that have kept the Sabbath day; it is not until the end of the 19^th century that we have a definite point from which we can trace our history. The time that historians call the    “ Second Great Awakening” is when our modern movement was given birth.

Scoffers called the second great awakening a “revival of emotionalism and mystic impulses”. One historian, a Dr. Alexander Campbell, described it as follows: “The bodily agitation or exercises, attending the excitement in the beginning of this century, were various, and called by various names; as, the falling exercise – the jerks – the dancing exercise – the barking exercise – the laughing and singing exercise, etc. The falling exercise was very common among all classes, the saints and sinners of every age and of every grade, from philosopher to clown….I do not remember that anyone of the thousands I have seen ever sustained an injury in body. This was as strange as the exercise itself.”

Our movement came out of the Second Great Awakening. It began as the “Holy Bible Mission Workers”. A member at the time reported the following: “As one attended services at the old “Dog Creek” meeting house, about five miles southwest of Caneyville, Ky., the scene was one of lively singing accompanied by all sorts of musical instruments – piano, organ, tambourine, horns, drums, guitar, violin, etc. Men, women, and children would rise and address the other “saints” in testimonies truly elegant and impressive, declaring the wonderful works of God and the glorious mysteries of the Gospel of Christ. Bodily exercises of handclapping and “dancing in the spirit” also attended these meetings of the workers.”

The Dog Creek saints were called “the sanctified bunch” by scoffers because they kept the seventh day Sabbath as well as cooked with goose grease because they refused to use hog lard. It is said that when Dog Creek first began keeping the Sabbath and eating clean that some of the group did not immediately embrace the change. As a result of this, for awhile, there were two different signs on the front of the church. One sign stated: “The clean side meets on Saturday”, and the other stated “The greasy side meets on Sunday”. The elders wore beards and refused to cut them so as not to “conform to the world” as they characterized it. This group believed that the clergy were to blame for the divisions and false doctrines abounding in the church world, and that all believers are priests in God’s kingdom. Therefore, they referred to each other as “sister” and “brother”, with the preaching brethren being called “elder”. The title of “reverend” was not allowed. The elders were expected to concentrate their spare time on the word, and as one person said, “ They demonstrated a great store of Bible knowledge and a depth of understanding in spiritual power”. They practiced what they called “setting aside” (ordination) as a “minister of the word” those that demonstrated a call to preach.

It is thought that the Sabbath came to our ancestors by a revelation of understanding to Elder George Taylor of Caneyville, KY. When this occurred is uncertain, but we do know that it was prior to 1910. Elder William Whitehead was the preaching elder at Dog Creek church in 1910 when the Holy Bible Mission Workers was organized. In 1915, he baptized Bro. Luther Howard at Dog Creek. In the early 1930’s Elder C.L. Pennington became president of the organization, and changed its name to “Zion Educational Institute”. The leadership of the organization fell to Elder Luther Howard at the time of Elder Pennington’s death. Elder Howard pastored the “Mulberry Tabernacle” in French Lick, In. from 1924 – 1929. In that year, a new church was built and it was named the “Pentecostal Church”. In 1955 He changed the name of the organization to “Pentecostal Church of Zion”.

Mt. Zion Apostolic Church began in 1968 in the home of Elder Jimmie Kidd on Nevius Road here in Mobile. The church came to its present location in 1968 by Bishop Luther Howard purchasing our current building in the name of Pentecostal Church of Zion from a local Southern Baptist group. The church was later named Sunset Hills Evangelistic Center. Elder Kidd had to leave Mobile in 1970, and Bro. Clarence Hamlin came as interim pastor. A permanent pastor was found later in that year when the daughter and son in law of Bishop Howard, Evangelist Erma Jones and Elder Raymond R. Jones, came down to Mobile from Indiana to shepherd this church. The Jones’s gave of their best to the master and should always be remembered for what they did for this church. They sold all their home in Indiana, and moved to Mobile to pastor our church.  Praise the Lord for their willingness to follow Him.

In 1972, the church separated from Pentecostal Church of Zion and participated in the founding of the Apostolic Evangelistic Association. Also during this year, Evangelist Jones was ordained pastor of this church. In 1978, the name of the church was changed to Zion Apostolic Church. This was to signify that the law would come forth from Zion, and that we follow the apostles’ doctrine.

In 1994, it was realized that to be incorporated was to have the state as your master, not Jesus. In order to set things straight, the Apostolic Evangelistic Association was disbanded, the church became totally independent with no affiliation, and our name was changed to Mt. Zion Apostolic Church. In 1998, Elder Jones graduated from this life into the arms of Jesus. He is sorely missed. William Gilmore was ordained elder to serve in his absence.

As we are now in a new millennium and we look back across the last 100 years of our history, let us ever be mindful of the apostles’ doctrine and the seventh day Sabbath. We have a history that spans 100 years of people that kept the Sabbath, baptized in Jesus’ name, received the Holy Ghost, ate clean, and lived holy. Remember from whence we came; for “if it was good enough to save the elders, it is good enough for me”.