Polishing the pews in the sanctuary at Mt. Zion AME Church in Riverton on July 26 were Jynell Harrison (left to right), state Sen. Troy Singleton, Nicole Belolan, Charles Emery and Emily Talavera.
The spirit of community service permeated Mt. Zion AME Church as more than 20 people spruced up its sanctuary, kitchen, bathroom and small nursery on thre morning of July 26.
“This building is history,” said state Sen. Troy Singleton while thanking the volunteers who gathered in the basement community room awaiting their tasks. “Many hands make light work.”
“We are very excited you have all come to help us clean up and spruce up the church,” followed Pastor Leslie Robin Harrison, adding that the rest of the church had been rebuilt in 1939 after being struck by lightning. “This part of the building has been here since 1909.”
The church has been recognized on both the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. For 128 years, it has served parishioners from Cinnaminson, Palmyra and Riverton.
“For over a century, Mt. Zion has been a pillar of strength and hope in Riverton and beyond,” Singleton explained. “We are honored to celebrate their 128th anniversary through service. Each month, we look for ways to serve and uplift our communities, and I can’t think of a more meaningful place to hold our 75th event than Mt. Zion AME Church.”
The volunteers split into four groups to spruce up various rooms, including the kitchen, a high priority. It was dusted, scrubbed and mopped with cleaning supplies provided by the senator’s staff, as were the two bathrooms.
Two other people cleaned and organized the small nursery, while shining up the pews in the sanctuary were Singleton, Jynell Harrison, Nicole Belolan, Charles Emery and Emily Talavera.
“We are so grateful for the community support,” noted Rev. Harrison, pastor for the last 10 years.
Volunteers included local parishioners and residents, as well as members of the senator’s crew who participate in his service projects.
Mt. Zion began as a station church in 1897, supporting young African American women who migrated to the Philadelphia area for domestic work. Alice B. Taylor, the founder, provided guidance and spiritual leadership to the women. The church at 307 Penn St. in the tree-lined borough of Riverton was built in 1909.
Mt. Zion has long been at the forefront of community engagement, providing spiritual, emotional, financial and physical refuge through major moments in history such as the Great Migration, the movement of Blacks from the Jim Crow South to the North of the country; the Depression; and, most recently, COVID.
“Notably, the church welcomed a visit from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who traveled to Riverton to honor his friend and Mt. Zion parishioner, Dr. Clarence B. Jones,” Singleton said.
In November 1962,
Jones had been helping the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to mobilize large, non-violent protests in places like Birmingham and Selma in Alabama when he learned that his father had died.
King, unbeknownst to his friend, decided to travel to Riverton for the funeral.
“I know my friend Brother Clarence is probably surprised that I am here,” King noted. “I did not know the deceased, Goldsborough Benjamin Jones, but I know his son.”
Jones grew up in East Riverton with his parents, a butler and maid in the home of Edgar and Eleonora Lippincott at 806 Main St. in Riverton, and delivered his first major speech as the Palmyra High School Class of 1949 valedictorian, urging his fellow students to reach for their dreams.
Mt. Zion AME Church will continue to urge its parishioners to reach their dreams in a freshly cleaned historic building.
