By Lindell J. Kay | lkay@springhopeenterprise.com | 252-265-8117
ROCKY MOUNT — Mount Zion First Baptist Church is set to feed the masses this Saturday.
Everyone in Nash, Edgecombe and Wilson counties is invited to the inaugural Feed the City event scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the 320 W. Thomas St. church.
The drive- and walk-thru event will have strict coronavirus precautions. All volunteers will be masked, temperature-checked and have access to hand sanitizer. The 6-foot social distancing rule will apply, said the Rev. Nehemiah Smith Jr., the church’s pastor.
“The only contact will be to pass the meal to those who drive or come through the line,” Smith said. “We will also offer a mask for those who come through and may not have one.”
The event — brainchild of Antonio Williams, one of the church’s trustees — is meant to help offset the horrific toll COVID-19 has taken on area communities, Smith said.
“We are blessed to be able to help our fellow citizens during this time of COVID-19,” Smith said. “We pray that these hot meals will help those who are most often considered the least, the lost and the left out.”
Smith said the goal is 5,000 meals. For many folks, that number should be familiar from Sunday school lessons about Jesus feeding 5,000 people with just a handful of bread loaves and some fish — one of his many miracles listed in the Bible.
The church won’t start the day with just bread and fish. A dozen or so major grocery stores and restaurants have pitched in to help feed so many people. Sponsor logos on a flier for the event include Food Lion, Sam’s Club, Chick-fil-A, Perdue, Piggly Wiggly, Conetoe Family Life Center, Target, the city of Rocky Mount, Unique Sweets, Anne’s Donuts, Walmart, Hing Ta Restaurant, Lowe’s Home Improvement and GNS Express Mart.
CVS Pharmacy will hold a free flu shot clinic at the church during the meal distribution.
For more than 150 years, Mount Zion has been the church in the heart of the community with the community on its heart, Smith said.
As a part of its 1871 Initiative, Mount Zion is committed to the premise as stated by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:35, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…”
The Feed the City event is made possible with support of private donations from corporations, businesses and concerned individuals in Rocky Mount and the greater Rocky Mount area, Smith said.
Mount Zion began in 1867, just two years after the end of slavery, and was officially founded in 1871, making it both the oldest Black church in Rocky Mount and oldest Baptist church in the city.
Smith said Mount Zion has been at the forefront of every major move by Blacks in the city.
“Under the pastorate of the Rev. George W. Dudley and at his asking, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Rocky Mount where he delivered the first incarnation of the now iconic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech,” Smith said. “Rev. Dudley would later become the city’s first Black councilperson in modern times. The council chamber is named in his honor.”
The church also offers emergency services for those in need of help and will soon launch long-term recovery programs and services to people needing and wanting to change their current life circumstances in an effort to become their best selves, Smith said.
For more information about Mount Zion First Baptist Church and the Feed the City event, call 252-442-1627, email mzfbc1871@gmail.com or visit the church’s Facebook page at facebook.com/Mountzionfirstbaptistchurch.
"feed" - Google News
December 08, 2020 at 08:50AM
https://ift.tt/2LiGfFh
Church plans to feed 5,000 | The Enterprise - Spring Hope Enterprise
"feed" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2z3xEQN
https://ift.tt/2yko4c8
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Church plans to feed 5,000 | The Enterprise - Spring Hope Enterprise"
Post a Comment