Written by Tanya Terry, with photos by Tanya Terry
In 1986, then-Mayor James A. Sharp, Jr. issued an official proclamation declaring March 21, 1986 as “A Day of Prayer” in the city of Flint.
Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church has continued upholding that tradition by hosting the Citywide Day of Prayer annually. Pastor Emertius H.B. Dixon initiated the event at the church. Its aim is to address ongoing community violence and bring hope to the city.
Rodney Ellison, senior pastor at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, explained the purpose of the prayer vigil in more detail.
“It was commemorating March 21, 1986, when some deadly shootings happened in the city,” stated Ellison. “It was a very horrible day on that day.”
61 homicides occurred in Flint that year, setting a record at that time.
“Pastor H.B Dixon came to that situation, and he prayed to calm the situation, to calm the citizens of the city down, and the mayor then presented him with a proclamation,” said Ellison.
He continued: “And so, 40 years later, we go back and revisit it, and we still see that there’s still unrest in the city, there’s still people being killed. Violence is still going on. And so, we have a high rate of violence is still going on. Well, it’s probably not as much as it was then, but the violence is still going on. And so we just wanted to go back and revisit it and just pray over the city, and to call our city leaders and pray over them as well as they go out and service us in the community.”
Mayor Sheldon Neeley presented the church with another proclamation on the Citywide Day of Prayer.
“Then, one of the city council women, Ladel Lewis, came and she presented us with an award,” said Ellison. “Then, the commissioner, Dale Weighill, came over and he presented to us as well. So, those were the highlights. And then, also, just to hear other churches saying that they would support us in our efforts.”
To Ellison, the church’s efforts were not in vain.
“When you feel like quitting and giving up and throwing up your hands, when you know that somebody’s praying for you, your area, yourself, it makes you feel better. So, I feel that the community, the city, was strengthened on that day.”
The church plans to continue its outreach efforts, including hosting a future event on June 19 involving a community march down M.L. King, distributing literature and providing hot dogs and pop. The primary goal is to strengthen the community, offer hope and show that local churches are actively praying for and supporting the residents of Flint.
“I want the citizens of Flint to know that we’re praying for them. Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, we are praying for our city. We’re trying to echo what the Bible says. We have to love our neighbors, and our neighbors are all around us and we want to see them doing well. We want them to be strengthened and to be encouraged, to know that we’re praying for them and other churches are praying for them. So, my hope is that they feel the heartbeat of the church, that we’re praying.”
Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church’s Citywide Day of Prayer aims to address ongoing community violence and bring hope to the city.
