FORMER Mount Zion United Methodist Church - Waco, TX - Methodist Churches on Waymarking.com

There doesn't appear to be any United Methodist congregation by the name of "Mount Zion" in Waco today, so unless there was a merger and/or a name change, one can assume that the congregation went inactive. A look at street views on Google Maps over time indicates that CASA moved into the sanctuary between 2018 and 2021. Web-spidered listings are now stale, and there are no obvious stories about the congregation's fate.

Another clue is that the 2006 Texas Historical Marker remains on the grounds. Typically, when a congregation moves, they take the marker with them, although there are occasional cases where, for whatever reason, they leave it behind. It provides a little bit of history:

In the years following Emancipation, eighteen former slaves worshipped together on the banks of the Brazos River under an old oak tree. Records show that these men and women, both Baptists and Methodists, were also allowed to worship in the balcony of Waco's First Baptist Church sanctuary. In May 1866, they requested letters of dismissal from Dr. Rufus Burleson, then president of Baylor University. Following their dismissals, these men and women chartered new churches.

The Baptists and Methodists shared rented space at Jefferson and Sixth Streets until the Freedman's Aid Society selected the location for Howard Institute, a school for local African Americans. The Baptist and Methodist congregations dismantled their building and shared the lumber. The Methodist church, known as Mount Zion, moved to North Sixth and Marlbrough, where it dedicated the first sanctuary in April 1873.

Shortly after the church's founding in the 1860s, Mount Zion became part of a large group of Black Methodist churches under the Mississippi Mission Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The congregation grew, and out of the growth three other Methodist Episcopal congregations were organized. In 1972, due to urban renewal, members worshipped in the Friendship Center until relocating the church to this site in October 1973.

Over the years, Mount Zion's members have maintained a strong link to Texas' Methodist educational institutions. Today, Mount Zion's members are active in local educational training, as well as many other programs and services. The church continues to be a spiritual home for many in the Waco area.

Active church?: No Year Built: 1973? Service times: None Website: [Web Link]

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