64th New Zion Baptist Church Anniversary 2019

ORDER OF SERVICE Call to Worship Emcee ��������������������������������������������������� Elder Sireana R. Avery-Bickham

NEW ZION

BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORY 1955-2016

Devotion ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Deacons Praise & Worship ����������������������������������� Elder Sireana Avery-Bickham & Minister Will Avery II Welcome �������������������������������������������������������������������Sister Joyce Williams Response ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� Guest Church Occasion and Church History �����������������������������Sister Michelle Cooper Musical Selection �����������������������������������������New Zion Sanctuary Choir Ministry of Giving ������������������������������������������������������ Deacons & Ushers Musical Selections ���������������New Life Missionary Baptist Church Choir Pastor Ronald Brown • Las Cruces, NM Introduction of Guest Speaker ������������������������ Pastor Rayfield Jefferson Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Roswell, NM Musical Selections ������������Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church Choir Roswell, NM

WORD OF GOD

Pastor Artis Allen

Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church Invitation to Discipleship ������������������������������������������������������������ Minister Presentations �������������������������������������� Program Committee Chairperson Remarks ����������������Program Chairperson Elder Sireana Avery-Bickham Pastor Willard L. Avery Blessing of Food and Benediction Dinner Served in Fellowship Hall Following Service

I

n September of 1955, twenty-five Christians had a calling on their lives and felt the need to have another place of worship. At that time, there was only one Black Baptist Church in the city of Alamogordo. So, they began to meet at the Prince Hall Lodge #11 located at 310 Delaware Avenue for Prayer Service. While it is good to pray, we all need to hear the words of the Lord. “And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?”

So a few weeks later, they chose the Carpenter’s Union Hall, located on Pennsylvania Avenue for their church services. Then they asked Reverend Frank Pinkney, a Methodist Minister to preach for them.

In October of 1955, an invitation was extended to local and district churches to participate in the formal organization of the church.

Reverend H. B. Johnson of Fabens, Texas, served as Moderator of the meeting. A name was chosen, and “New Zion Baptist Church,” was accepted as the name for the church. The following officers were elected to serve as Deacons: Tyler

New Zion Church Family Officers Pastor �����������������Pastor Willard L. Avery Elder ����Elder Sireana R. Avery-Bickham Elder ������������������ Elder Lauretta L. Avery Minister ���������������� Minister Monica Ben

Traylor, Elijah Johnson, Jr., A. V. Richards, Will Givens, Ebenezer Taylor, James Patterson, A. D. Burton, and Charlie Blake.

In the same meeting, Sister Eliza Stewart was elected as the Church Clerk and Reverend I. Samuel Swisher of Las Cruces, NM was chosen as pastor of the congregation.

A few months later, property was purchased at 308 Maryland Avenue for the construction of the church. Mrs. Alice Swisher was very instrumental in assisting the church to obtain property.

A Grounds Breaking Day was held on April 7, 1957, while the church edifice was started later in June 1957. A house was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wagoner and moved to the back of the property, to be used for church services while the church was being constructed.

To pay for the land and the building of the church, the members sold dinner, cakes and pies. Everyone helped. Those that could cook, cooked. While those that could not, delivered the dinners. Word spread quickly throughout the city about the dinners that were being sold. Soon people were stopping by to pick up dinners or place orders for dinners to be delivered. On those days when they had no customers, the member purchased the meals themselves. They also donated money as well as cinder block to help build this church. The members knew that, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.”

So, they trusted God to guide them and to bless their endeavors.

The Lord gave them the desires of their hearts and the congregation entered the new edifice on December 1, 1957 for the Corner Stone Laying Service.

Reverend Frank Jones of First Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces, NM brought the message and Reverend Jack DeVore of First Baptist Church in Las Cruces, NM, gave the Charge to the church. Reverend J. H. Horton of Artesia, NM, served as the Master of Ceremony. By that time, the Church had approximately 175 members.

There have been five ministers that have pastored at New Zion: Pastor I. Samuel Swisher, 1955-1964; Pastor A. T. McCargo, 1964-1972; Pastor Wilson Holly, 19721976; Pastor James A. Hopkins, 1976-1988 and Pastor Willard L. Avery, 1988-Present Today, we reap the benefits of those twenty-five founding members. God has blessed to have Sister Rosa L. Lee still laboring in the vineyard.

We thank God for our founding brothers and sisters. They started this work and it is up to us to keep on winning souls to Christ. We all have a job to do. We are no longer selling dinners, cake and pies, but we should be getting others sold on Christ.

Let us continue to work for the Lord that He might be glorified, so that men shall see our good works and ask, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Chairman Deacons/Trustees Deacon Parris Veasley Church Clerk/Secretary/Bulletin Clerk Sister Margaret L. Avery Church Assistant Clerk/Bulletin Clerk Sister T. Alicia Fritz Hospitality Clerks Sisters A. Fritz & A. Pool & P. Harrell Church Treasurer Deacon Parris Veasley Financial Secretary Sister Margaret L. Avery Van Drivers Brother Michael Mitchell & Deacon Parris Veasley F.S. Scholarship Chairperson Sister Geneva Patterson Announcing Clerk Sister Paige Harrell Special Fund Chairperson Deacon Melvin E. Mills Minister of Music Sister Margaret L. Avery Women Missionary Society Sister Geneva Patterson Sunday School Superintendent Deacon Parris Veasley Baptist Training Union/Laymen Deacon Parris Veasley Deaconess Sister Betty Mills Senior Choir Minister of Music Margaret L. Avery Senior Ushers Brother Prentiss Bickham Youth Director/Youth Ushers Elder Sireana R. Avery-Bickham Youth Coordinators Elder Lauretta L. Avery & Sister Margaret L. Avery Program/Decoration/Kitchen Elder Sireana R. Avery-Bickham Custodian/Maintenance/Groundskeeper Deacon Melvin Mills

Pastor Artis Allen Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church | Roswell, NM Born in Fairfield, Texas in August 1948, to Doyle & Cora Allen and grew up and lived in Barry, Texas with four sisters and one brother.

Pastor Allen attended elementary school in Barry, Texas until 1958 when the Barry school district was consolidated with that of Blooming Grove. His first three years of high school was at George Washington Carver High in Dawson Texas.

Then in 1965, when Texas integrated its public schools, he finished his high school years at Blooming Grove High School and graduated in 1966. After graduating high school, he attended James Connelly Technical Institute in Waco, Texas majoring in Electronics.

While at James Connelly, Pastor Allen met his wife, Lovie Johnson.

Two years later, they were married and, three months after marriage, he entered the United States Air Force.

From this marriage of “51 years” came three children and fourteen grandchildren.

Pastor Allen entered the United States Air Force in July 1968 and achieved the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. The Air Force afforded him and his family the opportunity to see and live in many places: Arizona, California, Okinawa, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Greenland, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the Philippines. In 1984, he was assigned to

Holloman AFB located in New Mexico. While there, he served his last six years of service to his country, retiring as a SMSgt in 1990 after 22 years of service with an Honorable Discharge.

Pastor Allen was in Alamogordo, NM for another 17 years. He worked on Holloman AFB as an Environmental Manager for10 years. In 2005, he accepted his call to the ministry of God at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church under Pastor Willard L. Avery. On July 15, 2007, he was called to be the Pastor of Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church in Roswell, NM and have served faithfully for twelve years. He currently serves as 1st Vice Moderator for the Mt. Olive State Convention and Treasurer for the Jerusalem District Association.

He is now committed to achieving his goal of obtaining a college degree. Pastor Allen spent almost two years at James Connelly Tech in Waco, TX after high school and completed some college courses while in the military.

He was enrolled online for a year and a half at Grantham University in Kansas, majoring in Business Management. As of today, he is currently enrolled at Wayland Baptist University studying God’s Word.