Mt. Zion AME Church

07/08/2026

Join us this Sunday at 4 pm.

07/07/2026

📚☀️ MT Zion AME Church Summer Lunch & Learn Reading Program – A Wonderful Success! ☀️📚

As we close another incredible Summer Lunch & Learn Reading Program, our hearts are filled with gratitude. While our group was small, the impact was tremendous. We witnessed children grow in confidence, strengthen their reading skills, and discover the joy of learning.

Throughout the program, participants read books, practiced sight words, enjoyed nutritious lunches, and earned weekly prizes based on the number of books they completed. We were excited to recognize our Top Readers, who each received a $25 Walmart Gift Card for their outstanding dedication and achievement!

This program reminded us that success isn’t measured by the size of the crowd, but by the lives that are touched. Every page turned, every new sight word mastered, and every smile shared was a victory worth celebrating.

A heartfelt thank you to our volunteers, parents, supporters, and everyone who helped make this program possible. Your generosity and encouragement made a lasting difference.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6

We are already looking forward to next summer as we continue to invest in the hearts and minds of our children.

Mt. Zion AME Church
Building Faith. Changing Lives. Serving the Community. ❤️📖🍎

06/19/2026

🖤❤️💚 Happy Juneteenth from Mt. Zion AME Church 💚❤️🖤

Today we celebrate Juneteenth, the day that commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas finally learned they were free—more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, resilience, faith, and hope. It reminds us of the enduring strength of a people who trusted God through unimaginable hardships and persevered in the pursuit of liberty and justice.

As believers, we recognize that while Juneteenth celebrates physical freedom, Christ offers us spiritual freedom that no one can take away.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:17

Today, we honor the sacrifices of those who came before us, celebrate the progress that has been made, and recommit ourselves to building communities rooted in faith, love, justice, and unity.

May we never take freedom for granted, and may we continue to walk in the liberty that God has provided.

Happy Juneteenth!

Mt. Zion AME Church
“Rooted in Faith. Called to Freedom. Committed to Love.” ✝️

06/16/2026

06/08/2026

📚HELP US SUPPORT LOCAL STUDENTS! 🎒

The HOPE In Action Annual Back-to-School Drive is now underway, and we need your help!

Many middle and high school students in our community begin the school year without access to basic necessities. We are collecting NEW undergarments to help ensure every student starts the school year with dignity, confidence, and support.

Items Needed

👧 Girls
• Underwear (all sizes)
• Sports Bras
• Camisoles Socks

👦 Boys
• Boxer Briefs
• Boxers
• Undershirts Socks

✅ New Items Only
✅ Middle School & High School Sizes
✅ Unopened Packages Preferred

📅 Donation Deadline: July 25, 2026

📍 Donation Drop-Off Contacts
Felecia Brockington – 229-560-9478
Felicia Kholer – 229-798-8204

Every donation, no matter the size, helps provide comfort, confidence, and encouragement to a student preparing for a successful school year.

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed.” — Proverbs 19:17

📚✏️🎒🩵

06/01/2026

Our Lunch and Learn Reading Program Starts tomorrow. Come join us!

06/01/2026

Hey You… It’s Just a Distraction. Stay Focused.

There will always be something competing for your attention.

A rumor.
A lie.
A betrayal.
A false narrative.
A disappointing situation.
Someone else’s opinion of you.

The enemy of your purpose does not always come dressed as failure. Sometimes it comes disguised as distraction.

When we become consumed with defending ourselves, proving our worth, correcting every misunderstanding, or chasing the approval of others, we can lose sight of the very thing God called us to do.

Why Distractions Affect Us So Deeply

According to Abraham Maslow, human beings have fundamental needs that influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

When false narratives, betrayal, and deceit occur, they often attack several levels of our needs:

1. Safety Needs

We want to feel secure and protected.

When someone lies on us, betrays our trust, or creates confusion around our character, it can make us feel vulnerable and unsafe emotionally.

2. Love and Belonging Needs

We all desire connection, acceptance, and healthy relationships.

Betrayal by family, friends, coworkers, or church members can create feelings of rejection and isolation.

3. Esteem Needs

We want to feel respected and valued.

False accusations and deception can damage our confidence and cause us to question our worth.

4. Self-Actualization

This is the level where we pursue purpose and become who God created us to be.

Distractions can keep us so focused on the battle around us that we neglect the calling within us.

The danger is that when our emotional energy is consumed by what people are saying, doing, or thinking, we have less energy available for what God is building.

The Truth About Distractions

Not every battle deserves your participation.

Some distractions are designed to pull you away from your assignment.

When Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall, his enemies repeatedly tried to lure him away from the work.

Nehemiah’s response was powerful:

“I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.” (Nehemiah 6:3)

In other words:

“I don’t have time to entertain distractions because I am focused on my purpose.”

How God Uses Betrayal, Lies, and Deceit

The beautiful thing about God is that He never wastes our pain.

What was sent to destroy us often becomes the very thing that develops us.

Betrayal Builds Discernment

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison.

Yet God used every painful season to prepare him for leadership.

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good…” (Genesis 50:20)

What people meant for harm became part of God’s preparation process.

Lies Build Integrity

When people misrepresent us, we are given the opportunity to remain committed to truth.

Character is not proven when everyone believes in you.

Character is proven when you remain faithful even when they don’t.

“The integrity of the upright shall guide them.” (Proverbs 11:3)

Deceit Builds Spiritual Maturity

Every difficult experience teaches us where our trust should truly be.

Sometimes God allows people to disappoint us so we can learn to depend more fully on Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

Resilience Is Developed in the Storm

Nobody asks God for resilience.

But many ask God for strength.

The problem is strength is usually developed through resistance.

Paul understood this truth when he wrote:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” (Romans 8:28)

Not some things.

Not easy things.

All things.

The betrayal.
The disappointment.
The rejection.
The misunderstanding.
The delay.

God can use every one of them for His glory and your growth.

Resilience Produces Character

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work…” (James 1:3-4)

Every challenge is producing something in you that comfort never could.

Patience.
Wisdom.
Discernment.
Endurance.
Faith.

Stay Focused on What Matters

If the enemy cannot destroy your purpose, he will often try to distract you from it.

So today, refuse to give your energy to things that are beneath your calling.

You do not have to answer every critic.

You do not have to correct every rumor.

You do not have to explain yourself to everyone.

Instead:

Pray.
Trust God.
Keep building.
Keep serving.
Keep growing.
Keep moving forward.

The distraction is temporary.

The assignment is eternal.

Daily Affirmation

Hey You… It’s just a distraction. Stay focused.

God is developing my character through every challenge. I will not allow lies, betrayal, or false narratives to pull me away from my purpose. What God has called me to do is greater than any distraction sent to stop me.

“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…” — Hebrews 12:1-2

05/22/2026

It's ok to let go of things that no longer serve or has a place for your current season or the season your entering. Sometimes God cannot pour new purpose, peace, or blessings into our lives because our hands are still full of things we were never meant to carry forever. Some people, places, habits, and even mindsets were only assigned to a chapter of our journey — not the entire story.

Letting go is not always easy. It can feel painful, unfamiliar, and even lonely. But growth often requires release. You cannot fully step into a new season while holding onto what keeps pulling you backward. Holding on to what no longer serves you can drain your peace, delay your healing, cloud your judgment, and keep you connected to environments that no longer align with where God is taking you.

Sometimes we must let go of:
✨ toxic relationships
✨ old disappointments
✨ guilt and shame
✨ unhealthy environments
✨ expired versions of ourselves
✨ fear of change
✨ people who only celebrate the old you but resist your growth

Letting go is important because:
✔ it creates room for healing
✔ it protects your peace
✔ it strengthens your faith
✔ it allows growth and transformation
✔ it helps you walk boldly into your next season

How do we let go?
🌿 Pray honestly and ask God for strength
🌿 Accept that every season has an ending
🌿 Stop romanticizing what hurt you
🌿 Set healthy boundaries
🌿 Forgive, even when closure never comes
🌿 Trust that obedience to God’s direction is better than comfort
🌿 Focus on where God is leading you, not just what you lost

Sometimes letting go is not losing — it is God making room for greater.

📖 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” — Isaiah 43:18-19

05/19/2026

What’s In Your Cup? ☕️

Every morning, I pour hazelnut creamer into my coffee. Coffee by itself is strong and bitter to me, so I add flavored creamer to soften the taste and lessen the effects of the caffeine — the jitters, anxiety, racing heart, palpitations, and sleepless nights.

The creamer changes the intensity of the coffee, but it does not remove the coffee from the cup.

Life can be the same way.

Life is bittersweet, strong, invigorating, and sometimes overwhelming. It leaves us carrying emotions both beautiful and painful. For a long time, I chose gratitude and positivity so strongly that I often ignored the harder emotions — sadness, disappointment, loneliness, frustration, anger, grief.

While gratitude is powerful, ignoring our emotions can be detrimental to our physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Just like the creamer in my coffee can distract me from how bitter the coffee really is, gratitude can sometimes distract us from the pain life has placed in our cup. But the pain is still there.

Part of honoring ourselves is taking a moment to pause — not only to acknowledge the blessings, but also to feel the sadness, express the frustration, admit the disappointment, and sit honestly with the unnamed emotions we carry.

Jesus showed us this throughout Scripture.

Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He wept. (John 11:35)

Even knowing resurrection and victory were coming, He still allowed Himself to feel grief, sorrow, and compassion in the moment.

We also see this in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46).

Before Calvary, Jesus paused.

He acknowledged what was in His cup.

In His humanity, He did not desire the suffering He was about to endure. Scripture tells us His anguish was so intense that His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. He openly expressed His sorrow, saying:
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

Even while walking in purpose, Jesus gave Himself permission to feel.

So if Jesus paused to acknowledge His emotions… what are we doing so purposefully that we feel we cannot?

I know what is in my cup during this season of my life. And I honor myself by giving myself permission to pause, to feel, and to express.

My faith, trust in God, prayer life, and seeking professional help have been transformational for me.

Life is not meant to be navigated alone. It is okay to not be okay. Seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Your emotions matter.
Your well-being matters.
You matter.

There is no magic recipe for life, and one size does not fit all.

So I ask you today:
What’s in your cup?
And even more importantly… what are you doing about it?