A Pillar of New Brunswick Since 1827
Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church stands on Hildebrand Way in the heart of New Brunswick, New Jersey, identified by its own congregation as one of five historic community pillars alongside the New Brunswick City Government, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, and Johnson & Johnson, Inc. Founded in 1827, it is the oldest African American church in Middlesex County, and it carries a biblical motto drawn from 2 Corinthians 3:18 - "186 Years of Reflecting God's Glory." The church's own motto, "Changing Lives for God's Glory," is paired with the rallying phrase "Converge, Create, Consecrate" that opens its gatherings.
The congregation is part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, a denomination that grew out of the Free African Society organized by Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others in Philadelphia in 1787. Mount Zion belongs to the AME Church's First Episcopal District and is served by clergy assigned through the New Jersey Annual Conference. To date, seventy pastors have served the church.
From Division Street to Hildebrand Way
The story of Mount Zion begins with Joseph and Jane Hoagland and other Black residents of the New Brunswick area, whose status - free, enslaved, or a mix of both - is not recorded. In 1827 they purchased a 30 by 13.5 square foot lot from Abraham S. Clark and his wife for $417.73 and organized a congregation of about thirty people. By December 12, 1829 the group held title to property on Division Street, where they erected a small frame building that resembled "the little red schoolhouse" so dear to the era. The original Mount Zion had a burying ground around it, with men sitting on one side of the sanctuary and women on the other, and officers seated in what longtime members still refer to as "The Amen Corner."
For its first years the church had no settled pastor. Circuit riders preached and then rode on to their next assignment. The first registered pastor was the Rev. Richard Robinson, who served from 1832 to 1834. The Rev. Solomon Hill, who pastored from 1938 to 1949, was the first to remain more than three years; he stabilized the finances, modernized the books, and rooted the church deeply in the wider community. Later pastors expanded that public role. The Rev. W. C. Cook (1949 - 1959) renovated the building and served on the boards of the Neighborhood House and the New Brunswick Chapter of the American Red Cross. The Rev. James W. Waters (1959 - 1964) helped found what became North Stelton AME Church in Piscataway and was the first person of his race to run for mayor of New Brunswick.
The longest tenure belongs to the Rev. Henry A. Hildebrand, who served for thirty-seven years. Under his leadership Mount Zion moved on October 10 and 11, 1987 into its present edifice, capping a seven-year project from groundbreaking to occupancy. The Rev. Dr. Joseph Antoine Hooper (2001 - 2009) established the Praising Healthy Team and the Mount Zion Preschool under the Community Development Corporation, partnered with Leewood Real Estate Group to build the Mt. Zion Leewood Homes, and oversaw the renovation of the parsonage and the formation of the Praise Dancers. The Rev. Daylan K. Greer, Sr. (June 2009 - January 2013) installed the Acolytes. The Rev. Eric Ray Billips and the Rev. Myra Turner Billips, appointed in January 2013, were the first husband-and-wife co-pastors assigned in the AME First Episcopal District, and Pastor Myra Billips became the first woman to pastor Mount Zion.
On June 16, 2018, Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram assigned the Reverends Drs. W. Golden and Mattie Ard Carmon as Mount Zion's seventieth pastors. Under their leadership the church became debt free for the first time in forty-three years, the preschool was revitalized, and the congregation returned to growth in what Bishop Ingram had called "The Year of Restoration."
Sunday Worship and Weekly Prayer
Sunday morning at Mount Zion begins with Sunday Church School at 9:00 AM, followed by Morning Worship at 10:00 AM. Both gatherings are held in person and broadcast on Zoom for those joining from home (dial-in 646-558-8656, meeting ID 898 5558 0510, password 909495). The Wednesday rhythm is anchored by the Power Wednesday Prayer Call at 7:00 AM and the Pastor's Bible Study at 7:00 PM, the latter held virtually only (dial-in 860 4067 6580, password 313374). The Women's Ministry Miracle Monday Prayer Call meets at 7:00 PM each Monday. Together these services sustain a steady weekly cadence of study, prayer, and corporate worship that visitors can step into easily.
The Pastoral Team
Senior Pastor W. Golden Carmon, Sr., a North Carolina native, came to Mount Zion in 2018 after thirteen years leading Mt. Zion AMEC of Plainfield, NJ, where he chaired the Economic Development Corporation and led the acquisition of a 12,000-square-foot edifice and school on a 1.5-acre campus. Before Plainfield he pastored St. Marks AMEC of Cranford and earlier served at North Stelton AMEC of Piscataway, where he co-founded the Food Pantry Ministry. A retired IBM executive with thirty-three years in industry, he holds a Doctor of Ministry from Drew University, a Master of Divinity from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and engineering degrees from Cornell University. His personal motto is "Building God's House One Life at a Time" (Psalm 127:1).
Assistant Pastor Mattie A. Carmon, a Louisiana native, served as Executive Minister at Mt. Zion AMEC of Plainfield and as an instructor in the Ministerial Training Institute for thirteen years, teaching Vocational Leadership, Old Testament Studies, and AMEC Polity. She likewise holds a Doctor of from Drew, a Master of Divinity from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Limestone College. Before entering the ministry she had a career in AT&T operations and customer service spanning twenty-five years. Her calling centers on guiding people into personal Bible study and prayer, anchored in Matthew 6:33.
The Carmons are assisted by a ministerial staff that includes the Rev. Dr. Antoinette Farmer and the Rev. Leslie Williams as Local Elders, and the Rev. Veatrece Newton as an Itinerant Elder. Music is led by Brother Leo Newton as Music Director, Sister Glendoreia Diop as Choir Director, and Sister Marvetta Troop as Choir President.
What Mount Zion Believes
Mount Zion affirms the Apostles' Creed, confessing faith in God the Father Almighty, in Jesus Christ his only Son conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in the crucifixion and resurrection, in the Holy Spirit, the Church Universal, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
The church's own vision is to advance the kingdom of God through dynamic worship, the powerful proclamation of the word, anointed teaching, effective evangelism, and ministry to the needs of the community. It shares the wider AME mission of ministering to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ's liberating gospel through word and deed - through preaching the gospel, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, cheering the fallen, providing jobs for the jobless, and administering to those in prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, and senior facilities. The AME motto, "God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, the Holy Spirit Our Comforter, Humankind Our Family," sums up that calling.
Ministries Across the Congregation
Mount Zion organizes its work around six overlapping emphases. The Authentic Worship, Praise, Evangelism, and Biblical Teaching Ministries center the sanctuary life of the church. The Seniors and Seasoned Saints Wisdom Ministries tend to the older members of the congregation. The Next Generation Youth and Young Adult Discipleship Ministries, including the Mt. Zion New Brunswick Young People's Department, connect youth to evangelism, Christian social relations, and the heritage of the AME Church. The Christian Journey, Missions, and Outreach Ministries carry the church into the wider New Brunswick community. The Christian Men's and Women's Spiritual Growth Ministries build up adult disciples. The Christian Stewardship and Abundant Living Ministries care for the resources that fuel the rest of the work.
Education, Scholarship, and Discipleship
The Edward Lane Education and Scholarship Fund Committee, originally started during the Rev. Solomon Hill administration in the 1940s and revived in 1998, awards an annual scholarship to a graduating high school senior and offers stipends and grants to post-secondary students. The committee also runs a tutorial program and a Computer Learning Center, and partners with the preschool and the congregation at large to collect pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House - a project the committee inaugurated with the preschool and continues to support each year.
The Pastor's Bible Study on Wednesday evenings and the Sunday Church School form the church's main discipleship spine. The Sunday School curriculum is published weekly as printable study notes for members and visitors who want to follow along at home.
The Mount Zion Community Development Corporation
The Mt. Zion CDC was incorporated in May 2000 as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and later amended its bylaws to include affordable housing. Its early years brought computer classes for seniors, the founding of the Praising Healthy health team, partnership with Financial Resources Federal Credit Union to offer credit-union benefits to church and community members, free budgeting and first-time home-buyer seminars, and grants from Johnson & Johnson, Rutgers Community Health, and NBTomorrow.
In 2005 the CDC opened the Mount Zion CDC Preschool with seventy-five students and broke ground the following year on Mt. Zion Leewood Homes, an affordable-housing partnership with the City of New Brunswick and Leewood Real Estate Group, with new homeowners receiving their keys in October 2007. The Praising Healthy Team continues to host community health fairs, cancer education, and obesity-prevention programs in partnership with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, including annual free prostate cancer screenings. The CDC also runs an annual Golf Classic, supplies back-to-school items and Thanksgiving baskets for local families, and invites supporters to designate Mount Zion as their charity of choice on AmazonSmile and through the E-Scrip grocery program at Foodtown.
Mount Zion CDC Preschool
The Mount Zion CDC Preschool, established in 2005, serves children five days a week from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM under Director Lemnis Kirchmeier. It is a free program funded by the New Brunswick Public Schools Early Childhood Department of Education, with breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks provided at no charge through the New Jersey Department of Agriculture Child and Family Food Program. A wrap-around program offers before-care, after-care, or both for a modest weekly fee. The preschool uses the Tools of the Mind curriculum, a research-based early childhood program built on the Vygotskian approach that promotes self-regulated learning alongside academic skills, and is offered in partnership with the New Brunswick Public Schools.
Visiting Mount Zion
The church sits at 39 Hildebrand Way, near Morris Street in New Brunswick, with the office reachable at 732-249-8476 and Mtzionamecnb@Gmail.com. Sunday worship draws visitors who may park in the Morris Street Parking Deck at 70 New Street; ushers provide free vouchers, and a Sunday shuttle has historically run between the deck and the church on Sunday mornings. Visitors can also follow the church on Facebook and Instagram, give online through Givelify or PayPal, and join any of the ministries or the Young People's Department by contacting the office. Mount Zion's doors, its preschool, its Bible study, and its CDC outreach all carry the same founding conviction that the Hoaglands and their neighbors acted on in 1827 - that a people gathered in God's name can change the life of a city.