When the Rev. Dr. Calvin Collins became pastor of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in 1987, he knew it would be a big responsibility.
“This was one of the larger churches in the Black community,” he recalled, “and so I was scared, intimidated and all of the above.”
It was his first pastoral job, which he took on while still attending Wesley Biblical Seminary. He said he had known nothing about the church previously; in fact, he became a member only after being hired as pastor. He had to adjust to weekly services, which few Black churches in the area offered — and he was also working at Greenwood Leflore Hospital full time and raising a family.
But he said the members were very welcoming and cordial. “They hadn’t had a pastor that young in quite some time,” he said. “Then (I had) children, so that was kind of some fresh air to the church.”
As he continues to lead that congregation at 66, Collins and the church’s other leaders still take pride in providing that welcoming atmosphere.
- - -
New Zion was established in 1896, growing out of McKinney Baptist Church as a brush arbor on its current site on Carrollton Avenue. Money was raised to build a frame church there. Soon Sunday school was added, and a 19-member choir was formed. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1920 but was rebuilt the following year under Pastor J.E. Bryant.
The Educational Annex was built in 1948 under A.W. Moore, who served as pastor for 37 years, and an organ with chimes was added beginning in February 1951.
The building underwent significant additions in the late 1960s, including a baptistry, a kitchen and central heating. In addition, the entrance, choir lofts and pulpit were remodeled. Upgrades in the early 1980s included new pews, pulpit furniture, a communion table, a collection table and two lecterns.
Collins, a native of Benton, came from that town to Greenwood in 1981 after marrying and started work as a respiratory therapist at the hospital. He worked with New Zion’s pastor, the Rev. J.L. Hall, on some community projects and thought well of him.
“He was hard-working; he liked to write; he was very much engaged in the community and what was going on in the community,” Collins said.
When Hall opted to leave for Louisiana, he recommended that Collins succeed him. Collins was named interim pastor in early 1987 and became the official pastor May 17.
The church has added many programs during his tenure, including a young adult ministry, a family life ministry, a nursery, a summer mentoring program and an orientation program for new members. New Zion also has hosted speakers on various health-related issues and offered health screenings.
Additions to the church building have included a public address system, new roofing and tile and upgrades to the Educational Annex. In the early 1990s, New Zion also bought some land behind its building and two buildings on its west side, and later it completed a multipurpose building and acquired more land that was converted into a paved parking lot.
- - -
Miranda Hodge, who is the Sunday school director and a coordinator of the family life ministry, has been a member since 1988. She and her husband moved from Florida and visited several churches. Collins’ wife, Elnora, and Clemmie Cleveland invited her to New Zion.
“We had an infant and a small child, and they had children here, so that kind of piqued my interest a lot,” said Hodge, a former director of New Zion’s nursery.
She said she liked the preaching and the family atmosphere and has enjoyed being a student and teacher of Bible classes. She and others there also volunteer for and donate to a number of community organizations.
“There are families now that need things, so we donate clothes; we donate food; we just do all we can to help our brothers and sisters in need,” she said.
Charles McCoy has been a member for about 39 years, a deacon for about 25 and chairman of the deacon board for about 10.
The Greenwood councilman said the church, which his wife and her family had attended before he started going there, felt like home the first time he walked in and still feels that way.
“The atmosphere of the church was a warm and pleasant atmosphere — a place that you just want to go and worship in,” he said. “And everybody seemed like family. You walk in the door, and everybody’s speaking and nice to you and treats you like family.”
McCoy also has served as the church’s finance secretary for about 12 years and is a longtime member of the Usher Board.
“All three of my kids have been raised in New Zion Church, and that’s one of the most proud things I can say,” he said — adding that now his 14-year-old granddaughter is active there.
He said he and Collins talk regularly about family and other aspects of their lives.
“He’s not only my pastor; he’s my brother,” McCoy said. “He’s my friend.”
- - -
Jerry Carter, who has led the music ministry for about 10 years, said he enjoys working with talented singers and musicians.
“I love the dedication, the camaraderie that we have, the commitment that we have to being part of that ministry through song,” he said.
Carter grew up in Morgan City but now lives and works in Jackson, where he is chief of law enforcement for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. He is pretty dedicated himself, traveling to Greenwood every weekend for church activities. But he’s OK with taking the time and money the trips require. In fact, he uses the time on the road to meditate about how he will direct and sing.
“It’s worth it,” he said. “I get the reward.”
He has been a member of New Zion for more than 25 years and has led the music ministry for about 10. When New Zion’s previous music minister, Kenneth Milton, left, Carter thought he could handle the job.
“I wasn’t all that coordinated,” he said, laughing, “but I just took the challenge and just asked God to lead the way and let me direct.”
Having been raised in a family that included several singers, he found early in life that he had a good ear for gospel music — and he follows advice his mother and brother gave him: Whatever you do, let it come from the heart.
He leads the Sanctuary Choir, which any member or guest may participate in at any time, and the Celestial Choir, which is composed entirely of New Zion members. The Sanctuary Choir usually had about 60 people before the COVID-19 pandemic; now it has about 25. But Carter said they all push each other to be better, and he has always listened to their suggestions.
“I’m not a professional; basically none of us were,” he said. “We just kind of love singing and just all took it from there, and they followed my direction.”
Carter thinks of the choir as a ministry that allows people to express themselves and also touch listeners’ hearts by inspiring, encouraging or consoling them.
“When somebody comes and tells us, ‘You really touched me today with a song,’ that’s ministry,” he said.
The choir performs occasionally in other churches now, and Carter said he hopes the group will be able to resume singing in care facilities, as it did before the pandemic.
He said he will keep doing the job as long as he can and is happy with the worship experience at New Zion under Collins’ leadership. “I could go to church in Jackson, but I like the family setting more than I do the big churches in the cities.”
- - -
For many years, Sunday services at New Zion typically drew 200 to 300 people, and sometimes more, until the pandemic. Now attendance is around 100. Collins said that when the pandemic hit, he told people he wouldn’t pressure them to return — that they could just do it when they felt comfortable.
The church remains active in supporting organizations such as the Community Kitchen, the Community Food Pantry and The Salvation Army. Its members also pitch in to help people with utility bills, gas bills and rent when needed. They also have spoken out in response to crime and other community issues.
Collins, who was one of the planners for the Community Kitchen, also was involved in crafting the mission statement for The Bridge, an organization that was formed to encourage racial unity. Its work continues today with Mission Mississippi.
“I still think the biggest problem in terms of race relationships is that people don’t know each other,” he said.
He has preached at churches with predominantly white congregations, as well as those with predominantly Black ones. He said he believes people of all races want the same things, including good jobs, housing and schools, stable income and a safe living environment.
In May, he will become New Zion’s longest-serving pastor, and he remains optimistic about the community and his church’s role in it.
“Even after all these years, I’m still excited about the potential for the church, the potential for Greenwood, the potential for our community,” he said. “And I know there are many challenges, but I pray God will give me the strength, guidance and direction to do my part to make Greenwood a good place to live — a good and vibrant place to live.”
- This article first appeared in Leflore Illustrated, a quarterly magazine published by The Greenwood Commonwealth.
