[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5007]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING LITTLE ZION M.B. CHURCH

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 28, 2017

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable historical church, Little Zion Missionary Baptist of Money, 
Mississippi and the great leadership it is under.
  The Little Zion M.B. Church in Money, Mississippi was built in 1871 
by field-hand laborers. Mrs. Bloodsol gave the people of Wade, 
Whittington and the Bloodsol Plantations the property. It sits in the 
center of these plantations.
  The bible states that ``Upon this rock, I will build my church and 
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it''. Taking this verse 
into consideration the church's name became Little Zion. The name is 
significant because the Hebrew meaning of Zion is Jerusalem and Little 
Zion is the little Jerusalem.
  After the construction of the church, Mrs. Bloodsol gave her yard-boy 
a letter to deliver to the preacher of the church explaining to the 
church members what the letter deed meant. She told the yard-boy to 
tell the members that if they did not understand the letter deed, she 
would send a rider to explain it.
  When the church was built, it was facing the Tallahatchie River which 
during that time was the main route of travel. In 1929, a fire 
partially burned the church. When it was repaired, it was built facing 
the road.
  The early leaders of the church were: R.L. Reynolds, A.D. Williams, 
A.D. Burke, H.L. Collins and S.T. Taylor. They were the cornerstones of 
the church and they were mainly responsible for the church's continued 
existence.
  Along with the church leaders, many early deacons and wives were 
responsible for the welfare of the church. Among them were deacons: 
L.A. Hines, Robert Lathan, C.L. Lofts, Tom Eskridge, Ed McCall, Percy 
Paul and Bill Hannal and their wives.
  Little Zion's present leader is Reverend McAuther McKinnley. Under 
his leadership the church has blossomed. For 21 years Rev. McKinnley 
has been responsible for carrying on what Rev. Reynolds started 144 
years ago.
  Today, Little Zion honors those who took the leadership roles and 
passed the torch on to the present leaders. Ten years ago, an 
historical marker was placed on the site of the church. This marker was 
important because it was a symbol of the long history and struggle of 
the delta.
  Little Zion thanks the fore-parents for making those days possible 
through the good and bad days it still stands.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Lithe Zion 
Missionary Baptist Church for its dedication to serving our great 
country.

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