Race and Place Newspapers

Location: Richmond, Virginia
Date of Publication: January 17, 1891 (Wednesday)
Frequency: weekly

Page 4

Column 3-4
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., Jan. 12, '90.

Transcript of Article

Mr. Editor:

Dear Sir.

In a previous issue of the PLANET we notice the following mention in the letter or notes from this city. "Rev. Vassar preached at the Mt. Zion Church on Sunday night and Rev. Graham lectured on Monday night." The above quotation besides being narrow and imperfect is characteristic of all previous mention of affairs pertaining to the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, during the past 12 months which does us great injustice, and has a tendency to mislead the minds of your readers as they would be led to believe the First Colored Church and its very popular pastor is [sic] the [only?] Church and pastor here doing [any?] active and successful work for our people while the contrary is true as will be seen from the following clipping in the N.Y. Age of recent date which in justice to the Mt. Zion Church people and the friends of Revs. D. N. Vassar and Wm. F. Graham, we ask you to publish.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., Jan. 5--- Sunday, December 21, was a gala day for the people of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. They gathered together in large and enthusiastic numbers to celebrate with appropriate services the 23d anniversary in their church history, this being the first anniversary celebrated by them since the date of their organization., April, 1867. The order of services was as follows: 11 A.M. Thanksgiving services consisting of prayers, testimonies, and hymns, 2:30 P. M., the celebration of the Eucharist conducted by the pastor, assisted by Rev. Prof. D. N. Vassar of the Richmond Theological Seminary. The latter preached an instructive sermon at 7:30. The people responded liberally to the collection lifted during the day.

Monday night the bazaar was opened by Rev. W.F. Graham of Danville, who read a very interesting paper on "Our Responsibilities." On Tuesday night Rev. Richard Wells of Richmond, the organizer of the church, recounted the history in a graphic and interesting manner. There was a service of songs by the old people as in olden times. Rev. Robert Hughes, the first pastor, was present and assisted in this service.

Christmas evening and Christmas night there was no special program but there was a large attendance both evenings. On Friday night, there were extraordinary attractions, it being the closing entertainment of the bazaar and proved to be the most novel and unique of all.

There was a state dinner by the children who impersonated the President, Vice President, Soeaker Reed and senators and their wives from the various states of the Union. The program consisted of speeches by the President, Vice President and Speaker Reed. The ladies were royally entertained by Mrs. President Harrison. The vestry of the Church was [?] decorated as were also the booth. [sic]. Mrs. Nancy Munroe and Miss Jennie E. Wright had charge of the [china?] booth, Misses Nancy Box and Lizzie Barcus, the war booth; Mrs. Annie E. Robinson and Mr. Noah Twine, the fancy booth and Misses Elizabeth Howard and Rosa Duvall, the confectionary and ice cream booth, with Misses Iretta Jones as cashier. The bazaar was a success financially and otherwise. Too much praise cannot be given Rev. J. Francis Robinson who originated and led in the execution of the scheme. The sum of $434.91 was taken in during the week; cleared to the Church $280. 38, which makes a total of $1800 paid on the main debt of the Church since the second Sunday in last March, a record unprecedented in the history of the Church.

We wish respectfully to hereby request your correspondent to hereafter abstain from making any mention of the doings of our Church if he cannot give a fair and impartial report thereof. This letter has the appropriation of the entire Deacon Board and he members of Mt. Zion Church.

Respectfully yours,

For justice and truth

J. FRANCIS ROBINSON, Pastor.

Summary of Article
A letter from the pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church reminding the Richmond Planet that there are two colored churches in Charlottesville and both should be covered in the news with equal attention.

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