New name, same prayer

Historic church gets a new name

First Baptist Church NBC was established in 1866 by Reverend Moses Johns under the name Colored Baptist Church Zion, according to the current Pastor Colby Cotton. And to honor the church’s history – while also pushing it forward – Cotton will be changing the name to New Zion Baptist Church.

The church has been in its current location since 1986, at 420 S. Mitchell St., and Cotton said the interior of the church was recently renovated. The church will be receiving a name change to accompany its new look. Cotton said this move is meant to charge the church forward and continue to create history by embracing it and adding another milestone.

“Our original name was Colored Church Zion,” Cotton said, adding that he wants “to do a name change to honor our history and our legacy we were founded on. We know we can’t go back to the Colored Church of Zion – because we’re beyond that – but to go back to the word Zion … We’re the new people, but we’re still Zion. It represents the safeness of God, the glory of God. Everything that just resonates with God and people feeling his presence. And [it is] a place of refuge, strength and stability.”

Cotton became the pastor in fall of last year, and he said since that time the church has brought in 70 new members.

“This is a multigenerational church [and] a multicultural church. We don’t just identify with the Black community. We identify with the Hispanic [and] the white community. It is a very diverse church. Just to see the diversity on a Sunday morning is absolutely amazing,” Cotton said. The name change “shows that the church is willing to change. The church wants change. We want to be that vessel in the community to show the community what it looks like when people are together and united. We may not always agree, but we’re just united together for the better good.”

Cotton added that embracing this change shows that the church is willing to break down the racial barriers in the city.

“Now we won’t have to explain that ‘we’re the black church, and that’s the white church.’ We don’t want to have those conversations, because we are beyond that,” Cotton said. “We don’t want to identify with just that community. We want to identify with people in general.”

Cotton said the church has helped the community in a number of ways over the many years it has been in operation. It has paid for utilities, gas, food, clothing and shelter to those that needed it.

“We’re just a giving, loving church, and God has blessed us in such a mighty way,” Cotton said. “I do believe that God is bringing this community together.”

Cotton said he wants his legacy during his time as the pastor of New Zion Baptist Church as one which changed lives for the better. It is fitting then that the new church logo reads “New Zion Baptist Church — experience the difference.” He added that he looks forward to passing the baton in about 50 years so that the next person can take the church’s legacy even further by being impactful and intentional, as he is trying to do now.

Sunday worship occurs 11 a.m., and there is Wednesday Bible Study at 12 p.m. and 7 p.m.