Mt. Zion youth host program on heritage

Youth Leader Julia Riley at the Historic Mt. Zion United Methodist Church said she couldn’t be more proud of her youth for their efforts to recognize the importance of Black History Month. 

Riley said the youth at the church, known as “Faith Walkers,” came to her and said they wanted to do a Black History Month program that involved singing songs and praising God, intertwined with presentations and biographies about influential African Americans. 

She said all of the Mt. Zion youth, under the direction of Pastor Eddie Hinton, are walking in faith. The youth have also participated in events such as Philadelphia’s Martin Luther King Jr. parade, where they made their own signs and marched during the parade. 

“Our youth hosted the Black History program at Mt. Zion on Feb. 19,” Riley said. “They all researched well-known civil rights icons as well as other famous and accomplished African Americans, some of them being Mississippians like Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Medgar Evers, and Fannie Lou Hamer.” 

She said along with these Mississippi icons, the youth also covered other influential African Americans including President Barack Obama, Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks. 

“All of the youth sat down, did the research, presented some great biographies, sang during the program, and recognized all of these incredible individuals,” Riley said. “They recognized black history well and honored our forefathers and foremothers who went before us and made the world a better place, along with honoring the people who are still in the process of making the world better for all of us. It was all under the leadership of pastor, Eddie Hinton, and I could not be more proud of our Mt. Zion United Methodist Youth.” 

Pastor Eddie Hinton said the Mt. Zion youth have a great way of looking at things in their time, and while they can’t change the past, they are willing to work on changing the future. 

“These kids realize they can do this with faith and the support of the Word of God,” Hinton said. “They’re faithful children who are willing to follow based on what has been presented to them, and willing to understand and be patient enough to listen to the old stories. “They want to make the future better. The program was great and the children truly wanted to take on the name “Faith Walkers.” 

Hinton said the church plans to repeat the program next year, but he wants to add to it by getting other churches involved along with more members of the community. 

“We are faith walkers and we believe we can walk a new spirit into the City of Philadelphia with faith in Jesus Christ,” he said. “We have to let the Holy Spirit walk through us.”