Greenstone Church Oral History Museum Open House, April 15, 2023

EMZBC launches the Greenstone Church Oral History and Museum Project

2022 - 2023

(Continued from page 1.)

On Sunday, December 11, 1955, at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, where the conflict of race impacted every common gathering space, especially sacred spaces, Euclid Avenue Christian Church, a predominately white congregation, and East Mt. Zion Baptist Church, a predominately African American congregation decided to break the barrier of race and worship together.

Building on this history and the current climate of race in our country East Mt. Zion endeavored to tell the stories that speak to unity, intentional collaboration, and community transformation.

From the EMZBC Archives

In 2022 EMZBC was generously awarded a grant by the Ohio Humanities Council to tell the stories of the sacred space to cultivate greater conversation of how we could embrace the act of Sankofa looking backward to understand our pathway forward. Dr. Regennia N. Williams, a Distinguished Scholar of African American History and Culture at the Western Reserve Historical Society was commissioned to assist in leading this effort. Dr. Williams and the team have worked to chronicle and record the stories of members of EMZBC and EACC who were around during the transfer of the historic structure.

Pictured above (left to right) are the Rev. Dr. Jacob Goldner, former pastor of the Euclid Avenue Christian Church (EACC), Rev. Dr. Walter McGowan (EACC), and Rev. Dr. William Downs of the East Mt. Zion Baptist Church (EMZBC). Rev. McGowan and Rev. Downs were the pastors of their respective churches at the time of EMZBCs move to the Greenstone church.

(Left)

Plain Dealer, 1955 newspaper article from EMZBC’s archives.

Under the leadership of Rev. Dr. A. Charles Bowie (above) EMZBC broke ground in 2001and completed in 2002 the Christian education building that now bears his name.

During the tenure of Rev. Dr. Brian A. Cash (below), EMZBC has worked to lay a firm foundation for church growth and community outreach that celebrates and documents the past while envisioning a brighter future for all.

From the EMZBC Archives

The Evidence of Things Seen and Heard in 1955

The program stated, among other things,

We welcome to our pulpit today the Reverend Williams M. Downs, Pastor of the East Mt. Zion Baptist Church. We welcome, too, the congregation of this church as its members share in our closing Sunday worship here and in their opening Sunday worship here.

Next Sunday we worship in our new church Education Building at Yellowstone and Mayfield Roads in Cleveland Heights.

Pictured here are (left) the front cover and (above) the inside pages of the December 11, 1955 bulletin for the joint service for members of the East Mt. Zion Baptist Church and the Euclid Avenue Christian Church, which is now known a the Disciples Christian Church.

PROGRAM

9:30 am Doors Open

10:00 am Registration & Refreshments Lobby and Banquet Hall

10:30 am Welcome and Self-Guided Tours

Greenstone Church: Back Chapel, Susie Lee Lounge, and Sanctuary

11:00 am Official Session Opening, The Rev. Dr. Brian A. Cash, Pastor

Musical Performance by Renovare’s Lalia Mangione and Rebecca Shasberger

“Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius

Panel Discussion #1 with Special Guest Presenters

Regennia N. Williams, PhD, Moderato r

12:00 pm

Musical Performance by Renovare’s Lalia Mangione and Rebecca Shasberger

“It Will All Be Okay,” A DocSong by Mrs. Marva Geter and Renovare Music

Panel Discussion #2 with Greenstone Church Oral History Project Narrators

Regennia N. Williams, PhD, Moderato r

Musical Performance by Renovare’s Lalia

“My Church and I,” A DocSong by Mrs. Evana Jackson and Renovare Music

12:30 pm Luncheon | Meet & Greet with Panelists

Mrs. Vel Scott, Rev. Dr. E.T. Caviness, and Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.

Mrs. Evana Jackson, Mrs. Patricia Hopps, and Mrs. Marva Geter

Mangione and Rebecca Shasberger

(Left) Teachers and students in East Mt. Zion Sunday School’s Cradle Roll Department; (Below) The Bowie family.

(Right) The baptistery and the altar and pulpit in the sanctuary of the East Mt. Zion Baptist Church (EMZBC); Pastor and First Lady Downs with their nieces in front of the church.

(Below) Banquet group in EMZBC’s Susie Lee Lounge.

Revealed: Untold Stories Behind the Stone

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Grateful acknowledgment is hereby given to the entire Greenstone Church Oral History and Museum Project team, East Mt. Zion Baptist Church and volunteers, and the following organizations and individuals:

Ms. Rena Brooks

Ms. Mildred Ford

Ms. Tracye Conley Jackson

Pastor Jason Bricker -Thompson and The Disciples

Christian Church of Cleveland Heights

Renovare Music

Mr. Jesse Laster, Photographer/Videographer

The Downs Family

The McGowan Family

The RASHAD Center, Inc.

We Cater to You, LLC

Western Reserve Historical Society

Case Western Reserve University, Humanities@Work

Student Interns Abner Calderon and Silvana Cantelmi

OUR NARRATORS

*Interviews are ongoing. List current as of April 13 , 2023.

On Location

Recorded in the Susie Lee Lounge by Mr. Jesse Laster

Mr. Zeddie D. Coley (EMZBC)

Mrs. Inez King Edwards (EMZBC)

Mrs. Marva Geter (EMZBC)*

Attorney Donet Graves (EACC)

Mr. John Graves (EACC)

Mrs. Patricia Hopps (EMZBC)*

The Rev. Dr. John Humbert (EACC)

Mrs. Evana Jackson (EMZBC)*

Mrs. Teresa Law (EMZBC)

Mrs. Earnestine Pickett (EMZBC)

*Special program panelists

Remote

Recorded via Zoom or Conference Call

Minister Hosea Anderson (EMZBC)

Mrs. Ingrid Blalock (EMZBC)

Dr. Heather Burton (EMZBC)

Mr. Miles Cobbs (EMZBC)

Mrs. Carla Cobbs (EMZBC)

Mrs. Darlene Doxey-Williams (EMZBC)

Mr. Harry Farmer and Mrs. Ann Farmer (EACC)

Mrs. Helen Jane Gaston (EMZBC)

Top to bottom: Pastor and First Lady Downs, Pastor and First Lady Bowie and Pastor and First Lady Cash.

East Mt. Zion Baptist Church

9990 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44106

(216) 231 -0408

eastmountzionbaptistchurch.org

Scan this QR code for more information on the Greenstone Church Oral History and Museum Project .

Working Together Again!

Special thanks to the Rev. Jason Bricker-Thompson (left), pastor of the Disciples Christian Church, formerly known as the Euclid Avenue Christian Church, EACC), for working with the Rev. Dr. Brian A. Cash and East Mt. Zion Baptist Church (EMZBC) to realize Dr. Cash’s vision for establishing an Oral History Museum and a community of memories that has lessons for residents of American cities, suburbs, and, thanks to EMZBC’s new Greenstone Church website, individuals around the world. In this photograph, Rev. Bricker-Thompson, holds a copy of the 1954 Building Fund booklet that EACC publish ed. The booklet was part of the larger effort to encourage members of the Greenstone Church to support plans for constructing a new church home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

(Below) Campus of the East Mt. Zion Baptist Church .

(Photos on this page by Regennia N. Williams.)

(Left) Stained glass window at the Disciples Christian Church.