South Carolina H 3987: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND EXPRESS DEEP APPRECIATION TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM FOR ITS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS IN EDUCATING AND TRAINING OUR STATE'S WORKFORCE AND TO DECLARE APRIL 5, 2017, AS SOUTH CAROLINA TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM DAY.

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3987 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 13, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3987

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A house RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATE ZION BAPTIST CHURCH OF 
COLUMBIA ON THE OCCASION OF ITS HISTORIC ONE HUNDRED SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY AND 
TO COMMEND THE CHURCH FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY AND A HALF OF SERVICE TO GOD AND 
THE COMMUNITY.

Whereas, having been 
founded in 1865, Zion Baptist Church of Columbia is celebrating its historic 
one hundred sixtieth anniversary in 2025; and

Whereas, with the 
revolutionary changes heralded by Reconstruction and at the behest of the Reverend 
Sancho Taylor in his dying request, Zion Baptist Church, formerly known as the 
First African Baptist Church, was organized in 1865 at a humble dwelling in the 
1400 block of Gadsden Street. Its congregation worshiped there until 1871 under 
the pastorate of the Reverend Frank Dobbins, who shepherded a membership of 
twenty-five; and

Whereas, on a lot at 
the corner of Washington and Gadsden streets, Zion Baptist erected in 1871 a 
house of worship, a wooden church that held seventy-five men and sixty-five 
women. The new church was host to the unveiling of much South Carolina history; 
and

Whereas, in April 1888, 
the State Baptist Women Missionary and Educational Convention (first annual 
session) was organized at Zion Baptist Church. In July 1906, the Committee of 
Twenty-Four, which was appointed by the Baptist Educational, Missionary, and Sunday 
School Convention of South Carolina at one of its sessions, met at Zion Baptist 
Church for the purpose of finding a location and opening a college for the 
education of "negro youth." In 1907, a second meeting of the Committee of 
Twenty-Four was held at Zion. In October 1912, the Baptist Educational and 
Missionary Convention of South Carolina met at Zion and elected Dr. J.J. Starts 
as president of Morris College; and

Whereas, in 1916, Zion 
Baptist Church built a new edifice costing sixty thousand dollars, as well as a 
wooden parsonage. In 1919, the Gethsemane Baptist Women's Education and 
Missionary Convention of South Carolina was organized at Zion Baptist Church. 
The National Baptist Sunday School Congress met in June 1936 at Zion, with 
thousands of delegates attending. Moreover, in 1930, Dr. Matilda Evans, the 
first African American woman to have a medical practice in the State, started a 
free clinic in Zion's basement, and in 1936 the National Baptist Convention of 
America met at the church; and

Whereas, during the 
1950s and 1960s, Zion Baptist contributed to the liberation of African 
Americans by serving as a focal point for many civil rights activities. In 
March 1961, more than two hundred African American students met at Zion before 
beginning their march to the State House to protest racial segregation. Police 
arrested many protesters and charged them with breach of the peace. The U.S. 
Supreme Court overturned the convictions and confirmed that a state could not 
"make criminal the peaceful expression of unpopular views" in the case Edwards 
v. S.C. (1963); and

Whereas, among many 
other significant events connected with the church, in March 1984 Columbia City 
Council authorized the listing of Zion Baptist Church in the city's archives in 
recognition of the church's rich historical background, and an appropriate marker 
was placed at the front of the church; and

Whereas, listed in the 
National Register as of September 24, 2021, Zion Baptist Church is also 
considered an important local example of Romanesque Revival ecclesiastical 
architecture in Columbia. The church retains much of its original historic 
fabric with minimal alteration on the exterior and in the sanctuary. Further, the 
church demonstrates a late, stripped-down variation of Romanesque Revival 
architecture; and

Whereas, Zion Baptist 
Church has been a beacon of light and a community worship center in the 
Columbia area for one hundred sixty years, and, God willing, will continue its 
godly heritage for many more years of worship and service. Now, therefore, 

Be it resolved by the House 
of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize 
and congratulate Zion Baptist Church of Columbia on the occasion of its 
historic one hundred sixtieth anniversary and commend the church for more than a 
century and a half of service to God and the community.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution 
be presented to Zion Baptist Church.

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