“I joined the conference under Bishop G.E. Campbell in 1876 in Selma, AL. I was first sent to Mt. Zion, Lee County, Alabama and found 39 members but no church property. The members had been trying to purchase some land but had not succeeded. A Mr. Baine Bozeman had given them permission to hold services in an old gin house of his, but he had flatly refused to sell them any land.

I went to him and asked him to sell us some land, especially that where we had been worshipping. This is what he said to me, “Now two of your preachers have been to me before to buy land, but I failed to sell to them for two reasons. One is that if the church goes down and the members move away, the church would be sold, and the preachers and bishops would pocket the money leaving the poor members nothing.” I assured him, however, that our bishops did not get their support that way. I also let him read our book of Discipline. He claimed that the white people had a church that went that way. Finally, he consented to sell the people the two and one half acres where the colored people had been worshipping. We raised the money in a few days and paid for the land. I told him (Mr. Bozeman) that I was about to send out a subscription list to make further improvements and that I would be glad to solicit his aid. Without hesitance he subscribed $10.00 and paid it when we were about to complete the church.

This is not all that he did for us. When he saw that I tried to act like a Christian, he expressed himself as glad that such a man was in the community. As I said above, he appreciated our efforts and besides his already generous gift, he came to the church one day and stepped us off a burying ground while I drove down the stakes. He gave us a clear deed for the property. I served these people for four years. When I came there, they did not have a foot of church property and only 39 members. I left them after four years with about 200 members and $400.00 worth of property. This church became the mother of two other churches: Burrell Chapel and St. Peter. “

Rev. Glenn and those ancestors left a rich heritage for Mt. Zion which now has an appraised value of over one million dollars and has survived for 169 years. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!