 Just two months ago, on December 5, 2021, Rev. Jennifer M. Joseph was installed as the new Lead Pastor of Zion Community Church. After being situated in West Philadelphia for 19 years, the church, previously led by her father, had temporarily relocated to Ardmore, PA, where they rented out the Ardmore United Methodist Church. In preparation for her rise to leadership, Rev. Joseph led a building campaign and launched a plan at the top of 2021 to acquire new space. She strategically mobilized the leaders, members, and supporters of the church to raise funding and fasted and prayed in search of a new house of worship. While the plan to secure the new property before the end of the year wasn't fulfilled, God still kept His promise and allowed them to settle on their new location yesterday, February 7, 2022. God’s delay is not a denial!
Zion Community Church, previously known as Zion Pentecostal Church of God, was founded in 2000 by Bishop Missel and Rev. Marie Josiaste. The couple, both immigrants from Haiti, invested their own money to purchase a building in the Haddington section of West Philadelphia. They dedicated the facility to do the work of the Lord—using it as a house of worship and community center for nearly 17 years, rent-free. Unfortunately, beginning in 2018, Haddington started to take a wrong turn, and things continued to go downhill from there. On one occasion, the building was broken into and robbed. On another occasion, a church member witnessed bullet marks on their vehicle after leaving Sunday service. One afternoon, while the women’s ministry was meeting at the church, a man under the influence of alcohol entered the property yelling and screaming and proceeded to destroy items in the church. This left the women afraid and in a severe panic. All of these incidents, among other things, led Bishop Missel and Rev. Marie Josiaste to the difficult decision to sell the property. At that time, the existing leadership team unanimously decided that it was time to move on. Grace be unto God, Zion now has its new official home in Yeadon, PA. The Yeadon borough welcomes the church with open arms, and this relocation makes Rev. Jennifer M. Joseph the first female to lead a congregation in the Yeadon/Lansdowne borough! ZCC's new house of worship sits in the heart of Yeadon, covering close to 5000 square feet of space. There is ample parking and several businesses within walking distance. Zion Community Church looks forward to growing in quality and in quantity. The church will continue its 21-year legacy of community service and of outreach. Rev. Joseph states that she is now focused on the next phase of the building project which is to remodel the property. Individuals interested in donating to this project can donate via cash app to $ZionPhilly or text the numeric amount they would like to donate to (215) 770-1624 and follow the prompts. As Rev. Joseph has said, “God WILL Establish Zion!"
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