— Families are seeking answers on the future of an abandoned cemetery and individuals who purchased burial plots don't know if they'll be honored The most recent owner of Mount Zion Cemetery in Lansdowne and legal documents dating back to 1903 in an effort to trace who is now responsible for the upkeep The Pearsons are among the concerned family members Beneath the tall grass in what appeared to be an empty field lie Queen Pearson’s siblings And my mom is supposed to go between the two of them I don't know how I can find out who owns it I don't know who to contact," Pearson explained Her mother purchased three plots back in 1993 for $495 "I feel terrible because I have two sisters two nieces and other family members out here," Pearson said "But I'm sure I'm not the only person that's feeling this way." WMAR-2 News spoke with other families expressing similar concerns RELATED: Community members upset over lack of upkeep at Mount Zion Cemetery you can't even find the plot that your person is buried in it hurts my soul to see this," said Charles Daye READ MORE: 'The grass is so high' grass gets cut at Mount Zion Cemetery on Mother's Day "The Mount Zion cemetery has a long and troubled history," said David Zinner who serves on the advisory council for the Maryland Office of Cemetery Oversight (OCO) the state regulatory agency overseeing cemeteries the agency doesn't have the power to regulate this particular cemetery "They don't regulate religious cemeteries," Zinner explained WMAR-2 News filed a records request for documents pertaining to the cemetery and its ownership and received dozens of emails and a 40-slide PowerPoint presentation shortly after the most recent owner passed away in January of that year the Office of Cemetery Oversight has received more than 400 calls and emails about the cemetery's condition the state directed families to the Baltimore Annual Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (BACAMEC) which voluntarily maintained the cemetery between June 2022 and February 2024 during legal proceedings regarding the true owner of Mt the Maryland State Department of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT) found no record showing evidence BACAMEC The attorney representing BACAMEC told WMAR-2 News she’s not sure how her client became associated with the cemetery The OCO has also had numerous meetings with state and local agencies including the Division of Public Safety and Corrections Services SDAT records now show the land belongs to Mount Zion Cemetery Company of Baltimore City "The ownership of this cemetery is now unclear," Zinner said because there's no clear way to transfer ownership from an abandoned cemetery to someone who's going to take care of it." the Office of Cemetery Oversight held a meeting with Baltimore County Office of Law representatives to share their findings The county has spent more than $33,000 to maintain the property and abate code violations since 2022 The county plans to mow the cemetery one more time the director of communications for Baltimore County government “Baltimore County continues to work with our state partners to address issues residents and community members continue to face as a result of the seemingly abandoned Mt We understand and empathize with those affected and appreciate the State’s willingness to identify a more sustainable resolution moving forward.” While volunteers have stepped in to help with maintenance there's a more immediate concern surrounding future burials "This is a place where the state needs to step in and say that we can figure out a way to transfer this to someone who's going to take care of it," Zinner said We're very confident we'll be able to get it to pass next year And what do people do who have that situation right now This uncertainty is particularly upsetting to those who paid for plots at Mt she just knows this is where she's coming," Pearson said of her mother WMAR-2 News reached out to the Office of Cemetery Oversight and was told an interview on this matter wasn't feasible the director of communications for the Maryland Department of Labor “The Office of Cemetery Oversight and the Maryland Department of Labor are hopeful about the passage of HB535 and the establishment of Abandoned and Neglected Cemetery Fund This Fund seeks to provide care and preservation to cemeteries that have fallen into disrepair and enable the State to help honor Marylanders' loved ones.” A community clean-up is scheduled for April 18 and 19 from 3 p.m Volunteers say they have the equipment but need more hands They also plan to have a balloon release and candlelight vigil For anyone with pre-purchased plots at Mt. Zion Cemetery, you can file a complaint with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division especially if you paid for services that weren't rendered You should also contact your elected officials This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and has been reviewed by a human editor before publication Zion Baptist Church makes announcements at the beginning of a service on Sunday Mt. Zion Baptist Church in East Austin is positioning itself to offer a suite of services to the community that you may not have seen in other faith-based communities. The congregation’s aim to become a source of housing is only one of its initiatives Building a gymnasium is written in its plans and the criminal justice ministry it offers to people who are incarcerated is already up and running Horton’s history with the congregation His engagement with the East Austin faith community spans decades “I’ve been a member of Mount Zion for nearly 22 years “Shortly around the time the pandemic occurred Pastor Clark and I sensed from God that I was to be his successor.” it has weathered many storms – including the COVID-19 pandemic which caused many houses of worship to close their doors “What the pandemic helped us to do is that it pushed us into the 21st century where we started live streaming,” Horton said “We navigated the pandemic by trying to get the gospel out to people because they were confined.” To make matters more challenging, Texas’ 2021 ice storm damaged Mt nudging the church toward new avenues of growth and structural renovation “That was something we had not expected,” Horton said we took advantage of that opportunity to actually redo a lot of stuff in our building and so we were able to redo our sanctuary and redo our sound system.” Daryl Horton makes announcements at the beginning of the service at Mt otherwise known as the “AMEN Program.” “We’re partnering with mental-health practitioners for those who would like to receive counseling or some other professional things We can help to connect them and to help facilitate them getting those type of things,” Horton said everything from vaccinations to testing to understanding prescriptions our health ministry is really involved.” Zion’s many additional partnering organizations are the City of Austin Austin Public Health and the American Heart Association “We want to be a light in the world that sometimes seems dark,” Horton said “We want to bring hope to our community.” All are welcome to attend services hosted at Mt. Zion “We’re just excited about everything that’s taking place,” Horton said If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org ©2024 Texas Standard. A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin | Contact us will host its first Lodge Community Yard Sale on Saturday the event will serve as an open house for the historic lodge Vendor spaces measure 12 by 12 feet and are available for $10 Outside food vendors must receive prior approval from the lodge Contact the lodge at (870) 397-8586 or email information@mountzionlodge10.org for vendor reservations and additional information Have a news tip or event to promote? Email White River Now at news@whiterivernow.com Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter And don’t forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store Catch CBS News around the top of every hour on 1340 KBTA Mount Zion’s Sammy Driscoll stepped up to the free-throw line with the potential to give the Braves a commanding four-point lead Lincoln coach Neil Alexander called a timeout to set up the Railsplitters’ plans of what to do in either scenario and Karson Komnick got the outlet pass near midcourt where he sent the ball flying toward the Lincoln hoop Mount Zion's leading scorer Lyncoln Koester said those 2.7 seconds seemed to last much longer all he saw was the ball hitting the backboard and harmlessly ricocheting off the glass Not only was Koester the Braves’ go-to player on offense but he had the difficult task of following Komnick around the floor as Lincoln tried to wear out the Mount Zion defense “That takes a lot out of you,” Koester said The whole plan this week was to stop them on defense and I think we did a pretty good job executing that.”  Lincoln’s season was over while Mount Zion held on to win a 32-30 decision in the Class 3A Decatur Eisenhower Sectional semifinals on the Robert Witt Gymnasium floor on Wednesday Mount Zion (25-9) will face Chatham Glenwood Friday for a chance to advance to the 3A Springfield Supersectional next week Glenwood (22-9) beat Champaign Central in overtime 57-45 in Tuesday’s Eisenhower Sectional semifinal For the first 6 minutes and 20 seconds of the fourth quarter Mount Zion and Lincoln (23-11) scored four total points and Lincoln trailed 28-23 until Jacob Harvey made one free throw to give the Braves a 29-23 lead Komnick then drilled a 3-pointer coming off a curl screen with 1:29 left to cut Mount Zion’s lead in half Brody Tungate had a chance to pull Lincoln into a tie with 30 seconds left but his 3-point attempt missed everything and went out of bounds tried to convince the referee crew that the ball was tipped off a finger from his Mount Zion defender Koester (14 points) made a pair of free throws to put Mount Zion up 31-26 Drew Hayes went 1-for-2 at the line to cut it back to four points Koester then made one free throw with 9.6 seconds and then Komnick (16 points) hit a 3 with 5.2 left to give Lincoln an opening “The good thing is Komnick (a junior) is back (next season) and (Koester) graduates,” Alexander said who missed both shots to set up Komnick’s final chance and (Lincoln) was one play short,” Mount Zion coach Dale Schuring said “(The ball) looked pretty good leaving (Komnick’s) hand All the credit to them to even get to the point where they could do that.”  Mount Zion went up 6-0 over the first 2:23 but Lincoln stormed back to lead 14-11 with 5:12 left in the second quarter Anderson and Koester managed to give Mount Zion a 17-14 halftime lead “We like to put more points up on the board,” Alexander said I can’t wait for the shot clock to get here to hopefully eliminate some of that where you have to be much more aggressive to get into your offenses It’s going to force some coaches to change some offenses about how you’re going to attack things.”  Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.  Log InHome WOW By CharSenior Older and WiserUnbroken ChainsLifestyles FoodHealthBirthdaysReligion Ministries At WorkChurch DirectoryAdvertise 1112 34th Ave, Seattle WA 98122      206.324.0552      seattlefacts@yahoo.com SearchThe Mount Zion Prayerline will celebrate their fifth year of prayer and praise with a spirit-filled two-day revival on April 24-25, 2025 Marla BeaverApr 242 min readThe Mount Zion Prayerline will celebrate their fifth year of prayer and praise with a spirit-filled two-day revival on April 24-25 The prayer line was founded by Mother Elma Horton during Covid Senior Pastor of the Greater Saint John Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland and revivalist and one of the premiere voices in ministry today and changed the hearts of many people to give their lives to Jesus Christ “Pastor Payton was an early participant on the prayer line “He receives invitations to preach all the time and I am so happy he agreed to come to Mount Zion so we can hear him in person.”   he preached a revival in Seattle when an employee of McNeil Island Correctional Facility was inspired to connect him to the inmates Pastor Payton impacted the lives of over 300 incarcerated men who heard his powerful messages of reconciliation and hope passionate man who loves his family and God’s people he grew up in the impoverished West Oakland community and is the eldest of nine children John Missionary Baptist Church and felt God’s tug on his heart at an early age Educated in Oakland and Concord public schools he attended San Francisco State University Golden State School of Theology and received his Doctorate from Saint Thomas University  He is a devoted father and grandfather who has made a lasting impression and continues to do so for his community and future generations and come prepared for a blessing,” said  Mother Horton Prayer Line Founder and Revival Coordinator The revival will be held in the Mount Zion Baptist Church Sanctuary COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE FACTS NEWSPAPER | POWERED BY THE FACTS NEWSPAPER DECATUR — This was the goal stretching back to last year The Chatham Glenwood boys basketball team is here now The Titans finished on a 10-0 run en route to a 39-32 victory over Mount Zion in the Class 3A Decatur Eisenhower Sectional final on Friday Glenwood (23-9) advances to its first supersectional appearance since 2013 against Troy Triad at the Bank of Springfield Center on Monday at 7:30 p.m "I know we always have a chance," senior guard Cam Appenzeller said of the program's third sectional title all-time "The whole team knows we always have a chance and we just fought to the end That’s what we’ve been doing every game and it’s a good feeling."   Mount Zion (25-10) committed four straight turnovers down the stretch after taking a 30-26 lead early in the fourth quarter Glenwood senior forward Mason Neumann nabbed a steal for a raucous dunk before Cam Appenzeller delivered the go-ahead basket off the glass for a 33-32 advantage with just over a minute remaining Appenzeller delivered his own emphatic dunk after a steal to end the game The Braves had seven of their 12 turnovers in the final period "That’s one of our biggest things is our defense," Neumann said "We like to hold teams under 45 points every game We did that tonight and if we keep doing that Sectional semifinal comeback: Glenwood rallies to force overtime, beat Central in 3A sectional semifinals Regional championship: Glenwood packs regional title win over Lanphier Jack Kurmann scored both of his 3s in the first quarter for six points "We’ve been shooting all day in practice every day Glenwood led 20-16 at halftime after Neumann drained his two 3s in the second frame including Gavin Simmons' only trey early in the fourth quarter to end a scoring drought that lasted nearly 11 minutes Mount Zion's Lyncoln Koester scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half Kurmann — they all did," Glenwood coach Todd Blakeman said of the pivotal 3s "You’ve got to get some 3s against these guys our defense — Matt Held came in and did a great job Glenwood also overcame a 13-point deficit in a 57-45 overtime win over Champaign Central in the sectional semifinals on Tuesday Naja Aurtry decided to host a community clean-up a the Mount Zion Cemetery a place were she and others have loved ones who are buried But because no one is properly maintaining the property a lot of family members are having a hard time visiting their loved ones she didn't know the right place where her brother was laid to rest I wasn't able to find his body to put it down there And then I realized that the cemetery just wasn't being taken care of at all and then it made me realize that a lot of people really felt the same way I did," Aurtry said Aurtry said she wanted to use this weekend to honor the people who are buried "It doesn't feel good already that your loved one is gone but then you see the final place that they gotta lay and you see that no one cares about it," Aurtry expressed And she isn't the only one feeling this way "It's important for me because I have a loved one out here and then also this community has suffered long enough," said Shayna Alderman But the women say they are proud so many in the community took time out of their Friday evening to help that I'm so grateful for the outpouring of love from the local businesses and the people from different states reached out to us," Alderman said Alderman says she hopes moving forward there can be additional help We're trying to help them find their family members plots as well And this weekend's clean-up isn't the only one Alderman said this is just the start of them working to maintain the cemetery as much they can until they can find a permanent solution we'll be planning on the next weeks because in order to keep the grass this low or lower maintained every 2 to 3 weeks," said Alderman The second part of the clean-up is happening this Saturday MOUNT ZION — Mount Zion baseball is off to an 13-4 start and a lot of that is due to their pair of pitchers at the top of their rotation in Andrew Tay and Sam Driscoll Both of those players are bound for college baseball with Driscoll going to Lindenwood and Tay going to Southeastern Community College “When they throw it should be a win day for us,” Coach JD Arnold said and they keep us in a lot of games because they keep the game moving.” Mount Zion's Sam Driscoll walks off the field during the high school baseball game against Glenwood in Mount Zion on Friday They’ve set the tone for a team that’s gotten wins over Maroa-Forsyth and Taylorville earlier in the season and projects as a regional contender for the program’s first plaque since 2018 “We've got some pretty good arms on the pitching side,” Arnold said We do a really good job of catching the ball We're a really good pitching and defensive team and when you do that you're going to put yourself in a lot of opportunities to win games.” Driscoll acts as the team’s ace and leadoff hitter one of the top two-way players in the area but his ability to draw walks and get on base stands out with an on-base percentage of .661 “He's the engine that makes us go,” Arnold said but he’s been one of the area’s most effective pitchers with a 0.67 ERA in 21 innings this season Mount Zion's Andrew Tay plays at second base during the high school baseball game against Glenwood in Mount Zion on Friday he gets everything that he needs to out of his body,” Arnold said he does a really good job of using his body and using his legs and it comes out really nice and easy for him.” Jackson Beiler is another big contributor with a 2.33 ERA in 15 innings He’s tied for the team lead in RBI with 17 and has 11 steals He’s bound for Black Hawk College and is one of the Braves players who play for the Decatur Commodores Playing in that environment has helped build the Braves’ contributors Tay and Driscoll are a couple other players who play for the Commodores we see a high level of competition each and every summer and them being able to kind of take their lumps in the summer and have success in the summer as a group it helps moving forward in the spring because we get put in the same situations we were in the summer and we have a better understanding of how to deal with them.” With an improvement in offense alongside good pitching and defense the Braves will be a good bet to get back into the regional final like they did last season before losing to Glenwood A matchup with Glenwood or Taylorville would likely await them in a regional final where they could take another step toward a big postseason run that the football and basketball teams went on this season “We want to get back in that same position again and hopefully move forward beyond that position,” Arnold said “We think we've got an opportunity to make a nice run in the postseason.” “When they throw it should be a win day for us Mount Zion baseball coach on Andrew Tay and Sam Driscoll Email notifications are only sent once a day Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account See the photos from Friday's baseball game of Mount Zion High School vs Mount Zion's Sam Driscoll bats during the high school baseball game against Glenwood in Mount Zion on Friday Mount Zion's Andrew Tay walks off the field during the high school baseball game against Glenwood in Mount Zion on Friday Mount Zion's #18 pitches during the high school baseball game against Glenwood in Mount Zion on Friday Mount Zion's Andrew Tay runs to first after hitting the ball during the high school baseball game against Glenwood in Mount Zion on Friday While all eyes are on Illinois' 2025 recruiting class it's never too early to glance into 2026's top targets I caught up with Mount Zion's four-star tight end JC Anderson He was high school teammates with Illinois commit Anderson listed off his "Top Ten" schools -- and the list was impressive Anderson has visited schools such as Auburn He told me he will soon cut down the list to his top four or five programs He did not say which schools would make the cut So what is most important to Anderson as he selects his college "I like having great relationships with the coaches getting to the NFL is definitely a dream of mine So they got to be known to develop tight ends," said Anderson they have great coaching staffs," he added and that's the kind of environment that I want to be in." Penn State and Illinois have both sent tight ends to the NFL Former PSU tight end Mike Gesicki was drafted in the 2nd Round in 2018 Current Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is gaining national recognition former Illinois tight end Tip Reiman was selected in the 3rd round of the NFL draft Anderson help lead Mount Zion to a State Title berth Anderson caught 46 passes for 524 yards and seven touchdowns Anderson believes he can act like a traditional tight end and block when needed "The (college) coaches that I talk to have said that I'm more of a hybrid They say that I'm big enough to block and strong enough to block in the in the trenches," Anderson said "They say I'm quick enough and fast enough to go beat a linebacker and go vertical (on a passing route)," said Anderson Anderson is listed as the third best player in Illinois in 2026 Mount Zion is showing experience and resilience beyond its years An example came in a Monday game against Monticello The Braves went down 4-0 in the top of the first but with multiple two-out rallies turned the tide quickly in a 13-6 win over a Sages team that was 11-0 coming into the contest Mount Zion is now 3-1 on the season and will be one of the sectional favorites and a Class 3A contender after it returns almost all of its team from last year’s 32-6 season that produced a second-straight sectional title Mount Zion's Addy Rotz rounds third base to run into home during the softball game against Monticello in Mount Zion on Monday the expectations are high again this year,” Mount Zion coach Greg Blakey said “I think we're pretty talented and their expectations are as high as mine.” Ella Fink helped seal the deal with three scoreless innings in relief after Monticello scored six in the first three Fink committed to play at Southeast Missouri State at the Division I level back in November and has impressed early in her junior season and Ella kind of brings the heat,” Blakey said Monticello's Cassidee Stoffel pitches to Mount Zion's Ella Fink during the softball game in Mount Zion on Monday Chloe Williams was impressive in the postseason last year for the Braves and had another big performance early in a big game going 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI for the Braves That included a 3-RBI double that broke the game open “She's a very patient hitter,” Blakey said “She's willing to take the ball the opposite field as a hitter because people know who she is now and are not gonna give her anything good to hit But she's very patient and willing to take a walk Cassidee Stoffel had been tearing up her competition over the first half of the season for the Sages before the Braves’ lineup beat her with their persistence A two-out rally in the bottom of the first tied the game at four while hits with two outs and two strikes helped give the Braves key runs in later innings For a group of returners who have played at a winning level improvement in those moments has been a focus for Blakey and his assistants Mount Zion's Avelyn Ethell hits a home run during the high school softball game against Monticello in Mount Zion on Monday Even though there is some youth in the Braves lineup All of the starters this season were involved at the varsity level last season During his decades-long reign as the coach of Mount Zion Blakey helped build a middle school program that’s been a pipeline to the varsity program Sophomores like Avelyn Ethel and Savannah Beiler have combined with a stacked junior class “It's nice to have the junior high program because they know kind of the system as they come in,” Blakey said “I think we do a good job teaching fundamentals at that level They can come in here and they don't have to learn how to throw and catch and kind of get into our system.” those players are dominating Central Illinois and continuing the Braves' dynasty Monticello plays against Mount Zion during the high school softball game at Greg Blakey Field in Mount Zion on Monday Mount Zion's Avelyn Ethell bats during the high school softball game against Monticello in Mount Zion on Monday Mount Zion's Addy Rotz celebrates running to home after a home run by Avelyn Ethell during the high school softball game against Monticello in Mount Zion on Monday Monticello's Cassidee Stoffel pitches during the high school softball game against Mount Zion in Mount Zion on Monday Monticello's Madison Highland bats during the high school softball game against Mount Zion in Mount Zion on Monday Monticello's Madison Highland runs to first base during the high school softball game against Mount Zion in Mount Zion on Monday Mount Zion's Nikki Ellegood pitches during the high school softball game against Monticello in Mount Zion on Monday Mount Zion's Ella Fink hits the ball during the high school softball game against Monticello in Mount Zion on Monday and speaks of intense Ottoman-Chinese trade 2024Get email notification for articles from Ruth Schuster FollowDec 3 2024"We will forever guard the eternal spring," says the fragment of genuine Ming bowl found recently on Mount Zion from about 500 years ago The fragment of coveted Chinese porcelain dates to the 16th century the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Tuesday It isn't the earliest artifact from China to be found in Jerusalem by a stretch Trade between our area and China had been going on since the eighth century an Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist who had observed the colorful fragment in soil cleared from the area Ancient Chinese porcelain has been found in Ramle and other places from about the ninth and 10th century Then there seem to have been a few centuries during which Chinese ceramics disappears from the archaeological record in Israel – until the 16th century And now we have this bowl from the 16th century with the earliest example of Chinese writing found here The fragment was unearthed during a joint excavation on Mount Zion by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the German Archaeological Institute in Jerusalem Jerusalem had been under Ottoman rule from 1516 and the Ottomans and Chinese had intense trading relations in the 16th and 17th centuries The Ottomans were obsessed with Chinese porcelain Sultan Suleiman loved it and the harem women started their own collections of the fine vessels finding a piece of it in Jerusalem from the 16th century is not surprising – even if finding it in a layer from a thousand years earlier may startle During the Temple Mount excavations in the 1970s, Benjamin Mazar found several fragments of Chinese vessels, notes Shimon Gibson an expert on Mount Zion and Jerusalem archaeology who isn't involved in this discovery It is likely that this too had been brought over by the appreciative Ottoman elites The writing on the piece was classified as Chinese by de Vincenz "I identified it as Chinese by the inscription," she explains by phone which is characteristic of the 16th century "We will forever guard the eternal spring" was made by Hebrew University researcher Jingchao Chen this sort of artifact made in the Far East wasn't exactly rare in the Near East "the Chinese realized the Ottomans wanted white Chinese porcelain," de Vincenz says "So they began to make porcelain specifically for export to Europe it didn't matter if the stamp on the piece was genuine Chinese or just looked like Chinese writing – and thus in Germany an industry arose of making ceramic stuff that looked like it had Chinese writing on it Open gallery viewMichael Chernin from the Israel Antiquities Authority.Credit: Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities AuthorityYes they were faking Chinese manufacturing stamps Such items were also found in separate work on Mount Zion "We found a bowl bottom that I identified as a fake Chinese records also underscore the intense trading relations: According to Ming dynasty annals about 20 Ottoman delegations visited the imperial court in Beijing in the 15th to 17th centuries The trade relations between these empires are also described in travel books of merchants from this period The scholar Ma Li from 1541 wrote about colonies of Chinese merchants in Lebanese port cities Of course the Levant has its own rich tradition of ceramics and some of it is very nice An isolated find of a fine Ming ceramic bowl with an evocative inscription that may whisper of the awe in which the Ottomans held Chinese porcelain – which is indeed renowned the world wide for the fine quality of the clay – and found on Mount Zion A school just 15 minutes outside of Decatur has caught the attention of the Illinois football program who've offered scholarships to two of their players Illinois head coach Bret Bielema wants Mount Zion senior wide receiver Brayden Tremble and junior tight end JC Anderson Mount Zion head coach Patrick Etherton is happy to have both athletes on his roster you get an opportunity to throw to a couple of Division One kids how much better does that get?“ Etherton said The 6 foot 6 inch tight end has around three dozen scholarship offers from schools like Michigan “Whenever I was getting my first couple of offers I was kind of freaking out," Anderson said you just have an opportunity to go to some pretty huge schools,' and that’s how I am treating it right now.” Tremble is a senior wide receiver who committed to Illinois this summer “Just really the family vibes from day one they showed that they really wanted me," Tremble said about Illinois "Some schools have even hit me up recently as like a second or third option Illinois really treated me as a number one option so that is what sold me.“ Tremble has mentioned to Anderson the possibility of being teammates in college “I nudge him here and there that we would really like you to come to Champaign but at the end of the day it is his choice," said Tremble The current mission is to take Mount Zion’s program to the next level and go deep into the playoffs and don’t let the outside factors factor in to us playing ball," Anderson said "I thinking we can finally make a run like we have been looking for.” The Illinois Fighting Illini football season kicks off Thursday night Bret Bielema’s squad is hosting the Eastern Illinois Panthers Vegas has installed Illinois as a 28 point favorite Quarterback Luke Altmyer is excited to kick off the season as he enters year two with Illinois and welcomes fresh faces like all conference lineman JC Davis and wide receiver Zakhari Franklin The offense hit its stride in the second half of 2023 "Already had a feeling of that through spring and with the talent we returned too." The Panthers finished with its best record in over a decade and returned 18 starters Head coach Chris Wilkerson expects Illinois to try to stop the running game “They’re going to be playing that bear front and test those throws on the perimeter You know we may have to throw it 75 times on Thursday night," said Wilkerson "But we got a quarterback that we think can do that and have some guys on the perimeter that are excited to compete." Archaeologists have uncovered a rare Chinese inscription on a 16th-century porcelain bowl fragment during excavations on Mount Zion in Jerusalem revealing the earliest evidence of a historical connection between China and the land of Israel discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (GPIA) “We will forever guard the eternal spring.” The discovery was made during preparations for this year’s excavation season when Michael Chernin an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority spotted the colorful fragment sticking out of the soil and researcher Jingchao Chen from Hebrew University deciphered its meaning Dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1520-1570) the bowl represents a tangible link to trade relations between the Ottoman Empire Historical records suggest active trade between the two empires with about 20 Ottoman delegations visiting Beijing during the 15th-17th centuries Chinese scholar Ma Li’s writings from 1541 describe merchant colonies in key regional cities such as Beirut highlighting the deep economic ties between the regions “This inscription offers extraordinary insight into the trade and cultural exchanges between the Far East and the land of Israel,” said Eli Escusido director of the Israel Antiquities Authority It also marks the first known Chinese inscription found in Israel making it a significant addition to the archaeological understanding of global connections during the Ming era One year after a massive landslide toppled hundreds of headstones there the volunteer-maintained Mount Zion Cemetery in Wheeling is preparing to start a major rehabilitation project WHEELING — One year after a devastating landslide at Mt Zion Cemetery that displaced hundreds of graves Several contractors won bids to work on different aspects of the upcoming multimillion-dollar project which will start sometime in the beginning of May caused the slide that toppled around 275 headstones and filled a section of the cemetery with loose dirt Those who care for the cemetery are committed to seeing it get cleaned up I ain’t giving up on it,” said Charles Yocke who helps maintain the grounds of the cemetery on a volunteer basis Yocke said he recently did a walkthrough of the cemetery with a group of seven contractors Cast-Baker Construction was the lowest bidder for the removal of the dirt piles and hauling out the loose headstones which will be the first phase of the project Valley Fence will be installing a chain link fence around the area so that cleanup can safely begin This part of the project was made possible by funds from Irene Meagle Zion in 1999 and left money to be used for maintaining the property a $2 million check after the incident last year to go toward the repairs Yocke noted that local Delegates Shawn Fluharty Though the funding from the state is far from covering the whole project it will go toward cleaning up the dirt pile and removing the grave stones a process that could take between 30 and 60 days Yocke said the project has been turned down for several federal funding requests Yocke started doing work on the cemetery after visiting his mother’s grave one day and noticing the grass had grown over 2 feet tall He and Paula Stein have volunteered their time to the cemetery for around a decade Though they initially had a group of volunteers who helped with maintenance after several weeks it dwindled to fewer and fewer people Stein and Yocke run a Facebook page dedicated to updates about the cemetery and an oversight board that is responsible for organizing the cleanup efforts Everything they do for the cemetery is on a volunteer basis “When you do a burial of someone you’re putting someone to rest It just makes you feel good,” Yocke said “We haven’t taken a cent off of it Once the dirt piles and loose graves are safely removed another contractor will need to come in to stabilize the hillside and ensure there isn’t a risk for future landslides The project will likely be at least several months in the making Yocke noted that Wheeling is expected to get several inches of rain in the next few days which poses a concern that more dirt could fall down the hillside “The dirt’s just laying up there it’s ready for more to come down,” Yocke said | https://www.theintelligencer.net | 1500 Main Street OH — Mount Zion Baptist Church had an especially youthful energy on Sunday as the Church hosted their final Youth Sunday of the year Youth Sunday gave children within the church the opportunity to lead worship--whether it be through reading scripture performing in the Kingdom Kids Choir group With Youth Sunday serving as a grand finale to the ministry's 2024 efforts leaders of the church took a moment to reflect on what the ministry provides "Youth ministry is very important for the simple reason that the church You can only find your identity in Christ and not in culture especially in this culture we're living in now," said Bishop Jermaine Moore of the Mount Zion Baptist Church Aside from leading the congregation once a month with their Youth Sundays ministry members are quick to point out that the ministry does far more we went outside and we picked up all the trash that was on the streets We went to the homeless shelter and we fed them food And we've done many more things like that," said ministry member Tajhai Jett-Burton it provides value and importance in their lives I'd rather be here at church than outside being able to get hurt or in jail I'd rather be spending my time with Jesus," said Jett-Burton "I can learn about the Lord and because this is like a safe space for you to come to if you need help with something or if you want to learn about the Lord It's a really good community and good support system," said ministry member Synai Robinson Leaders are looking forward to next year's youth ministry with the theme "Up." Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInCHESTER COUNTY (WBTV) - A church was destroyed after it was engulfed in flames in Chester County on Thursday night Multiple fire departments responded to the blaze at Mt Photos and a video of the massive fire showed the church overtaken by flames Pictures of the aftermath appeared to show some walls had collapsed during the blaze Richburg Fire & Rescue was one of the responding departments and said gusty winds accelerated the fire’s spread and that the church was ultimately declared a “lost” structure The department said nobody was hurt in the fire Lesslie and Oakdale fire departments responded along with EMS and law-enforcement agencies Related: Charlotte church asking for community’s help after being damaged in major fire (WICS) — The Macon County Coroner has identified the 10-year-old who died in an ATV accident on Sunday RELATED: Juvenile killed, another critically injured in ATV accident in Macon County Brinkoetter was pronounced deceased at Decatur Memorial Hospital shortly after his arrival The second boy was transferred to a trauma center in Springfield with life-threatening injuries The investigation into the incident revealed that the two boys were being towed behind an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on an innertube The person driving the ATV turned on a slope which caused the innertube to slingshot out and into a large boulder The name of the second is not being released at this time Both children were 5th grade students at Mt Optional area for headlines or alerts OR ALL CAPS HEADLINES OR ALERTS will go in here Mount Zion of Jonesboro had lost 20 consecutive games when Willie Binyard became head coach in the summer of 2022 defeating Stephenson 20-14 to improve to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 5-3A Mount Zion is chasing its first playoff berth since 2019 and first winning season since 2009 Mount Zion is GHSF Daily’s Team of the Week. The award is sponsored by BSN Sports and Georgia Construction Careers Coach Willie Binyard and the Mount Zion seniors were presented the GHSF Daily Team of the Week award at the school on Sept Joining the team at the presentation were Chris Carr Email GHSF Daily Staff Created by Ellen Kennerly — Made with Squarespace © 2025 Georgia High School Football Daily Trailers with shower and laundry service for people who are homeless will be at Mount Zion Restoration Church on Thursdays according to the Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services The shower and laundry trailers were funded through money Gaston County set aside more than two years ago to help people who are homeless or experiencing housing instability The county later established a committee to examine homelessness in the community and what kind of resources are necessary to help people affected by it A trailer offering either shower services or laundry services will be at Mount Zion Restoration Church which is also when Mount Zion hands out food to people in need "We've received donations from community partners … that have provided items folks have donated towels and washcloths as well and cleaning supplies to clean the trailers after they have been used," Grier said "It's our hope to expand so that we're reaching all across (Gaston County) we're trying to do the soft launch at Mount Zion but also so that other community members can come and see the operation and determine if this is something they can do at their church People who want to take a shower or do their laundry can just show up at Mount Zion during the designated times the county hopes to expand its programming offering help to people applying for food stamps or Medicaid and potentially taking the trailers to other sites across the county "We've been in talks with community leaders across Gaston County about making it operational in those areas so that people don't have to come to us," Grier said The schedule for shower and laundry services is as follows: Keosauqua resident Teri Stoltz captured this image of the Mt Zion Presbyterian Church on fire Thursday afternoon Home / News Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread KEOSAUQUA – A fire has destroyed a church north of Keosauqua that was over 100 years old Zion Presbyterian Church was a noteworthy landmark on Highway 1 half-way between Keosauqua and Birmingham Keosauqua resident Teri Stoltz happened to be driving by the church around 4:40 p.m “There was just a little bit of fire It didn’t look real big,” Stoltz said and the lady on the phone said a gentleman had just called about it.” Stoltz said she saw a piece of wood hanging off the church that was blackened Stoltz said she thinks the church was struck by lightning and she spoke with people in the area who reported lightning strikes at the time of the fire Stoltz said members of the Keosauqua Fire Department ensured that nobody was in the building and they focused their efforts on spraying down a neighboring house to ensure the fire wouldn’t spread to it Fire departments from Birmingham and Stockport arrived on the scene to provide mutual aid “It did not take long for the whole top of the church to be on fire,” Stoltz said It was such a pretty little church.” According to David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim of the Society of Architectural Historians They wrote on their website sah-archipedia.org that the pointed arches of the church windows suggest it was designed in the Gothic Revival style while noting that the simplicity of the building suggested a “Craftsman ethic.” According to the Van Buren County Assessor’s Office the church has been owned by Terry Welcher since April of this year after purchasing it from its previous owner James Cassidy made major improvements to the church’s living quarters and occupied it for 15 years from 1996-2011 Cassidy visited the site to see what remained of the church which was mostly rubble save for small portions of its brick walls Cassidy said he hoped to find remnants of the beautiful stained-glass windows “I wanted to grab some chunks of glass for old time’s sake,” he said As Cassidy and a friend walked around the property to survey the devastation motorists stopped to talk and express their disappointment at losing a local landmark at least 10 people pulled over,” Cassidy said “They were bummed it was burned down I put a lot of love into that building when I was there.” Cassidy said he was inspired to buy the church as a fixer-upper and he put his skills to use upgrading the church’s interior who he said were living in it rather “crudely” since they were sleeping in a non-insulated portion of the church and were “freezing to death.” Cassidy took the Sunday school room which had big folding doors that opened to the sanctuary and insulated that room to use as living space He took the folding doors down and replaced them with a wall he could see one of the big stained-glass windows that he so admired One of the perks of living in an old church is having a bell to ring “Neighbors loved it when I rang the bell,” Cassidy said “Some of them got bells themselves to ring back to me.” Cassidy saw it was time to replace the shingles on the roof since it was so dangerous and high off the ground “After doing a certain amount of work I’m going to get myself killed,’” he said “I decided to sell it and move back to Fairfield I built a tiny home and trailer for myself.” Cassidy said another reason he decided to sell the church was dissatisfaction with the smell of hog buildings in the area Cassidy said he doesn’t know when the church last hosted services but he was told it must have been at least 10-15 years before he purchased the building in 1996 he did host his own personal events while he owned it Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com Aristos is a Newsweek science and health reporter with the London He is particularly focused on archaeology and paleontology although he has covered a wide variety of topics ranging from astronomy and mental health Aristos joined Newsweek in 2018 from IBTimes UK and had previously worked at The World Weekly He is a graduate of the University of Nottingham and City University You can get in touch with Aristos by emailing a.georgiou@newsweek.com. Languages: English either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Archaeologists have discovered a rare inscription at a biblically significant site in Jerusalem was spotted on a porcelain bowl fragment found on Mount Zion the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said in a statement a room traditionally thought to be the place where Jesus shared the Last Supper The ground floor of the same building is also believed to house the tomb of the biblical King David the actual location of the burial is a matter of historical and religious debate The inscription on the recently discovered porcelain fragment reads: "Forever we will guard the eternal spring." According to the IAA the artifact represents the earliest known Chinese inscription found in Israel evidence of trade relations between merchants in the Land of Israel and the Far East is known even from earlier periods—for example But it is fascinating to meet evidence of these relations also in the form of an actual inscription and in an unexpected place—on Mount Zion in Jerusalem," IAA director Eli Escusido said in a statement The porcelain fragment came to light during excavations conducted over the past three years on Mount Zion by the IAA in collaboration with the German Protestant Institute of Archeology The majority of finds uncovered by these investigations date to the Byzantine period (roughly the 4th-7th centuries) and earlier to the Second Temple period (516 B.C.-A.D But the porcelain fragment originates from a much later period and has an unexpected origin making it a surprising find within this context The colorful porcelain bowl fragment is thought to date from 1520 to 1570 and appears to have originated in China's Ming dynasty 1368 to 1644—ruled China following the overthrow of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty the dynasty is known for restoring Han Chinese governance and promoting Confucian values technological and maritime advancements in China including the construction of the Forbidden City It is also renowned for its contributions to literature and arts and its attempts to implement effective governance paving the way for the rise of the Qing dynasty Historical sources indicated that the Chinese Empire had close trade relations with the Ottoman Empire This may explain the presence of the porcelain bowl fragment found on Mount Zion Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all