History
Over 60 Years of Ministry
March 6, 1960
Began renting a house on S Propst St in Gastonia, NC to prepare for having services.
March 13, 1960
First service was held at 6pm on a Sunday evening. A total of 11 people were present.
May 1, 1960
Sam Robbins was ordained as the first pastor of Zion Baptist Church. Deacon’s meetings began being held.
August 7, 1960
Purchased the property that was being rented on S Propst St where services were being held.
March 12, 1961
First election of teachers and officers.
June 4, 1961
First treasury report presented to the congregation.
January 6, 1963
Brotherhood was established.
1974
Construction of the current church is completed.
December 12th, 1993
Leo Kuykendall is voted in as the new pastor of Zion Baptist Church. Zion Church Sermons begin being aired on WAGI FM Radio titled as “The Bible Hour”. This ministry continued for 30+ years until the last airing on March 1, 2026.
Early 1994
Bus Ministry is started with a total of 8 busses servicing parts of Gaston and Cleveland County to provide transportation for children and adults to come to church. This ministry was active for nearly 30 years.
September 4, 1994
Zion Baptist Church holds the first ever “Great Labor Day Jubilee”. This event was held under a large outdoor tent that could seat 500+ people. It consists of prominent pastors and gospel singers coming together for a night filled with singing and sermons. The Jubilee is still held annually but now takes place inside of the church. It has had an average attendance of 475+ people for 30+ years.
September 18, 2002
“The Bible Hour” program that features church singers and Pastor Leo Kuykendall’s sermons begins being produced and is aired on a local TV station. The show is still being aired Sundays at 2:00pm on WCCB-TV 18-Charlotte.
2007
Purchased the first of several parcels of land located between Neal Hawkins Rd and Hudson Blvd in Gastonia, NC for future plans of building a larger church.
2012
Purchased the final parcel of land located between Neal Hawkins Rd and Hudson Blvd in Gastonia, NC that is needed for building a larger church. Currently the new church has yet to be built, but the property continues to be maintained while planning for the new facility.
2013 - Present
Zion Baptist Church has continued to serve as a place of worship where its members can raise their families to follow Christian values, fellowship, praise their Lord and Savior, and receive God’s teachings.