Story
Remembering a Church Mother
The women who held this congregation together.
Waycross, Georgia
Greater Mt. Zion
A.M.E. Church
More than a church. A historic congregation serving faith, family, and community.
A Welcome from the Pastor
“You are welcome here — whether you have worshipped with us for sixty years or are walking up our steps for the very first time. This house has held generations of prayer, and there is room in it for you.”
Pastor Rheunnette Haire
This Sunday
10:00 AM
Morning Worship · Sunday School 9:00 AM
1085 Ossie Davis Pkwy.
Waycross, GA 31501
Four Stories, One Institution
Faith. History. Community. Legacy.
Faith
Sunday worship, Bible study, prayer, and the sacraments at the center of congregational life.
History
Since 1901, African American religious and community life in Waycross and Ware County.
Community
Food, family assistance, youth education, workforce support, health, and civic engagement.
Legacy
Photographs, documents, oral histories, and the places and people who shaped this church.
March 1968
A Voice for the Poor Came to Waycross
In the final weeks of his life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Waycross, Georgia carrying the message of the Poor People’s Campaign. Archival records document that arrangements were made for Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church to host him, and federal reporting records an audience of roughly 200–250 people.
Read the Full AccountFellowship Hall
Faith · Art · Education · Community
Downstairs, the Fellowship Hall is becoming something larger than a meeting room: a rotating art gallery, a community resource center, and a place where lectures, receptions, workshops, and family gatherings happen under one roof.
- Rotating exhibitions
- African American art
- Church history displays
- Student and local artists
- Community workshops
- Public meetings
The Building
Built to endure. Restored to welcome.
The Greater Mt. Zion church home at 1085 Ossie Davis Parkway stands as a landmark of faith and resilience. Its commanding front towers — one crowned with a dome, the other with a steep roofline — rise above a broad gabled entrance. Dark shingled roofs cap the sanctuary and education wing, while tall windows line the walls and arched openings mark the side fellowship hall.
- Domed and gabled twin towers
- Dark shingled sanctuary roof
- Tall sanctuary windows
- Arched fellowship-hall windows
- Accessible entrance and ramp
- Historic front doors
Looking Forward
We are caring for this building so it can serve another hundred years. Ongoing improvements bring the church closer to full ADA compliance — from accessible entrances and doorways to restrooms, parking, and interior circulation — so every member and guest can enter, worship, and fellowship with dignity.
Plan your visitGMZ Stories
The People Who Built the Legacy
Each month we feature one person, one photograph, and one story — a church mother, a trustee of forty years, a Sunday school teacher, a family whose name has been on these rolls for generations.
Story
Growing Up at Greater Mt. Zion
Childhood memories of Sunday school and homecoming.
Story
When Dr. King Came to Waycross
Eyewitness recollections of March 1968.