The Zionites have been preparing for this grand celebration all year.Organized on July 14, 1865, on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the Zion Missionary Baptist Association is the oldest African-American Baptist Association in North America. Members will celebrate 150 years this month, with celebratory services being held from Wednesday through Saturday at the Zion Missionary Baptist Association Center in Crescent, McIntosh County. The Rev. Dr. Hermon Scott, moderator of the Zion Association, said the Rev. U.L. Houston, who was the third moderator of the Zion Association, met with Gen. William T. Sherman in Savannah and had input into the “40 acres and a mule field order.”