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Fifty years ago on July 11, Rev. Dr. Denison D. Harrield Jr. delivered his first sermon \u2014 a message rooted in faith, perseverance, and a belief that God\u2019s work continues.<\/p>\n
On July 11, 1976, Harrield preached his Trial Sermon at St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church at 304 N. Willow Street in Trenton, drawing from Luke 18:35-43 with a message titled \u201cGod Still Works Miracles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pastor of St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church at the time was Rev. Dr. O. R. Lyons, whose leadership marked the beginning of Harrield\u2019s journey into ministry.<\/p>\n
\nAfter five decades of preaching and nearly four decades shepherding Wallace Chapel, Harrield continues to share the same message he delivered in Trenton in 1976:<\/em>
\n\u201cGod Still Works Miracles.\u201d<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cFifty (50) years ago today, July 11, 1976, I preached my Trial Sermon at St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church,\u201d Harrield wrote in a Facebook post reflecting on the anniversary. \u201cMy subject was \u2018God Still Works Miracles.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Two years later, in May 1978, Harrield received his first pastoral appointment when Bishop William M. Smith appointed him pastor of Antioch A.M.E. Zion Church in Linden, where he served for 11 years.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 1, 1989, Bishop Alfred G. Dunston Jr. appointed Harrield pastor of Wallace Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in Summit, beginning a relationship with the city that has now spanned 37 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 50 years in the ministry and 48 years as a Pastor, I am a witness that God still works miracles,\u201d Harrield wrote. \u201cThank you God for calling me to preach, to pastor, to serve, and for your continuing blessings and favor on my life and ministry. Every day of my life I experience your grace, mercy, and love and I just say thank you, God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since arriving at Wallace Chapel, Harrield has become one of Summit\u2019s most recognizable faith and community leaders, known for his work extending beyond the pulpit into interfaith cooperation, civic engagement, and community service.<\/p>\n
Over nearly four decades in Summit, Harrield has served as a bridge between religious communities and civic organizations, including leadership roles with the Summit Interfaith Council, Summit Housing Authority, SAGE Eldercare, the New Jersey Council of Churches, and as chaplain for the Summit Police Department.<\/p>\n
Before entering ministry, Harrield served as a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer and later spent 18 years with NY Telephone, experiences that shaped his lifelong commitment to service.<\/p>\n
In 2021, the City of Summit honored Harrield with its Volunteer Award, recognizing decades of contributions to the community. Former Mayor Nora Radest described him as \u201cthe conscience of our community,\u201d highlighting his commitment to service and his willingness to help whenever called upon.<\/p>\n
Wallace Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church, where Harrield continues to serve, has its own deep connection to Summit history. Founded in 1923, the church building at Broad and Orchard streets is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.<\/p>\n
The milestone has drawn an outpouring of appreciation from members of the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod blessed you, knowing that you would be a Blessing, and that you have been,\u201d one person wrote in response to Harrield\u2019s post. \u201cFifty years of service, dedication and love. God\u2019s Grace, and Mercy!\u201d<\/p>\n
Another wrote: \u201cYour ministry is a blessing to your people and to your community. Your friendship and faith support to me are much appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n
After five decades of preaching and nearly four decades shepherding Wallace Chapel, Harrield continues to share the same message he delivered in Trenton in 1976:<\/p>\n
\u201cGod Still Works Miracles.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fifty years ago on July 11, Rev. Dr. Denison D. Harrield Jr. delivered his first sermon \u2014 a message rooted in faith, perseverance, and a belief that God\u2019s work continues. On July 11, 1976, Harrield preached his Trial Sermon at St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church at 304 N. Willow Street in Trenton, drawing from Luke […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":36650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[],"post_flags":[],"class_list":["post-36645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-summitchatham-local"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36645"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36651,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36645\/revisions\/36651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36645"},{"taxonomy":"post_flag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_flags&post=36645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}