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2008 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 406
Commending Mount Calvary Baptist Church on the occasion of its 115th anniversary.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 19, 2008
Agreed to by the Senate, February 20, 2008

 

WHEREAS, Mount Calvary Baptist Church, in the community of Pleasant Shade, celebrates its 115th anniversary in 2008; and

WHEREAS, Mount Calvary Baptist Church was organized in 1893 under the leadership of the Reverend N. T. Cooper, a member of Zion Baptist Church, who associated himself with Lewis Dickens, Pelham Jones, and Jack Blick, pioneers of the Pleasant Shade community; and

WHEREAS, with God's guidance and the help of these men, Mount Calvary Baptist Church was started in the same spot where the congregation worships today; the Reverend Cooper was installed as the first pastor and for 50 years he led the church as it grew in members, spirit, and truth; and

WHEREAS, after the Reverend Cooper’s retirement, the Reverend E. J. Vaughan was installed as the second pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church; the Reverend Vaughan had great vision and leadership skills, and during his tenure both the educational building and the E. J. Vaughan Fellowship Hall were built; and

WHEREAS, when the Reverend Vaughan retired in 1984, the members of Mount Calvary Baptist Church conducted an extensive search for their next spiritual leader and were rewarded the following year with the arrival of the Reverend Henry G. Baker, who increased the number of monthly worship services from three to four and oversaw the installation of the trinity window, new lights in the sanctuary, and an enlargement of the choir stand; and

WHEREAS, in October 1995, the Reverend Dr. David S. Briggs became the fourth shepherd of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, and during his pastorate, the idea for building a brand new sanctuary was born; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Ray Anthony Smith was installed as the fifth pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in 2002, and through his leadership and the hard work of the church’s many devoted members, the vision to build a new sanctuary has been realized, and on February 24, 2008, the parishioners will celebrate their new spiritual home; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend and congratulate Mount Calvary Baptist Church on the occasion of its 115th anniversary and the dedication of its new sanctuary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mount Calvary Baptist Church on the occasion of its 115th anniversary as an expression of the General Assembly’s best wishes on this momentous occasion.