SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2015 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 554
Celebrating the life of the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 23, 2015
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2015

 

WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., beloved pastor emeritus of Mount Carmel Baptist Church, was born into a family of ministers on January 13, 1919, in Williamsburg, and entered into eternal rest on November 10, 2014; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., completed his public school education in Staunton and Charlottesville, and received the bachelor of arts degree in history from Virginia Union University, the bachelor of divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School, and the master and doctorate of theology degrees from Union Theological Seminary of Richmond; a true biblical scholar, he engaged in post-doctoral studies at the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Union Theological Seminary of New York, Princeton Theological Seminary, Mansfield College, Christ Church College, and the Third International Theological Seminary in Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich, Germany; and he received the Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Richmond Virginia Seminary, which he helped to found, and a doctor of divinity degree from his alma mater, Virginia Union University; and

WHEREAS, at age 20, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., was called into the Gospel ministry and was licensed to preach in 1939, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Charlottesville under the pastorate of his father, Reverend Edward D. McCreary, Sr.; and

WHEREAS, faithful to his calling, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., pastored four churches, including St. Johns Baptist Church in Woburn, Massachusetts, Trinity Baptist Church of Newport News, Westwood Baptist Church in Richmond, and Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Richmond, where he served as senior pastor for 34 years until his retirement in 1988 as pastor emeritus; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., affectionately known as “a pastor’s pastor,” was a caring and compassionate under-shepherd who preached and taught the Gospel, visited the sick and shut-in, counseled married couples, consoled grieving family members, and was actively involved in the lives of the members of the congregation; and

WHEREAS, a wonderful orator with self-deprecating humor and a kind word for everyone he met, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., was also a loving, attentive, and concerned husband and father; and

WHEREAS, during his retirement, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., served as interim pastor for 10 churches; a noted biblical scholar and professor, he served for 39 years as Professor of Theology and Philosophy and Chairman of the Department of Philosophy and Religion and the Division of Humanities at Virginia Union University, where he shared his knowledge and experience with those called into the ministry to mold the next generation of pastors, teachers, apologists, missionaries, evangelists, and churchmen; he also served as a visiting professor of religion at Mount Holyoke College, the University of Richmond, and Virginia Commonwealth University; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., was the recipient of numerous honors and awards for his work, including the 1984 Distinguished Service Award presented by the Miles W. Connor Chapter of the Virginia Union University Alumni Association, the 1990 Inaugural Sermon for the inauguration of L. Douglas Wilder as the state’s first elected African American Governor of Virginia, the 1999 Outstanding Leadership to the Community of Faith Award by the Shiloh Baptist Association, and the initiation of the Edward D. McCreary Community Lecture Series begun in 2006 at Virginia Union University; and

WHEREAS, always willing to give generously of his time, talent, and resources, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., was appointed to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and served as a board member of Dominion, formerly Virginia Power Company, the Commission on Aging, now a part of the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Seven Hills Hospital Authority, and Richmond Hill Ecumenical Center; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., served faithfully in numerous organizations, among them the Baptist Ministers Conference of Richmond and Vicinity, as former moderator of the Shiloh Association of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia, and workshop leader for the Tuckahoe Association; he was a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a member of Mason Silver Trowel Lodge #267, patron of the Fannie Lewis Chapter #4 of the Order of Eastern Stars, former trustee of the Independent Order of St. Luke, former president and, upon his death, chaplain of the Maggie L. Walker Historical Foundation; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., was published in various national religious publications and was a frequent lecturer and participant at workshops as he traveled around the world; and

WHEREAS, the memory of the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., will be cherished by his family, colleagues, and friends forever, and a tall timber has fallen in the faith community that can never be replaced; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Reverend Dr. Edward Daniel McCreary, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.