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2015 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 902
Commending Walnut Hills Baptist Church.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 25, 2015
Agreed to by the Senate, February 27, 2015

 

WHEREAS, in 2014, Walnut Hills Baptist Church celebrated 50 years of service to the community through uplifting worship services, valued ministries, and generous outreach programs; and

WHEREAS, Walnut Hills Baptist Church was first envisioned when a College of William and Mary student solicited support for a Baptist church near campus that would support a student ministry program; and

WHEREAS, with the support of two nearby churches, Walnut Hills Baptist Church was established in 1963 as Jamestown Road Baptist Church with 18 charter members; the church held its first worship service in May with 41 members; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Edgar J. Burkholder became the first full-time pastor of Walnut Hills Baptist Church in 1964, and under his leadership, the church joined the Southern Baptist Convention in September of that year; and

WHEREAS, after a church split in 1968, the Walnut Hills Baptist Church congregation continued to meet in Rawls Byrd Elementary School until a new building on Jamestown Road was constructed in 1969; and

WHEREAS, over the next several years, Walnut Hills Baptist Church continued to grow and flourish, adding an education building in 1976, a new sanctuary in 1987, a preschool learning center in 1991, and Sunday school rooms in 1996; and

WHEREAS, between 1996 and 1998, Walnut Hills Baptist Church added three full-time positions—Minister of Music, Minister of Education, and Minister of Youth and Children—to better serve and support the growing congregation; and

WHEREAS, in 2001, Walnut Hills Baptist Church modified its denomination to identify with the Baptist General Association of Virginia; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Walnut Hills Baptist Church on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 2013; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Reverend Tony Neal, pastor of Walnut Hills Baptist Church, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the church’s proud tradition of spiritual leadership of and service to the Williamsburg community.