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2015 SESSION
WHEREAS, in 2015, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Norfolk celebrates 150 years of spiritual leadership of and generous outreach to its congregation and the community; and
WHEREAS, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church traces its deepest roots to the antebellum period, when two slaves, Jacob Cargo and Elijah Lively, held prayer meetings on Lenox Farm and brush arbor services throughout the area; and
WHEREAS, after the Emancipation Proclamation, prayer meetings were held in the home of Peter Catney, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church was officially founded on October 1, 1865, taking its name from Mount Pleasant Farm in Gloucester County; and
WHEREAS, to accommodate better the growing congregation, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church constructed its first building on what is now the corner of Newport Avenue and Birmingham Avenue; and
WHEREAS, in 1913, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church acquired land for its current location, and the original location became the church cemetery; and
WHEREAS, over the years, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church has inspired many men and women to live their faith through their actions and take up leadership roles in the church; the first recorded pastor was the Reverend Zachariah Hughes in 1878; and
WHEREAS, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church has been ably led by the Reverend Garfield R. Mallory, the Reverend Howell McClendon, the Reverend William H. Crews, the Reverend Ben A. Beamer, the Reverend Dr. James Harris, and the Reverend Dr. William L. Davis, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church works to present the teachings of Jesus Christ in a caring, contemporary, and creative manner and to help members of the congregation achieve the principles and fellowship of the Christian faith; and
WHEREAS, throughout its history, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church has succeeded in its mission to help members of the community grow, change, and connect with one another; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Mount Pleasant Baptist Church hereby be commended on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Reverend Dr. William L. Davis, Jr., and the congregation of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s admiration for the church’s contributions to the Norfolk community.