SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2016 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 289
Commending Shiloh Baptist Church.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 19, 2016
Agreed to by the Senate, February 25, 2016

 

WHEREAS, for 150 years, Shiloh Baptist Church has served the Ashland community through spiritual leadership, valuable outreach programs, and joyful worship in the Baptist tradition; and

WHEREAS, tracing its roots to 1866, Shiloh Baptist Church was a pioneer church inspired by the Colored Shiloh Baptist Association and was established in a small building at the southern boundary of the Town of Ashland; and

WHEREAS, under the spiritual guidance of the Reverend Burrell Toler, the first pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church was founded one year after the end of the Civil War and only eight years after the incorporation of Ashland as a town; and

WHEREAS, Shiloh Baptist Church is among the first churches in Hanover County and the first church in Ashland organized and led by African Americans, an act forbidden prior to the end of slavery; and

WHEREAS, in its early years, Shiloh Baptist Church served as a vital source of inspiration, encouragement, and development for its members, who were recently freed and struggling to create a new life to sustain themselves and families; and

WHEREAS, with its generous outreach programs, Shiloh Baptist Church is a valuable asset to the economy, social-welfare, education, and civic affairs of Ashland; and

WHEREAS, Shiloh Baptist Church serves as a beacon of light, faith, and hope that a better day is coming; the church lifted its congregation up from humble beginnings as farmers and servants to a thriving faith community that includes ministers, teachers, lawyers, nurses, businessmen, corporate managers, and scientists; and

WHEREAS, Shiloh Baptist Church will commemorate its 150th anniversary with special events throughout 2016; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Shiloh Baptist Church for its spiritual leadership to the Ashland community on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Shiloh Baptist Church as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for its social, educational, and civic contributions to the residents of Ashland.