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2017 SESSION

17100747D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 596
Offered January 11, 2017
Prefiled January 5, 2017
Commending First Baptist Church Chesterbrook.
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Patrons-- Sullivan; Senator: Howell
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WHEREAS, First Baptist Church Chesterbrook of McLean, Fairfax County’s oldest African American church, celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2016; and

WHEREAS, First Baptist Church was organized on August 15, 1866, in Lincolnville, a farming community established by freed slaves shortly after the Civil War; and

WHEREAS, Lincolnville was later renamed Chesterbrook and the church became known as First Baptist Church Chesterbook; and

WHEREAS, First Baptist Church Chesterbrook was built on land purchased by Reverend Cyrus Franklin Carter, the founder and first pastor of the church, who organized four Baptist congregations for freed men in the area; and

WHEREAS, the growth of the congregation in the 20th century created the need for more room and an addition to the original structure was built in 1949, housing a pastors’ study, choir loft, choir room, and baptismal pool; and

WHEREAS, today First Baptist Church Chesterbrook is visionary, proactive, and progressive in its approach to sharing the Gospel and has a vibrant and expansive ministry, as well as a devout and energetic congregation; and

WHEREAS, First Baptist Church Chesterbrook places great emphasis on the belief that members of the congregation should go beyond a mere surface faith and make sure that their lives are in line with the will of God; and

WHEREAS, many pastors have served First Baptist Church Chesterbrook over the years and promoted the church’s mission of exalting Jesus, equipping the saved, evangelizing the lost, and encouraging every soul in Christ Jesus our Lord; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend First Baptist Church Chesterbrook of McLean on the 150th anniversary of its founding; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to First Baptist Church Chesterbrook as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the church’s remarkable 150-year history as the oldest African American church in Fairfax County.