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2017 SESSION

17101191D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 800
Offered January 20, 2017
Commending Ebenezer United Methodist Church.
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Patrons-- Jones and Hayes; Senator: Cosgrove
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WHEREAS, Ebenezer United Methodist Church of Suffolk, in 2016, celebrated 150 years of serving Christ and its faithful neighbors in the close-knit, historic watermen communities of Crittenden, Eclipse, and Hobson; and

WHEREAS, Ebenezer United Methodist Church traces its roots to the evangelistic services held in Nansemond County in 1866, just after the Civil War, at the end of a peninsula bounded by the Nansemond River, Chuckatuck Creek, and the James River; and

WHEREAS, the first structure for what would become Ebenezer United Methodist Church was constructed near what is now the community of Hobson and used as a schoolhouse during the week and for worship on Sundays; and

WHEREAS, after the original church building burned, the congregation worshiped in a brush arbor tent, where evangelistic services that were led by the Reverend Charles V. Bingley drew people from all over the Counties of Nansemond and Isle of Wight; it was after this series of revivals that the church was named Ebenezer; and

WHEREAS, a new church structure was built, and it served the Ebenezer United Methodist Church congregation until 1888; the cornerstone of a new church was laid in the community of Crittenden on Chuckatuck Creek; and

WHEREAS, located in an area so close to a shipbuilding and munitions hub, the ringing of the bell in the Ebenezer United Methodist Church tower was the signal of the beginning and end of blackouts in the community during World War II; and

WHEREAS, by the 1950s, the growth of the community resulted in the need for a larger and more modern church building and construction of Ebenezer United Methodist Church’s current brick structure began around May 1963 on land across the street from the old wood frame church; and

WHEREAS, Ebenezer United Methodist Church has grown over the years in terms of its ministry, offering the congregation and the community enrichment programs in music, arts, and sports through the Ebenezer Arts and Sports League; and

WHEREAS, Ebenezer United Methodist Church’s Family Life Center, opened in 2005, is the location of a weekly contemporary praise service and has profoundly changed the church’s ministry in numerous ways; and

WHEREAS, throughout its history, Ebenezer United Methodist Church has been blessed with having talented musicians and people have traveled from miles away to hear the musical programs presented by the Ebenezer choir; and

WHEREAS, Sunday worship services at Ebenezer United Methodist Church today draw about 300 members and at least 20 families can trace membership in the church back to its earliest days; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Carl J. LeMon, who had served Ebenezer United Methodist Church for 21 years, retired in 2016, and the church is now led by Pastor Won Lee as it reflects on its first 150 years and turns the page to the next chapter of its history; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Ebenezer United Methodist Church on the 150th anniversary of its founding and its important ministry to the communities of Crittenden, Eclipse, and Hobson; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Won Lee, pastor of Ebenezer United Methodist Church, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration of the church’s glorious past and even brighter future.