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2019 SESSION

19105975D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 407
Offered February 13, 2019
Commending St. Timothy's Episcopal Church.
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Patrons-- Boysko, Ebbin and Howell; Delegates: Adams, D.M., Bell, John J., Delaney, Heretick, Hope, Kory, Rasoul, Sullivan and Ware
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WHEREAS, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Herndon celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018; and

WHEREAS, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church had its beginnings on November 1, 1868, when a few Episcopal Christians in a small dairy farm community in Herndon met together to worship and give thanks on All Saints’ Sunday; the service was led by a school teacher and licensed Episcopal lay reader; and

WHEREAS, by 1872, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church had formed a Sunday school with three teachers and seven students, and a small building at the corner of Grace and Vine Streets, once used as a cheese factory, was acquired and renovated for the church’s use; and

WHEREAS, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church’ first church building was consecrated in June 1881, and the bell was hung in its steeple in 1882; the church’s status reverted from church to mission and back again several times prior to World War II, but the church remained active thanks to the dedication of a few committed families, two well-liked rectors, and students from the Episcopal Seminary in Alexandria; a parish hall was built in 1947; and

WHEREAS, the growth of Dulles Airport as well as the communities of Reston and Sterling Park spurred St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church to plan seriously for major expansion; in 1969, the congregation consecrated Henry Hall which served as church, education building, and parish hall; and

WHEREAS, a strong tradition of liturgical music has been maintained throughout St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church’s history thanks to the dedicated efforts of talented choir directors, organists, volunteer instrumentalists, and singers; to support music at the congregation an antique two-manual tracker organ was acquired in 1972; and

WHEREAS, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church has a strong tradition of outreach, both within and beyond the community; the acclaimed preschool was founded in 1974; The Closet, Herndon’s highly successful used clothing outlet, had its beginnings at St. Timothy’s in the 1970s; a young deacon initiated the first shelter for the homeless in Fairfax County in 1984 leading to collaboration among other churches and later a more permanent shelter; and

WHEREAS, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church congregants support annual youth mission trips to Appalachia, adult mission trips to the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, and a mission to Chapoteau, Haiti; numerous other civic and service projects support numerous causes including a food ministry; and

WHEREAS, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church’s present sanctuary, which seats 350, was consecrated on November 11, 1982; capital campaigns have renovated or added space for educational services, a music space, meeting spaces, a narthex, and offices; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Herndon on the occasion of its 150th anniversary in 2018; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, as an expression of the General Assembly’s congratulations on the church’s 150th anniversary and appreciation of its service to the Greater Herndon community.