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2022 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 380
Commending Goshen Baptist Church.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 8, 2022
Agreed to by the Senate, March 9, 2022

 

WHEREAS, for 150 years, Goshen Baptist Church has provided spiritual leadership, generous community outreach, and opportunities for joyful worship in the Baptist tradition to the residents of Spotsylvania; and

WHEREAS, Goshen Baptist Church was established on April 27, 1872, and was an offshoot of the former Piney Branch Baptist Church; the church took its name from the Land of Goshen, a region of Egypt mentioned in the Bible; and

WHEREAS, led by the Reverend Melzi Chancellor, Goshen Baptist Church held its first services in local homes and later at a blacksmith shop near the church’s current location; and

WHEREAS, using materials generously provided by members of the congregation, Goshen Baptist Church erected its first church building on land donated by Parmenis and Ann E. Pritchett in 1875; and

WHEREAS, in 1915, Goshen Baptist Church built a second structure on the site of the current sanctuary, and over the following years, the church added a cemetery and a parsonage and completed many other enhancements and renovations; and

WHEREAS, Goshen Baptist Church hired its first full-time pastor, the Reverend K. Alvin Pitt in 1951 and the church joined the Fredericksburg Baptist Association in 1957; and

WHEREAS, in October 1990, Goshen Baptist Church completed a fellowship hall equipped with a kitchen and nursery rooms to better serve the congregation; and

WHEREAS, over the course of its history, Goshen Baptist Church has grown from 30 members to more than 100 and currently offers weekly services, along with youth groups, a Bible study group, and other ministries to help the congregation grow in faith and support the community; and

WHEREAS, Goshen Baptist Church will commemorate its 150th anniversary with a concert featuring the bluegrass band Chosen Road on April 23, 2022, and a special Sunday morning service the following day; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Goshen Baptist Church 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 the Reverend Adam Blosser, senior pastor of Goshen Baptist Church, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the church’s storied history and legacy of contributions to the community.