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2022 SPECIAL SESSION I

22208119D
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 626
Offered May 29, 2022
Commending Mount Zion Baptist Church of Powhatan.
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Patron-- Hashmi
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WHEREAS, for 150 years, Mount Zion Baptist Church of Powhatan has provided spiritual guidance, generous community outreach, and opportunities for joyful worship to the members of the community; and

WHEREAS, Mount Zion Baptist Church traces its roots to the period after the Emancipation Proclamation, when a group of formerly enslaved Christians desired to create a place of their own to worship; and

WHEREAS, at the time, residents of the Smith’s Crossroads community had to travel great distances to find a house of worship and instead held prayer meetings in small groups to make religious services readily available for all; and

WHEREAS, to better serve this community, Mount Zion Baptist Church was established in 1872, with Isaac Braxton, Sam Braxton, Henry Brown, Fannie Brown, Stephen Brown, Frank Falcon, A. D. Hewitt, T. G. Hewitt, Edith Howell, Sarah Jackson, Hennible Lee, Nancy Lee, Ann Mosby, and Rebecca Pittman as founding members; and

WHEREAS, land for the new church was given by Pembrook Mosby, and the Reverend Alfred Morris was the first elected pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church; and

WHEREAS, by 1939, the Mount Zion Baptist Church congregation had outgrown the original one-room church built in 1872, and at a church meeting, a motion was made by J. P. Bell to construct a new sanctuary; and

WHEREAS, the members of the Mount Zion Baptist Church congregation worked diligently to raise enough money to build a new church, and after 11 years, the new structure was dedicated on the second Sunday in March 1950; and

WHEREAS, Mount Zion has benefited from the leadership and guidance of fifteen duly elected pastors throughout its 150-year history; and

WHEREAS, through the visionary leadership and support of the pastor, deacons, trustees, and members, Mount Zion Baptist Church was able to build an addition to the 1950 structure, which was completed in 1999; and

WHEREAS, the congregation of Mount Zion Baptist Church has continued to grow in faith and number, while preserving its proud heritage, and the church remains a steadfast beacon of hope for those in the community in need; and

WHEREAS, in the course of its history, Mount Zion Baptist Church has supported the community through local food banks, the Christmas Mother program, Autism Speaks, the American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, the Powhatan Free Clinic, the Powhatan Rescue Squad, and, as a participating member, the Powhatan Coalition of Churches; and

WHEREAS, the members of Mount Zion Baptist Church will commemorate the church’s 150th anniversary with special events on October 15 and 16, 2022; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Mount Zion Baptist Church of Powhatan hereby be commended on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Reverend Bryan J. Stevens, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church of Powhatan, as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s admiration for the congregation’s long history and legacy of contributions to the community.