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2023 SESSION

23106456D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 382
Offered February 20, 2023
Commending Sixth Baptist Church.
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Patrons-- McClellan and Hashmi; Delegates: Bagby, Carr and McQuinn
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WHEREAS, for 100 years, Sixth Baptist Church in Richmond has provided its congregation with joyful and uplifting spiritual guidance and abundant opportunities for community outreach; and

WHEREAS, the origins of Sixth Baptist Church date to 1923, when Reverend E.D. Caffee and 25 members of the congregation at Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Richmond left the church to form St. Luke’s Mission, which would become formally recognized as St. Luke Baptist Church on December 12, 1923; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Joseph Arrington took leadership of St. Luke Baptist Church on Christmas Day in 1927, and the next month, the church officially changed its name to Sixth Street Baptist Church; and

WHEREAS, the congregation continued to grow and thrive under the Reverend Arrington, and in 1953, the church moved to its current location at the intersection of Addison Street and Idlewood Avenue in Richmond, at which point it became known as Sixth Baptist Church; and

WHEREAS, Sixth Baptist Church continued to grow and thrive over the years under the leadership of its third pastor, the Reverend Haywood G. Knight, who served from 1961 to 1968; its fourth pastor, the Reverend Dr. Emmett L. Fleming, Sr., who served from 1969 to 2000; and its fifth and current pastor, the Reverend Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, who has served the congregation since 2001; and

WHEREAS, in recent years, the Reverend Bibbs has led Sixth Baptist Church with her thematic program, “Mobilizing for Ministry: Refreshing the Old and Emerging the New,” energizing the congregation and inspiring many to look deeper into their faith; and

WHEREAS, through various ministries and outreach activities, Sixth Baptist Church has made a profound and lasting impact on the Richmond community, and the church promises to continue its benevolent mission for many years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Sixth Baptist Church on the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 2023; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Sixth Baptist Church as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the church’s history and its contributions to the Commonwealth.