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2024 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 72
Commending the First Baptist Church of West Point.
 
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 17, 2024
Agreed to by the Senate, January 18, 2024
 

WHEREAS, for 150 years, the First Baptist Church of West Point has provided its members with uplifting spiritual guidance, occasions of joyful worship, and opportunities for generous community outreach; and

WHEREAS, the vision for the First Baptist Church of West Point came from West Point resident Sue Davis, who convinced the Reverend Alfred Bagby to hold services on every fifth Sunday, which led a council of three Baptist ministers to organize a Baptist church in West Point on December 21, 1873, with 13 founding members as its initial congregation; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Alfred Bagby was elected pastor of the First Baptist Church of West Point at its second business meeting, and his able leadership helped the congregation to grow to more than 60 members by 1880; and

WHEREAS, the First Baptist Church of West Point laid the cornerstone for its first church building on July 4, 1875, and completed the structure in 1876; it added a parsonage in the 1880s and several other structures and improvements thereafter to accommodate the church’s growing membership; and

WHEREAS, since the Reverend Alfred Bagby, the First Baptist Church of West Point has been subsequently led by 27 other accomplished pastors, including the Reverend Marvin Kerby, who served the church as senior pastor from 1969 to 2000 and who has been a significant spiritual leader to the Town of West Point, and its current pastor, the Reverend Dr. Jim Goebel, all of whom have provided sage counsel to the church’s members while working tirelessly to ensure the church’s prosperity and longevity; and

WHEREAS, the First Baptist Church of West Point organized its First Ladies Aid and Missionary Society in 1884 and has since developed a number of other outreach activities to benefit the community; and

WHEREAS, the congregation of First Baptist Church of West Point has navigated several catastrophes over the church’s history, including a fire in 1903 that ravaged the business section of West Point, emerging from each instance both stronger and more faithful; and

WHEREAS, over the past 150 years, First Baptist Church has been a spiritual refuge for the many individuals who have sought solace and a greater sense of purpose and belonging within its walls; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the First Baptist Church of West Point as its congregation celebrates the church’s 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 First Baptist Church of West Point as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the church’s history and its contributions to the Commonwealth.