Bill Text: VA HR27 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Honorable Dr. Luke E. Torian.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-02-12 - Bill text as passed House (HR27ER) [HR27 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR27-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Honorable Dr. Luke E. Torian, an esteemed public servant and faith leader who has spent his 35-year career dedicated to bringing people together to make positive change through his ministry, leadership, and community service, retired from his position as pastor of First Mount Zion Baptist Church of Dumfries in 2024; and
WHEREAS, since 1995, Luke Torian has served as pastor of First Mount Zion Baptist Church, for which his service has been recognized by countless awards and accolades, including the James Floyd Jenkins Pillar of Faith Award from Howard University in 2002, appointment to the Virginia Board of Counseling by Governor Mark R. Warner in 2004, and an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Virginia Union University in 2021; and
WHEREAS, as a community leader in Prince William County, Luke Torian founded Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE), and his strong belief in "ministry beyond the walls" of the church has resulted in the development of ministries such as those designed to provide reduced-cost groceries to families, mentorship and education for pregnant teenagers and teenage parents, and outreach to youth incarcerated in juvenile detention facilities; and
WHEREAS, Luke Torian has given generously of his time to the community through his involvement with a number of organizations, such as the Creative and Performing Arts Center, Project Mend A House, local Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Action in Community Through Service (ACTS), an organization designed to alleviate hunger, homelessness, and domestic violence in the community; and
WHEREAS, Luke Torian has been awarded three Citizen of the Year Awards and a Man of the Year Award by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and, in 2019, he was awarded the Founders' Lifetime Achievement Award by the fraternity's Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter; and
WHEREAS, Luke Torian took his dedication to community a step further when he was elected in 2009 to represent the 52nd District of the Virginia House of Delegates; since then, he has worked tirelessly to better the lives of all Virginians through improvements to education, housing, criminal justice, and more; in 2020, he became the first African American to be appointed as chair of the House Appropriations Committee; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the awards he has received from organizations including the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Prince William County chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Luke Torian has earned Legislator of the Year awards from the Virginia Council of Chapters of the Military Officers Association of America, the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, and the Treasurers' Association of Virginia in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Honorable Dr. Luke E. Torian hereby be commended on the occasion of his retirement from the pastorship of First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Prince William County after 35 years of service; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Dr. Luke E. Torian as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his legacy of service and best wishes for a happy and fulfilling retirement.
