Bill Text: VA SJR108 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Christ Church.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-02-19 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ108ER) [SJR108 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR108-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Christ Church of Alexandria, which has provided uplifting spiritual guidance, innumerable moments of joyful fellowship and worship, and abundant opportunities for outreach to the Alexandria community since before the founding of the United States, commemorated its 250th anniversary in 2023; and
WHEREAS, as the local population grew in the 1760s, a new parish under the Church of England including Alexandria was created by the General Assembly, prompting the establishment of Christ Church, with the first services being offered in 1773; and
WHEREAS, following the Revolutionary War, Christ Church became part of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and grew in its membership, counting among its parishioners President George Washington and other prominent individuals from the nation's early history; and
WHEREAS, from 1779 to 1789, Christ Church was led by the Reverend Dr. David Griffith, who would play a significant role in the founding of the Episcopal Church in the United States; and
WHEREAS, in 1823, Rector William Meade and other members of Christ Church founded Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, which is today the largest accredited Episcopal seminary in the United States; and
WHEREAS, during the Civil War, Christ Church served as a chapel for United States Army chaplains and was spared the fate of becoming a hospital or stable as many other local churches were during wartime; and
WHEREAS, Christ Church has received many presidents of the United States since serving as George Washington's place of worship, including a visit from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II; and
WHEREAS, the members of Christ Church have maintained an unwavering commitment to justice and public good as the church has engaged with the pressing issues of the day over the past several decades; and
WHEREAS, for 250 years, Christ Church has served as a beacon in the Alexandria community and as a spiritual home for its many devoted members; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Christ Church of Alexandria on the occasion of its 250th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Christ Church as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the organization's history and its contributions to the Commonwealth.
