Bill Text: VA SJR195 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Glebe Landing Baptist Church.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-03-12 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ195ER) [SJR195 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2022-SJR195-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, for more than 250 years, Glebe Landing Baptist Church has provided spiritual leadership, generous community outreach programs, and opportunities for joyful worship in the Baptist tradition to the residents of Middlesex County to the Glory of God; and
WHEREAS, Glebe Landing Baptist Church was the first active Baptist congregation in the area and was constituted in October 1772 by the Baptist preacher John Waller, who played a vital role in the defense of religious liberty in the Virginia Colony; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend William Mullins served as the first pastor of Glebe Landing Baptist Church, which took its name from the nearby Old Glebe farm overlooking the Rappahannock River; the church held nearly all of its early baptisms in the Rappahannock River and has maintained the tradition by offering river baptisms by request; and
WHEREAS, the current Glebe Landing Baptist Church sanctuary was constructed in 1839, and the historic building has undergone numerous renovations and received several additions to better serve its members and the wider community; and
WHEREAS, from its humble beginning with only 20 members, the Glebe Landing Baptist Church has grown to include generations of Middlesex County residents, and the church has become the mother of two other thriving church communities, Hermitage Baptist Church and Union Shiloh Baptist Church; and
WHEREAS, members of the Glebe Landing Baptist Church congregation have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the Virginia Baptist community and have gone on to serve the Commonwealth and the nation in a wide variety of roles and professions, including a long tradition of military service dating back to the Revolutionary War; and
WHEREAS, over the course of its distinguished history, Glebe Landing Baptist Church has benefited from the able leadership of 32 pastors and two interim pastors; its current pastor, the Reverend Gene Cumbia, has served the congregation since 2011; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Cumbia has helped Glebe Landing Baptist Church continue to grow in faith and increased outreach to the community though programs like a Youth Night event, free lunches for people in need, nursing home visits, and other activities; and
WHEREAS, Glebe Landing Baptist Church has enriched the quality of life in Middlesex County and played an essential role in maintaining the history and traditions of the Baptist faith in the Commonwealth to the Glory of God; and
WHEREAS, Glebe Landing Baptist Church will commemorate its historic 250th anniversary with a special service on October 16, 2022; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Glebe Landing Baptist Church 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 Glebe Landing Baptist Church as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the church's storied history and legacy of contributions to the Middlesex County community and the Commonwealth and to religious liberty in the nations of the world.
