Bill Text: VA SJR198 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Stanley B. Bennett.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-03-10 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ198ER) [SJR198 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2022-SJR198-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Reverend Stanley B. Bennett, the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in North Chesterfield and a beloved member of the Greater Richmond community, died on January 21, 2022; and
WHEREAS, born in Fairfield, Alabama, as the youngest boy of 21 children, Stanley Bennett enlisted with the United States Marine Corps in 1968 and served his country honorably for six years while stationed at Quantico; and
WHEREAS, while living in Queens, New York, in the 1970s, Stanley Bennett was baptized and renewed his commitment to his faith, serving as a deacon, Sunday school superintendent, bus captain, and usher at the International Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York; and
WHEREAS, Stanley Bennett then earned a bachelor's degree in church ministries from Trinity Baptist College in 1989 and a master's degree from Louisiana Baptist University; he would also later receive honorary doctor of divinity degrees from Trinity Baptist College and New Life Bible College; and
WHEREAS, after graduating, Stanley Bennett was encouraged to establish an independent fundamental Baptist church in Richmond, which led to the founding of Cornerstone Baptist Church on February 4, 1990, in North Chesterfield; and
WHEREAS, from its humble beginnings in Stanley Bennett's family's living room, Cornerstone Baptist Church quickly grew, moving first to Richmond Christian School and later to a 12-acre campus on Cornerstone Boulevard in North Chesterfield as the congregation swelled into the hundreds; and
WHEREAS, Stanley Bennett provided his followers with edifying and uplifting spiritual guidance and opportunities for charitable outreach over more than 30 years, spearheading various ministries and initiatives that made a positive difference in the lives of those he served; and
WHEREAS, Stanley Bennett took his message and counsel beyond the walls of Cornerstone Baptist Church, serving as a regional vice president for Trinity Baptist College and as a member of the Richmond Police Chaplain Academy and the steering committee of the Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists; and
WHEREAS, Stanley Bennett will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife of 49 years, Deborah; his children, Pamela, Matthew, and Jonathan, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Reverend Stanley B. Bennett, founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, whose integrity, generosity, and compassion for others were an inspiration to all who knew him; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Reverend Stanley B. Bennett as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
