Bill Text: VA HJR752 | 2011 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Victoria Christian Church on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-02-03 - House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ752ER) [HJR752 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2011-HJR752-Enrolled.html
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WHEREAS, Victoria Christian Church will joyously celebrate its historic 100th anniversary in 2011; and WHEREAS, in the early 1900s, members of the Christian Church were known as "Campbellites," in reference to Thomas and Alexander Campbell, leaders of the "Restoration Movement," which aimed to bring the church of the day closer to its New Testament origins; and WHEREAS, in 1911 the minister of Perseverance Christian Church in Lunenburg County, the Reverend Daniel Myles Austin, heard that the young Town of Victoria had a small number of Campbellites; and WHEREAS, Reverend Austin visited Victoria on the second Sunday of April in 1911 and found about 15 members of the Christian Church, which he formally organized, along with the Reverend A.S. Hinkle, later that year; and WHEREAS, charter members of Victoria Christian Church included J.H. Vaughan, Mrs. J.H. Vaughan, J.A. Vaughan, Daisy Vaughan (Mrs. George Gee), W.T. White, Mrs. W.T. White, Edith White (Mrs. G.R. Marshall), Lila White, Charles C. White, Mrs. Charles C. White, Mrs. J.W. Fowlkes, C.W. Braswell, J.R. Hawthorne, Mrs. J.R. Hawthorne, Mary Hawthorne (Mrs. J.R. Seaborn), Isabell Moses (Mrs. Charles Oliver), Mrs. P.A. Huddleston, Mrs. Harper Huddleston, and Mrs. L.G. Flynn; and WHEREAS, Victoria Christian Church first met in local Methodist and Baptist churches until the completion of its own small chapel at the corner of Sixth Street and Washington Avenue in December of 1911; and WHEREAS, the small but faithful congregation of Victoria Christian Church continued to meet at that site until 1924, when the present-day structure at Lee Avenue and Nottoway Boulevard was dedicated; and WHEREAS, in 1968 Victoria Christian Church, along with other Christian Churches, became part of the newly formed denomination known as Disciples of Christ; and WHEREAS, Victoria Christian Church continued to grow in faith and members over the years while being served by immensely dedicated and able pastors, who provided visionary leadership, devout worship, meaningful Christian education, and enthusiastic ministry and community missions; and WHEREAS, the ministers of Victoria Christian Church have been the Reverends D.M. Austin (1911 - 1931), Myles M. Austin (1931 - 1941), J.T. Meredith (1941 - 1945), G.N. Perkins (1945 - 1950), J.T. Meadows (1950 - 1953), J. Lloyd Black, Jr. (1953 - 1955), Harold W. Rhodes (1956 - 1960), Dr. Paul D. Richardson (1960 - 1963), Warren P. Brubaker (1963 - 1966), Dr. Paul D. Richardson (1966 - 1968), J.C. Keesee (1968 - 1969), Dr. Paul D. Richardson (1969 - 1970), Herman Reynolds (1970 - 1972), Richard A. Bell (1972 - 1990), and Earl P. Pinchbeck, Jr. (1990 - present); and WHEREAS, in 1999 Victoria Christian Church realized the need to expand the church to better serve its members and the community and embarked upon the planning and construction of a two-story addition that created new Sunday school classrooms, a choir room, and pastor's study; and WHEREAS, Victoria Christian Church dedicated its new addition in 2002 with a celebratory "homecoming" service attended by over 200 individuals; and WHEREAS, Victoria Christian Church, after much prayer and thought, severed its relationship with the Disciples of Christ in 2007 and became an independent Christian Church; and WHEREAS, throughout its long history, Victoria Christian Church has provided its devoted congregation, its neighbors, and the community a place to worship, to help others, and to grow in faith and service; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Victoria Christian Church on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Victoria Christian Church as an expression of the General Assembly's congratulations and best wishes for the Church's future success in its ministries. |
