Bill Text: VA HR328 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Calvary Chapel Smith Mountain Lake.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-06 - Bill text as passed House (HR328ER) [HR328 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR328-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, for 237 years, Calvary Chapel Smith Mountain Lake has provided opportunities for joyful worship, fellowship, and study of the teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as conducted generous outreach to enhance the lives of all community members; and
WHEREAS, Calvary Chapel Smith Mountain Lake traces its roots to 1787, when local residents held worship services in a small log structure called Moody Meeting House; and
WHEREAS, Moody Meeting House was originally located at a site on Moody Mill Road on the north side of the Roanoke River, then known as the Staunton River, which is now part of Smith Mountain State Park; and
WHEREAS, on April 11, 1790, 32 people met and formally constituted Staunton Baptist Church under the leadership of the Reverend William Johnson, and the congregation eventually held its first services at Moody Meeting House; and
WHEREAS, over the next few decades, Staunton Baptist Church benefited from the able leadership of several pastors, including the Reverend Abner Anthony, who was born just a few months after the church was formed and whose father had been present at the organizational meeting; he served the congregation from 1827 to 1866; and
WHEREAS, in the spring of 1877, Staunton Baptist Church relocated to the Pleasant Grove School, then secured property for the construction of a new church building from Jordan Martin in 1883; and
WHEREAS, Moody Meeting House was sold in 1885, and the new location of Staunton Baptist Church was directly across from the Pleasant Grove School house, which burned down in 1918; and
WHEREAS, on May 20, 1984, members of Staunton Baptist Church gathered in Smith Mountain State Park for the dedication of a granite stone on the restored foundation of the Moody Meeting House to honor the congregation's history and heritage; and
WHEREAS, in October 2023, Staunton Baptist Church changed its name to Calvary Chapel Smith Mountain Lake; the church continues to provide regular worship services along with men's, women's, and family ministries and opportunities for mission work and outreach; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Calvary Chapel Smith Mountain Lake hereby be commended on the occasion of its 237th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Calvary Chapel Smith Mountain Lake as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the church's long history and legacy of contributions to the community.
