Bill Text: VA HR353 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Reverend Dr. Patricia A. Gould-Champ, Ed.D.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed House (HR353ER) [HR353 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR353-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Patricia A. Gould-Champ, Ed.D., the visionary founder and esteemed leader of Faith Community Baptist Church in Richmond, recently retired from her role as the church's pastor; and
WHEREAS, Patricia Gould-Champ holds a doctorate in education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and graduated summa cum laude with a master of divinity degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University (STVU); and
WHEREAS, Patricia Gould-Champ has served as an assistant professor of practical theology at STVU for several years, where she has fostered the growth and development of many faith leaders; and
WHEREAS, Patricia Gould-Champ founded Faith Community Baptist Church in 1995, working with a great sense of purpose and dedication to provide her congregation with spiritual guidance and abundant opportunities for worship, fellowship, and community outreach; and
WHEREAS, Patricia Gould-Champ is an accomplished author who has released three books, Pamela Goes to Church, The Gospel According to Cancer: Reflections for Women with Cancer, and Pamela Gets Baptized, while her senior sermon, "An Unfinished Agenda," is published in Ella Mitchell's Those Preachin' Women, Volume I: Sermons by Black Women Preachers; and
WHEREAS, a former moderator of the Shiloh Baptist Association of Virginia, Patricia Gould-Champ made history when she was elected as the 35th and first female president of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia during its 104th Annual Session in 2003; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of her accomplishments as a pastor and educator, Patricia Gould-Champ was named the 1995 Woman of the Year in the area of Religion by the Young Women's Christian Association and STVU Professor of the Year twice and was designated as a Virginia Hero; and
WHEREAS, through her steadfast devotion to both her congregation and her students, Patricia Gould-Champ has demonstrated extraordinary compassion and concern for the well-being of others and her community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Reverend Dr. Patricia A. Gould-Champ, Ed.D., hereby be commended on the occasion of her retirement as pastor of Faith Community Baptist Church; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Reverend Dr. Patricia A. Gould-Champ, Ed.D., as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her contributions to the Commonwealth and best wishes in her future endeavors.
