WHEREAS, Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Stafford County, was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register on December 14, 2017, and the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church traces its roots to 1868, when 27 members of nearby White Oak Baptist Church formed their own congregation with the Reverend York Johnson as pastor; and

WHEREAS, with the assistance of the Freedmen's Bureau, Reverend Johnson founded a mutual aid society, the Union Vine of the True Branch, to better support the growing community; the church established a cemetery and completed its first sanctuary in 1870; and

WHEREAS, by acting as deacons, trustees, presidents, secretaries, and treasurers at Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church, freedmen and freedwomen were able to learn valuable career skills, and both adults and children who could not attend school during the week learned to read and write during the church's Sunday school; and

WHEREAS, in 1939, the Reverend Harry B. Williams became pastor and led Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church into the modern era, completing a new sanctuary in 1951 and building a strong sense of community by making the church a focal point of the Civil Rights movement and school integration in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, under Reverend Williams' leadership, the Stafford County Branch of the NAACP was formed at Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church, with a member of the congregation, Frank White, Sr., as its first president; and

WHEREAS, Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church continued to host local NAACP events and meetings with prominent Civil Rights attorneys like Oliver White Hill, Sr., to discuss strategies to advance the cause of school integration; and

WHEREAS, Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church supported the community through many other turbulent events of the 20th century, and veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War were laid to rest in its historic cemetery; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the well-deserved recognition as a state and national landmark, Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church will receive a state highway marker that will be installed on church property to allow members of the public to easily learn about this historic site; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church hereby be commended on its selection for the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the church's unique contributions to the history and heritage of Stafford County.