2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 690

Commending Enon Baptist Church.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 17, 2025

WHEREAS, Enon Baptist Church, located in the community of Enon in Chesterfield County, was organized on October 8, 1849; and

WHEREAS, Enon Baptist Church was built on a one-acre tract of farmland given to the congregation by its founder, the Reverend John Alexander Strachan; and

WHEREAS, in May 1864, during the Civil War, Union Army troops under Major General Benjamin F. Butler dismantled Enon Baptist Church and moved the lumber to nearby Point Of Rocks, where it was used to build a military field hospital; and

WHEREAS, later, the congregation petitioned the United States Congress and was awarded compensation for the destruction of the building; and

WHEREAS, Enon Baptist Church has many engaging ministries and outreach programs; its children's mission group, the Sunbeam Band, was started in 1887 and was possibly one of the first of its kind in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Enon Baptist Church is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia and works with other churches and community organizations to promote faith and fellowship throughout the Commonwealth, the United States, and the world; and

WHEREAS, the unwavering spiritual presence of Enon Baptist Church has supported its members through 175 years of economic hardship, societal shifts, global conflict, tragedy, and sorrows; and

WHEREAS, Enon Baptist Church has been a cornerstone of the Chesterfield community, providing opportunities for joyful worship and wise spiritual counsel while fostering a commitment to stewardship and service; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Enon Baptist Church hereby be commended on the occasion of its 175th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Enon Baptist Church as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for its storied history and legacy of contributions to the Chesterfield County community.