2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26106885D

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 64

Offered February 23, 2026

Commending Hunterdale Christian Church.

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Patron—Jordan

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WHEREAS, Hunterdale Christian Church, a house of worship that has provided wise spiritual leadership and generous outreach to generations of community members in southeastern Virginia, celebrated its 225th anniversary in 2025; and

WHEREAS, Hunterdale Christian Church was established in 1800 and held its first services in a bush arbor across the street from the church's current location on Hunterdale Road; and

WHEREAS, Hunterdale Christian Church is the oldest continuously operating church in the City of Franklin and was the fourth-oldest church in Southampton County prior to being annexed into city limits; and

WHEREAS, over the course of its long history, Hunterdale Christian Church endured the Civil War, the Great Depression and other economic downturns, changes in population growth and the social fabric of the Commonwealth, pandemics and epidemics, and other periods of local, national, and global upheaval; and

WHEREAS, through it all, Hunterdale Christian Church upheld its commitment to providing a beacon of faith, hope, and fellowship for its congregation and strengthening the community as a whole; and

WHEREAS, Hunterdale Christian Church hosted a 225th anniversary celebration on September 14, 2025, featuring the popular local gospel quartet Streets of Gold and special guest speakers who reflected on the church's numerous milestones and achievements; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Hunterdale Christian Church hereby be commended on the occasion of its 225th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Reverend Dean Russell Jester, Jr., pastor of Hunterdale Christian Church, as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the church's long history and legacy of contributions to the residents of Franklin and the surrounding region.