2026 SPECIAL SESSION I

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2004

Commending St. John Baptist Church of Woodford.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, April 23, 2026

WHEREAS, for 160 years, St. John Baptist Church of Woodford has served as a beacon of hope and fellowship in the community, providing opportunities for joyful worship, wise spiritual leadership, and generous outreach; and

WHEREAS, St. John Baptist Church traces its roots to March 1866, when Black members of New Bethel Baptist Church in Caroline County asked to hold a meeting in the gallery on a Sunday afternoon; the Reverend James F. Wright preached a sermon that inspired church leadership and led Deacon Arthur Beasley to call for the creation of a new church for the Black congregation; and

WHEREAS, the congregation constructed a brush arbor on Brick Kiln Hill and decided to call the new church St. John Baptist Church; in 1975, Deacon Beasley donated an acre of land and funds to help construct a permanent sanctuary; and

WHEREAS, St. John Baptist Church was renovated in 1900 and 1922, and the current brick church building was erected in 1936; and

WHEREAS, over the course of its history, St. John Baptist Church has benefited from the leadership of eight pastors, and touched countless lives in Caroline County by helping members of the congregation grow in faith and take a more active role in community life; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That St. John Baptist Church of Woodford hereby be commended on the occasion of its 160th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to St. John Baptist Church of Woodford as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the church's long history and legacy of contributions to the community.