2026 SPECIAL SESSION I

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2033

Commending Ringgold Baptist Church.

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

WHEREAS, for 150 years, Ringgold Baptist Church has served as a beacon of faith and fellowship for the residents of Ringgold and members of surrounding communities in Pittsylvania County; and

WHEREAS, in the 1850s, members of the Baptist community in Ringgold met and held worship services at the Ringgold Academy, the forerunner of Averett University; and

WHEREAS, in 1876, the Old Norman House on Ringgold Depot Road in Ringgold became the birthplace of Ringgold Baptist Church through the leadership and guidance of Baptists who formerly attended Sandy Creek Baptist Church and other nearby churches; and

WHEREAS, on April 5, 1879, the congregation of Ringgold Baptist Church built a sanctuary in a grove of oak trees across the road from the church's current location; and

WHEREAS, Ringgold Baptist Church later moved to the corner of Milton Road and Clark's Mill Road and was relocated several times before settling in its current location at the corner of Ringgold Church Road and Wilkerson Road in the 1890s; and

WHEREAS, for many years, Ringgold Baptist Church worked with two other churches, Sandy Creek Baptist Church and Union Hill Baptist Church, later renamed as Glenwood Baptist Church; and

WHEREAS, the Women's Missionary Union at Ringgold Baptist Church has played a significant role in the life of the congregation since 1912; and

WHEREAS, from the first existence of Ringgold Baptist Church, contributions to local, state, and foreign missions were a priority, and the church has maintained strong affiliations with the Pittsylvania Baptist Association, the Baptist General Association of Virginia, and the Southern Baptist Convention; and

WHEREAS, Ringgold Baptist Church has undergone many transformations over the past 150 years, but its original purpose remains: to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to help its congregants and members of the wider community grow in faith, to serve the community of which it is a part in every possible Christian way, and to send its Christian influence throughout the world by supporting those activities that seek to spread the Gospel; and

WHEREAS, Ringgold Baptist Church will commemorate its 150th anniversary of service to the Ringgold community on October 25, 2026; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Ringgold Baptist Church hereby be commended on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Ringgold Baptist Church as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the church's long history and legacy of contributions to religious life in Pittsylvania County.