2026 SPECIAL SESSION I

INTRODUCED

26200001D

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 2026

Offered May 27, 2026

Commending New Deliverance Evangelistic Church.

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Patron—Jones

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WHEREAS, for 30 years, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church has provided opportunities for joyful worship to its congregation and strengthened the Richmond and Chesterfield County communities through generous outreach programs and life-changing ministries; and

WHEREAS, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church was established by the Reverend Gerald O. Glenn with support from his wife, Marcietia S. Glenn, and their children; he held the first organizational meeting for the church in December 1995, then pastored the church's first Sunday service, held at George Wythe High School, in January 1996; and

WHEREAS, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church grew to become one of the largest Black congregations in the Richmond area with 800 parishioners, leading the church to purchase land on Turner Road in Chesterfield County for a permanent home; and

WHEREAS, on July 21, 1998, members of the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church congregation gathered at George Wythe High School and drove in a caravan that stretched over a mile long to the new sanctuary; and

WHEREAS, in 1999, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church established the New Deliverance Christian Academy, which originally provided quality, affordable preschool and kindergarten classes and now serves children in kindergarten through fourth grade; and

WHEREAS, after being elevated to bishop in 2000, Gerald Glenn guided New Deliverance Evangelistic Church to establish the New Deliverance Fellowship Conference of Churches, which brought together representatives from other congregations around the country for leadership development and training; and

WHEREAS, by the early 2000s, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church had developed more than 40 active ministries to support members of the community; the church also led efforts to protest against a resolution by the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors to designate April as Confederate History and Heritage Month, helping to build a coalition of civil rights groups, community leaders, and ministers to propose an alternate resolution honoring enslaved Africans and their descendants who had suffered under the Confederacy; and

WHEREAS, as New Deliverance Evangelistic Church continued to grow, the church completed the Smith-Wilder Memorial Annex and the Greater New Deliverance Evangelistic Church building to better serve the community; and

WHEREAS, in 2009, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church broadened its outreach by initiating weekly television broadcasts on WTVZ, serving Hampton Roads; the church has since implemented online streaming for Sunday and Wednesday services, as well as a weekly telecast on WTVR CBS 6 in Richmond; and

WHEREAS, in 2016, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church partnered with a local Spanish-speaking church, allowing them to use the Smith-Wilder Memorial Annex, and further expanded its ministries to reach other members of the Chesterfield County community; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Glenn taught his last in-person Bible study and preached his last sermon on March 22, 2020, before passing away on April 11, 2020; and

WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church stayed engaged with the community by holding parking lot services until its full reopening in April 2022; and

WHEREAS, in 2023, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church launched a host of new ministries and cultivated partnerships with other organizations, such as Mercy Mall, Habitat for Humanity, Puritan's Coats for Kids, and others to offer life-changing support for members of the community; and

WHEREAS, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church commemorated its 30th anniversary with a banquet on March 28, 2026, followed by a special Sunday service on March 29, 2026; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That New Deliverance Evangelistic Church hereby be commended on the occasion of its 30th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to New Deliverance Evangelistic Church as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the church's outstanding contributions to the Richmond community over the course of its history.