HR 421

Commending Shiloh Baptist Church.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 13, 2026
WHEREAS, for more than 155 years, Shiloh Baptist Church in Lorton has greatly served the community by providing uplifting spiritual guidance, joyous occasions for worship and fellowship, and meaningful opportunities for charitable outreach; and
WHEREAS, Shiloh Baptist Church is believed to have been founded in 1869; its members held their first meeting in a log cabin situated on a plot of land that had been set aside at the Gunston Hall plantation by Edward Daniels, a noted abolitionist and colonel in the Union Army who had purchased the historic estate from the descendants of George Mason; and
WHEREAS, after its first building burned to the ground, Shiloh Baptist Church trustees acquired land near the entrance to Gunston Hall in 1879 and built a new church building and cemetery on the site; and
WHEREAS, Shiloh Baptist Church continued to grow and thrive over the years, and its church building was expanded and enhanced to meet the needs of the congregation, with a steeple added in 1925 and a new sanctuary established in the mid-1980s; and
WHEREAS, over its history, Shiloh Baptist Church has been admirably led by a distinguished line of seventeen pastors and three interim pastors, including the Reverend Dr. Luther M. Bailey, who served the congregation for 20 years before retiring in July 2022, and the Reverend John H. Mitchell, Jr., the church's current pastor; and
WHEREAS, by serving as a beacon of hope, love, and faith in the community, Shiloh Baptist Church has helped to make Lorton a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Shiloh Baptist Church hereby be commended for its legacy of service in pursuit of its mission; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Shiloh Baptist Church as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the church's contributions to Lorton and the Commonwealth.