[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 50 (Thursday, April 7, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E661-E662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN THE GREAT VALLEY, CHESTER COUNTY, 
                              PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM GERLACH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 7, 2011

  Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate The Baptist 
Church in the Great Valley, Chester County, Pennsylvania on its 300th 
anniversary.
  The history of The Baptist Church in the Great Valley is a long and 
storied one, extending back in time to before the American Revolution. 
This third oldest Baptist church in Pennsylvania was founded in 1711 by 
Welsh Baptists who came to the country to find freedom of worship. When 
the Continental Congress called for a day of prayer and fasting on July 
20, 1775, David Jones, then pastor of Great Valley, was invited to 
preach to a gathering of troops. On that occasion, more than 3,000 men 
gathered at the church along with members of the congregation to hear 
Pastor Jones' sermon entitled, ``Defensive War in a Just Cause 
Sinless.''
  In 1820, The Baptist Church in the Great Valley adopted a resolution 
``that in the future the women shall be entitled to vote on all 
questions that arise in the church,'' thus becoming one of the very 
first churches in the area to break from the then-current custom of not 
permitting women to be involved in church matters. In the 1830's, then 
pastor Leonard Fletcher and several other members of the church were 
instrumental in supporting the Wilberforce Anti-Slavery Society in the 
area.
  The Baptist Church in the Great Valley has long been open to the 
participation of African-Americans within its membership. The first 
African-American joined the church in 1762, which by that time included 
persons of Welsh, English, German, and other European backgrounds. Over 
the years, the membership has

[[Page E662]]

grown to include persons of Hispanic and Asian ancestry.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in congratulating 
The Baptist Church in the Great Valley and its storied history on the 
occasion of its 300th anniversary and to extend best wishes for the 
Church's continuing work to meet the pastoral and spiritual needs of 
its congregation and the community.

                          ____________________