[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 133 (Friday, August 23, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E839-E840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF CULPEPER BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 23, 2024

  Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Culpeper Baptist 
Church on their 250th anniversary.
  Over the last 250 years, Culpeper Baptist Church has served as a 
space for the community to gather, connect, and worship. Formed in 1774 
as Mount Poney Baptist Church, the church was a place of worship open 
to all--Black, white, freemen, enslaved people, and servants. The 
community flourished under the ideals of religious liberty, which are 
forever woven into the history of Culpeper Baptist Church and the 
fabric of our nation thanks to the actions of its third pastor, John 
Leland. Leland directly petitioned then-Virginia legislator James 
Madison to enshrine religious liberty in our Constitution.
  In 1833, Mount Poney Baptist moved to the Town of Culpeper, where it 
built a new church in 1858. The church then changed its name to 
Culpeper Baptist Church in 1873. Finally, in 1955, Culpeper Baptist 
Church moved and began services in its present-day location.
  Since its inception, Culpeper Baptist Church has worked to serve the 
community well. In 1949, it established a kindergarten program--now 
known as the Child Development Center--which has grown to serve the 
community. Thanks to the labor of love poured into the program, it will 
celebrate 75 years of helping children from infancy through elementary 
school later this year. To better assist the community, Pastor J.T. 
Edwards created the Virginia Baptist Home for the Aged in 1950, known 
today as The Culpeper. Later, in partnership with the community, 
Culpeper Baptist Church renovated space within the church's building to 
open Generations Central Adult Day Care in May 2022, where aging adults 
are provided with intergenerational programming and care. Finally, in 
response to the growing Latino population in Culpeper, Primera Iglesia 
Bautista Maranatha, the longest-serving Hispanic Church in Culpeper, 
was founded in 2001 at Culpeper Baptist. The church continues to thrive 
today.
  Throughout the last 250 years, Culpeper Baptist Church has cultivated 
a culture of faith and service. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to 
join me in congratulating Culpeper Baptist Church on their 250th 
anniversary. Please join me in wishing this community success as they 
work to foster a love for their neighbors and honor a history that 
upholds the American ideal of religious liberty.

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