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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The proud history of New Hope Missionary Baptist |
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| 6 | 7 | | Church in Wheelock is being recognized with the dedication of an |
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| 7 | 8 | | Official Texas Historical Marker on May 6, 2017; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, In 1895, former slaves Sam and Lucy Bell Stubbs |
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| 9 | 10 | | Mitchell and their 12 children moved from Georgia to Wheelock, |
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| 10 | 11 | | Texas, where they raised fruit, vegetables, dairy cows, and |
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| 11 | 12 | | chickens on 200 acres as part of a community of African American |
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| 12 | 13 | | landowners; and |
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| 13 | 14 | | WHEREAS, Many members of that community worshipped at New |
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| 14 | 15 | | Hope Missionary Baptist Church, which was originally located west |
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| 15 | 16 | | of the Spring Creek settlement; in 1911, the congregation decided |
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| 16 | 17 | | to move the church to a more accessible location, and Lucy Mitchell |
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| 17 | 18 | | donated two acres of land to accommodate the new sanctuary; the men |
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| 18 | 19 | | of the church disassembled the original church and moved the pieces |
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| 19 | 20 | | by wagon to the new site, where a local carpenter constructed the |
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| 20 | 21 | | present building; and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, Between 1880 and 2003, New Hope MBC was served by |
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| 22 | 23 | | four ministers, the Reverend R. A. Smiley, the Reverend Aaron |
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| 23 | 24 | | A. Manning, the Reverend R. M. Blocker, and the Reverend |
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| 24 | 25 | | W. C. Adams, and the church sponsored such auxiliaries as a Sunday |
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| 25 | 26 | | school, a Mission Society, the Baptist Training Union, and the |
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| 26 | 27 | | Brotherhood Starlight Band and Choir; and |
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| 27 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Over the years, the church has also served as a vital |
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| 28 | 29 | | community center, a site for meetings, classes, revivals, reunions, |
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| 29 | 30 | | political events, and Juneteenth celebrations; on the first Sunday |
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| 30 | 31 | | of each June, members and friends of the church gather to celebrate |
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| 31 | 32 | | its rich history and the families who have sustained it; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, One such family member is Estelle Adams, a |
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| 33 | 34 | | granddaughter of Sam and Lucy Mitchell; it is thanks to her |
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| 34 | 35 | | dedication and hard work that New Hope is being honored with a state |
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| 35 | 36 | | historical marker; and |
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| 36 | 37 | | WHEREAS, The only remaining African American church in the |
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| 37 | 38 | | Wheelock area, New Hope Missionary Baptist continues to provide a |
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| 38 | 39 | | spiritual and cultural home to the local black community, and it is |
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| 39 | 40 | | truly deserving of this special recognition from the Texas |
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| 40 | 41 | | Historical Commission; now, therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 42 | 43 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of an Official Texas |
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| 43 | 44 | | Historical Marker at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church and extend |
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| 44 | 45 | | to all those present sincere best wishes for a meaningful and |
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| 45 | 46 | | memorable event. |
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