| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 120 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, For 150 years, families have come together to |
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| 3 | 3 | | celebrate their faith at Saint Mark Christian Methodist Episcopal |
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| 4 | 4 | | Church in Longview; and |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Freedmen established the congregation in 1867 and |
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| 6 | 6 | | initially worshipped under a brush arbor, known as "the meeting |
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| 7 | 7 | | place," until a member of the Methodist Church sold the land to |
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| 8 | 8 | | them in 1871; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The church's first building had two stories, the |
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| 10 | 10 | | lower for services and school and the upper for meetings of the |
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| 11 | 11 | | United Brothers of Friendship Lodge; it was torn down in 1893 and |
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| 12 | 12 | | replaced with a frame building, and a parsonage and fellowship |
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| 13 | 13 | | hall were added later; in 1972, the congregation moved into its |
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| 14 | 14 | | present-day home on Sapphire Street; the original site of the |
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| 15 | 15 | | church received a historical marker in 2003; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Through the years, the congregation has benefited |
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| 17 | 17 | | from the able leadership of many dedicated pastors, and today |
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| 18 | 18 | | that tradition of service continues under the direction of the |
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| 19 | 19 | | Reverend Travis Stinson; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Saint Mark Christian Methodist Episcopal Church |
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| 21 | 21 | | has long served as a source of inspiration and guidance to those |
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| 22 | 22 | | who worship there, and its continued existence is a tribute to |
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| 23 | 23 | | the unwavering commitment of its members, both past and present; |
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| 24 | 24 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 25 | 25 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th |
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| 26 | 26 | | Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commemorate the 150th |
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| 27 | 27 | | anniversary of Saint Mark Christian Methodist Episcopal Church |
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| 28 | 28 | | and extend to the congregation sincere best wishes for many more |
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| 29 | 29 | | years of shared prayer and fellowship; and, be it further |
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| 30 | 30 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for |
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| 31 | 31 | | the church as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. |
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| 32 | 32 | | Hughes |
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| 33 | 33 | | ________________________________ |
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| 34 | 34 | | President of the Senate |
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| 35 | 35 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 36 | 36 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 37 | 37 | | the Senate on August 10, 2017. |
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| 38 | 38 | | ________________________________ |
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| 39 | 39 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 40 | 40 | | ________________________________ |
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| 41 | 41 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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