2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 145
Commending Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 5, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
WHEREAS, for 150 years, Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church in Sandston has provided its congregation with inspirational spiritual guidance, joyous occasions for worship and fellowship, and meaningful opportunities for community outreach; and
WHEREAS, founded in 1875 by Robert Smyther, Major Allen, Thomas Poindexter, and Cyrus Ellyson, Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church started under a brush harbor on land purchased from Field and Georgianna Finney, and the congregation soon relocated to a log cabin, followed by a wooden framed building in 1880; and
WHEREAS, Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church was first led by the Reverend Stokes, who was followed by a succession of 17 accomplished pastors, including the Reverend Dr. Vincent T. Smith, Sr., who has been the church's pastor for the past 30 years; and
WHEREAS, with an eye toward the future of its congregation, Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church held its first baptism at Boar Swamp Creek in December 1898, the same year the church established its first Sunday school; and
WHEREAS, under the leadership of the Reverend Thomas White, Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church broke ground on a new church building in 1962 and welcomed the congregation for its first service in the new building two years later; and