2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 62
Commending Cranford United Methodist Church.
Agreed to by the Senate, January 29, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 2, 2026
WHEREAS, for 125 years, Cranford United Methodist Church has offered wise spiritual leadership, provided opportunities for joyful worship, and fostered a strong sense of community in and around Lorton; and
WHEREAS, the historic site of Cranford United Methodist Church shares its rich heritage with that of the founding fathers of our nation; and
WHEREAS, Occoquan Church, which later became known as Pohick Church, was established before 1724 as an Episcopalian church near the site of present-day Cranford United Methodist Church and counted among its worshippers George Washington and George Mason; and
WHEREAS, after Pohick Church relocated to what is now Pohick Episcopal Church on Route 1, Methodists in the area, who were few in number, began worshipping on alternate Sundays at the original Pohick Church site until the Reverend John Lewis, a famed Methodist circuit rider, began visiting the area and holding services in an old log schoolhouse on Colchester Road; and
WHEREAS, in 1857, James and John Cranford began building a new sanctuary on the site of the old Pohick Church; the church was ultimately named Lewis Chapel in honor of Reverend Lewis and served the growing Methodist community until the turn of the century; and