By Price                                               H.R. No. 545
       74R9099 SAJ-D
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, East Mount Olive Baptist Church is the second-oldest
    1-2  African American church in Beaumont, having faithfully served the
    1-3  spiritual needs of its community for 127 years; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, The church was preceded by the Live Oak Baptist
    1-5  Church, which was organized by a group of freedmen and Christian
    1-6  pioneers in 1867 and presided over by the Reverend Willie Ware as
    1-7  its first pastor; and
    1-8        WHEREAS, East Mount Olive Baptist Church was founded the
    1-9  following year by another group of former slaves and began as a
   1-10  mission under a brush arbor at 660 Wall Street; later a small frame
   1-11  sanctuary was built, and the church experienced an exceptionally
   1-12  vibrant and rewarding period of growth as new members flocked to
   1-13  the congregation; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, The Reverend H. D. Bendy began his 16-year pastorage
   1-15  at the church in 1903; a man of immense vision and devotion, he
   1-16  organized the church members to begin construction of a new house
   1-17  of worship, which became the first brick church in the city, and
   1-18  the congregation took its current name of East Mount Olive Baptist
   1-19  Church; and
   1-20        WHEREAS, In 1982 the church was relocated to its present site
   1-21  at 1197 Corley Street, and for the past 13 years its lovely setting
   1-22  has served as a peaceful oasis for the members of the congregation;
   1-23  and
   1-24        WHEREAS, Over the course of its proud history, East Mount
    2-1  Olive Baptist Church has benefited greatly from the spiritual
    2-2  support and guidance of its many devoted ministers, including the
    2-3  Reverends M. D. Pinkney, who served from 1948 to 1958, and I. H.
    2-4  Johnson, whose tenure was from 1963 to 1980; the Reverend Pinkney's
    2-5  daughters, Ethel Pinkney Gage and Ida Pinkney Sartin, remain
    2-6  devoted members of the congregation, and the Reverend Johnson's
    2-7  widow, Edna Johnson, continues to worship there as well and has
    2-8  been designated the church's Honorary First Lady; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, The church continues to flourish and prosper under
   2-10  the guidance of its current pastor, the Reverend Clarence Williams,
   2-11  Jr., who began ministering to the church on July 18, 1988, and also
   2-12  has been diligently served by its lay staff; and
   2-13        WHEREAS, Throughout its rich history, East Mount Olive
   2-14  Baptist Church has offered spiritual leadership and moral guidance
   2-15  to the members of its congregation; a source of great inspiration,
   2-16  the church stands today as a tribute to the dedication and hard
   2-17  work of its members, past and present, who have always devoted
   2-18  their time, energy, and resources to ensure its continued existence
   2-19  as a house of God; now, therefore, be it
   2-20        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-21  Legislature hereby honor East Mount Olive Baptist Church on the
   2-22  occasion of its 127th anniversary; and, be it further
   2-23        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-24  prepared for East Mount Olive Baptist Church as an expression of
   2-25  high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.