House Resolution 100

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE DILIGENCE, SERVICE AND WIDE INFLUENCE OF SWAN LAKE MISSIONARY BAPTIST ASSOCIATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE ASSOCIATION'S HISTORIC SESQUICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.

WHEREAS, Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association celebrates the splendid occasion of its sesquicentennial anniversary, acknowledging 150 years of spiritual excellence and devotion; and

WHEREAS, Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association was organized in 1870 sometime after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was signed on January 1 by President Abraham Lincoln but not widely known to have occurred until 1865 among many others and those who were enslaved in the southern states during the time of the American Civil War; and

WHEREAS, many African-American churches organized in the South during war time and the Jim Crow era when African Americans were not allowed to assemble and to read; however, some slave owners and abolitionists who wanted slavery banned allowed their slaves to worship with them in their own churches, but as times changed and slaves were freed, many slaves started their own churches; and

WHEREAS, as time passed and the First Baptist Association hosted The General Missionary Convention of the State of Mississippi, which was organized in Port Gibson, Mississippi, on July 12, 1869, and later known as the Baptist Missionary Convention after July 22, 1890, those churches followed the lead and in turn organized missionary Baptist associations in many counties, including Coahoma County; and

WHEREAS, Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association was one of those associations that was born out of the need for church missionaries, church organizational structure, farming to help aid the needy, and education, and Saint James Missionary Baptist Church, organized in 1868, was one such church among other churches in the county that aided in organizing the Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association; and

WHEREAS, taking the lead from the first organized association in seeing a need to educate teachers to teach others to read, Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association founded the Swan Lake Normal School for African Americans in 1914, and with missionary and financial support from its churches, Swan Lake has continued to aid in the education of students from its eight member churches by providing school supplies and awarding scholarships twice a year during its annual and semi-annual conventions; and

WHEREAS, the officers of Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association are Reverend Bennie L. Brown, President, Reverend Terry O. Cousin, Vice President, Reverend Donald L. Green, Treasurer, and Mrs. Rose M. Lockett, Secretary, and the trustee board members are Mr. Jimmy Wilkins, Chairman, Reverend British Conley, Reverend Bernard Handy, Mr. Michael Houston, Reverend Emanuel Lackey, Reverend Owen Robinson, Mr. Elbert Taylor, Reverend Elvin T. Todd and Reverend H.P. Washington; and

WHEREAS, while the community and the landscape have transformed in the past 150 years, Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association has maintained an urgent devotion to keep the Great Commandment, fulfill the Great Commission and practice the Golden Rule; and

WHEREAS, Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association has been a valued and trusted institution in Coahoma County, Mississippi, since its inception 150 years ago, withstanding the ever-changing dynamics surrounding it by being firmly rooted and grounded in its biblical principles, and it has continued in the longstanding tradition of empowering countless families and others through the teachings of the fulfillment of the gospel; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and commend outstanding and contributory religious institutions such as Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association, which remains a cornerstone of Coahoma County, Mississippi, as it strives continuously to promote the spread and growth of the Christian faith:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate the diligence, service and wide influence of Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association on the occasion of the association's historic sesquicentennial anniversary and extend warmest wishes for continued prosperity, spiritual growth and success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the officers and trustees of Swan Lake Missionary Baptist Association and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.