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9 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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11 TO RECOGNIZE GOUCHER BAPTIST CHURCH OF
12 GAFFNEY ON THE OCCASION OF ITS TWO HUNDRED
13 FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY AND TO COMMEND THE
14 CHURCH FOR NEARLY TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES OF
15 SERVICE TO GOD AND THE COMMUNITY.
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17 Whereas, having been founded in 1770, Goucher Baptist Church of
18 Gaffney is celebrating its two hundred fortieth anniversary on
19 Sunday, October 24, 2010; and
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21 Whereas, from the necessity of the day, the congregation started
22 small. Worshipping under the watchful eye of a fort built for
23 protection from Indians, the early settlers of the Gaffney area
24 gathered under brush arbors to worship whenever a preacher came
25 through. As the years passed, the Goucher community had a
26 burning desire for its own permanent church; and
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28 Whereas, by 1772, Richard Kelly was ordained as a minister and
29 preached at Goucher on a regular basis, enabling the church to
30 stand on its own. Even though there are no early records, it is
31 believed a meeting house was built on property near an old Indian
32 trading path that became Green River Road. This first meeting
33 house was probably thirty to forty feet long and twenty-five feet
34 wide; and
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36 Whereas, through the years the church weathered good times and
37 bad, including the hard years of the American Revolution, and as
38 the congregation grew, increasingly larger facilities were built.
39 Presently located on Goucher Creek Road, just off State Highway
40 150, the church recently completed an extensive renovation of its
41 worship center; and
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1 Whereas, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, Goucher
2 Baptist Church has been served by forty-three pastors during its
3 long history; and
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5 Whereas, Goucher Baptist Church has been a beacon of light in the
6 community of Gaffney for nearly two and a half centuries, and
7 with God’s Grace, led by its current pastor, the Reverend Norman
8 Gardner, will continue its proud heritage in many more years of
9 worship and service. Now, therefore,
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11 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate
12 concurring:
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14 That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this
15 resolution, recognize Goucher Baptist Church of Gaffney on the
16 occasion of its two hundred fortieth anniversary and commend the
17 church for nearly two and a half centuries of service to God and
18 the community.
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20 Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to
21 the Reverend Norman Gardner on behalf of the congregation of
22 Goucher Baptist Church.
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