WHEREAS, in January 1912 a group of neighbors in present-day North Arlington County gathered at a home near a stop on the Old Dominion Trolley line to discuss organizing the church that was to become the Rock Spring Congregational Church; and

WHEREAS, that church, now Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012; and

WHEREAS, Rock Spring's clergy and members have maintained a constant commitment to democratic decision-making and consensus building and to a vision that continued to look outward, whether its world was defined by two ends of a trolley line or the farthest corners of the globe; and

WHEREAS, Rock Spring's "Ladies Guild" recognized that "the children in our community need access to more good books" and formed the Rohrer Children's Library, Arlington's first, and now oldest, public library—a library that today holds over 5,000 books and remains open to the community; and

WHEREAS, as Arlington's population was booming during World War II and after, and there were no kindergartens in the county, Rock Spring's women became the driving force behind the 1944 opening of the still-thriving Rock Spring Cooperative Pre-School, which operates on church property; and

WHEREAS, Rock Spring's congregation and individual members supported desegregation of Arlington's school system and actively worked with the county's African American community and others to end segregation in the schools and all public facilities; and

WHEREAS, the church and its members have supported and led movements to create numerous social service organizations in Arlington and Northern Virginia, including Hospice of Northern Virginia (now Capital Caring), Meals on Wheels, FISH (For Immediate Sympathetic Help), the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), AMEN (Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs), and the Arlington Housing Corporation; and

WHEREAS, numerous Rock Spring members, including the late Delegate Mary Marshall, and long serving Arlington County Board members Ellen Bozman and Jim Hunter, have served as public office holders and on local, regional, and state boards and commissions; and

WHEREAS, Rock Spring members have declared their church to be a "Just Peace" and "open and affirming" congregation, as well as a place where a welcome is extended to all; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ as an expression of the General Assembly's congratulations and admiration for its community activism and 100 years of faithful service to its members and the community.