HJ778: Commending the Reverend Doug Barber.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 778
WHEREAS, the Reverend Doug Barber, beloved senior pastor at Westover Baptist Church in Danville, retired in December 2020; and
WHEREAS, raised in Danville, Doug Barber graduated from George Washington High School in 1962 and Danville Community College in 1964 before earning a bachelor’s degree in business management from Georgia State University; and
WHEREAS, working briefly in Atlanta and Greensboro, South Carolina, Doug Barber would heed the call to enter the ministry at the age of 24 and subsequently earn a master’s degree in divinity from the former Temple Baptist Theological Seminary; and
WHEREAS, Doug Barber served as pastor in Gainesville, Georgia, in the 1980s before ultimately returning to Danville in 1991, just prior to the merger of Southall Baptist Church and Lynn Haven Baptist Church that created Westover Baptist Church, where he has preached ever since; and
WHEREAS, throughout his career, Doug Barber has presented more than 10,000 sermons and officiated at more than 1,000 funerals and 300 weddings, providing the community with uplifting spiritual leadership; and
WHEREAS, as pastor of Westover Baptist Church, Doug Barber also helps administer Westover Christian Academy, contributing greatly to the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development of thousands of young people over the years; and
WHEREAS, Doug Barber’s decades of faithful service are an inspiration to all Virginians and a reminder of why the Commonwealth is a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Reverend Doug Barber, senior pastor at Westover Baptist Church in Danville, on the occasion of his retirement; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Reverend Doug Barber as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth.