I was privileged on Thursday to deliver the opening prayer at the Virginia House of Delegates meeting in Richmond, on a day in which the House and Senate passed a resolution honoring my father for his service to our state and to the worldwide Christian community.

The Virginia legislators, noting that Dad was “one of America’s most influential leaders” and “a man of remarkable faith,” passed a resolution honoring him for his efforts in founding and leading Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC), Liberty University and many affiliate ministries.

It was certainly humbling to stand in the majestic chamber in Richmond as we listened to Dad’s life being described with great reverence.

My mother Macel, brother Jerry Jr. and his wife Becki, my wife Shari, and the eight Falwell grandchildren were all very pleased to attend the ceremony. (My sister Jeannie was unable to join us because of illness.) Del. Kathy Byron (R-Campbell County), introduced the resolution by saying that our family’s presence was evidence of Dad’s core “commitment to his family.”

House Joint Resolution No. 347, titled, “Celebrating the Life of Jerry Laymon Falwell,” recounted Dad’s ministry, from the early days of Thomas Road Baptist Church (which met in an old Donald Duck Cola bottling plant with 35 charter members) to its current membership of over 21,000. The resolution also noted his first days of broadcasting on local radio and television stations.

The Liberty story was also detailed, from its rise of an initial class of 150 students in 1971 to becoming Virginia’s largest private university and the largest evangelical Christian university in the world. Today, with more than 10,000 resident students on a 4,800-acre campus, about 23,000 students enrolled in distance learning programs and more than 125,000 alumni, Liberty is greatly impacting the culture and the church of Jesus Christ.

The resolution also noted Dad’s pro-life efforts, calling him “a champion for the unborn,” specifically through our Liberty Godparent Home for Unwed Mothers and the Family Life Services Adoption Agency. Dad’s founding of the Elim Home for Alcoholic and Drug-Addicted Men was also applauded.

Jerry Falwell “provided free assistance to thousands of young pregnant girls and has placed hundreds of children with adoptive families,” the resolution stated.

Sen. Steve Newman (R-Lynchburg), who attended our Liberty Christian Academy, presented the resolution in the Senate. He noted that Sen. Steve Martin (R-Chesterfield) and former Lynchburg Del. Preston Bryant, now serving as state secretary of natural resources, also attended the academy Dad founded.

“The impact of Dr. Falwell in our area has been enormous, not only in jobs and education but also in the lives of so many,” Newman said. He noted that Dad helped to bring “many jobs to our region.”

I was most pleased with the resolution’s concluding paragraph, which describes him as: “a man of remarkable faith, vision, prayer, courage, leadership, and compassion with a genuine love for others and a devotion to God and country that inspired goodness in the lives of millions of people, but he preferred to remain a simple man of the people who was just ‘Jerry’ to all who knew and loved him.”

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, presiding over the Senate, noted that TRBC and Liberty continue to be beacons of hope to many. “[Falwell’s] passing is not the end of a legacy; it’s the beginning of a new chapter,” he stated.

In hearing the Virginia lawmakers’ kind remarks about my dad and the impact he had on our state, I was reminded of the far greater legacy that he left behind in the lives of our family. Dad proudly proclaimed his love for our family and he never allowed his work to come before his relationship to mom or any of us. As we approach Valentine’s Day, I believe it is important for us all to refocus on our relationships to our spouses, our families and our God.

Dad was a shining example of a Godly husband, father and grandfather. The world is in desperate need for many more just like him. We may not all accomplish great things such as founding a church or a university, but we can all accomplish far greater things by raising Godly families.