Bill 3541

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                       3541
Type of Legislation:               Concurrent Resolution CR
Introducing Body:                  House
Introduced Date:                   19950208
Primary Sponsor:                   Davenport 
All Sponsors:                      Davenport 
Drafted Document Number:           br1\18118ac.95
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:      19950209
Subject:                           Reverend Michael S. Hamlet

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

House   19950209  Received from Senate
Senate  19950209  Introduced, adopted, returned
                  with concurrence
House   19950208  Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

CONGRATULATING THE REVEREND MICHAEL S. HAMLET, OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY, FOR HIS OUTSTANDING MINISTRY DURING TEN YEARS OF SERVICE AT THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN NORTH SPARTANBURG.

Whereas, since 1985 Michael S. Hamlet has pastored the First Baptist Church in North Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he has led the State by baptizing 1,437 persons in the past eight years; and

Whereas, the First Baptist Church built the state's largest Southern Baptist sanctuary and has twice recorded the only three thousand plus Sunday School attendances in South Carolina history; and

Whereas, the secular press has acknowledged the First Baptist Church as our state's fastest-growing church of any denomination. In addition, the church has been featured in 1991 on "Great Churches of America"; and

Whereas, Rev. Hamlet is a 1991-96 member of the General Board of the state convention and has been the 1994 president of the state Pastors' Conference; and

Whereas, he was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and married Laura Lister in 1977. They are the proud parents of a son, Andrew, born in 1983, and a daughter, Allison, born in 1987; and

Whereas, Rev. Hamlet was ordained to the ministry in 1973 by the White Oak Baptist Church in Greenville, where he was first employed as a Youth Director; and

Whereas, he was Associate Pastor at Eastside Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, and later served on Edwin Young's staff at First Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina. He then became minister at the Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas; and

Whereas, since Rev. Hamlet became pastor at First Baptist Church in North Spartanburg, the membership has grown from 722 in Sunday School attendance to 1,626 and from 2,219 members to 4,707. The choir has expanded from 77 to 329 members; and

Whereas, Rev. Hamlet has been consistent in providing visionary leadership, organization, and planning for the church and has maintained the philosophy of working hard to implement Biblical principles in church growth; and

Whereas, he has been willing to make tough decisions at strategic times and has capitalized on his opportunities. He has articulated, energized, and organized his vision and his experience has proven his decisions to have been right ones for the First Baptist Church in North Spartanburg. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly, by this resolution, congratulate the Reverend Michael S. Hamlet of Spartanburg County, for his outstanding ministry during ten years of service at the First Baptist Church in North Spartanburg and wish him success as he continues his visionary leadership.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Reverend Michael S. Hamlet.