S*0207 Resolution, By Allen
 A SENATE RESOLUTION TO HONOR PASTOR JAMES W. JOHNSON OF FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST
 CHURCH IN GREENVILLE FOR HIS THIRTY FOUR YEARS OF GOSPEL MINISTRY AT
 FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST, TO CONGRATULATE HIM ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT, AND
 TO WISH HIM GOD'S RICHEST BLESSINGS AS HE CONTINUES TO SERVE THE LORD.

   01/10/17  Senate Introduced and adopted (Senate Journal-page 109)

TO HONOR PASTOR JAMES W. JOHNSON OF FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH IN GREENVILLE FOR HIS THIRTY FOUR YEARS OF GOSPEL MINISTRY AT FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST, TO CONGRATULATE HIM ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT, AND TO WISH HIM GOD'S RICHEST BLESSINGS AS HE CONTINUES TO SERVE THE LORD.

Whereas, it is with great pleasure that the South Carolina Senate honors those individuals who give tirelessly of themselves to nurture the souls of men. Pastor James W. Johnson of Friendship Baptist Church in Greenville stands among their number as an outstanding minister of the Gospel, one much admired by colleagues, congregation, and area residents at large; and

Whereas, a native of South Carolina, Pastor Johnson graduated from the Greenville County school system and Benedict College in Columbia. Continuing his equipping for the ministry, Pastor Johnson attended the J.J. Starks School of Theology and received his doctor of divinity from the N.J. Brockman School of Theology; and

Whereas, prior to his 1982 installation as pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, located in the Freetown community of Greenville, this dedicated servant of God shepherded Flat Rock Baptist Church, Rocky Mount Baptist Church, and Garrison Chapel Baptist Church; and

Whereas, a respected leader in his denomination, Pastor Johnson has served as moderator of the Enoree River Baptist Association and was a guiding force in the purchase of a new facility to serve the member churches of the Enoree River Association; and

Whereas, for thirty four years, Pastor Johnson has given Friendship Baptist Church the committed service befitting a true man of God, and he has guided the church, as well as the Freetown community as a whole, through decades of change; and

Whereas, Pastor Johnson, a dedicated family man, is the loving husband of Earnestine Bennett Johnson. The Johnsons are the proud mom and dad of three children, James II, Jacqueline, and Lyndon, who have blessed their parents with six delightful grandchildren and an equally delightful great grandchild; and

Whereas, Pastor Johnson, about to enter retirement from more than three decades of serving as minister of Friendship Baptist Church, has proven himself worthy of recognition for his years of service to the Lord, the church, and the Freetown community. To honor him for the excellence of his leadership and the sharing of his faith within the community, Friendship Baptist Church has proclaimed Sunday, December 11, 2016, as Pastor James W. Johnson Day. He is deeply loved and will be greatly missed as he retires; and

Whereas, the Senate, cognizant of his many years of spiritual nourishment of the people of South Carolina, takes great pleasure in expressing grateful thanks to Pastor Johnson and in wishing him God's best as he continues to run the race the Lord has set before him. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, honor Pastor James W. Johnson of Friendship Baptist Church in Greenville for his thirty four years of Gospel ministry at Friendship Baptist, congratulate him on the occasion of his retirement, and wish him God's richest blessings as he continues to serve the Lord.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Pastor James W. Johnson.