A house RESOLUTION

to recognize and honor Reverend Doctor Betty Walker Collins, pastor of New Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. George, UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT AFTER thirty-five YEARS OF EXEMPLARY ministry, AND TO WISH HER CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL hER FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

Whereas, a native of St. George, Reverend Collins is the daughter of the late Johnnie and Marjorie Kelly Walker and was reared in a loving family grounded in faith, service, and community responsibility with her four siblings John, Jerry, James, and Jonnie. Having grown up in the church, she accepted Jesus Christ at a young age and received a call to ministry after joining Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. She learned early that caring for neighbors was as essential as caring for one's own household; and

Whereas, she was valedictorian of her junior high class and graduated from Williams Memorial High School with honors. In 1995, she was licensed to preach and was ordained an itinerant deacon in 1999 and an itinerant elder in 2007 within the Second Episcopal District of the AME Church and transferred to the Seventh Episcopal District in 2016. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology from South Carolina State University, a Master of Divinity from Howard University School of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry from New Hope and Life Seminary. She completed executive studies at Harvard University's Kennedy School and holds a mental health first aid certificate from Wesley Theological Seminary; and

Whereas, for over thirty-one years, Reverend Collins has proclaimed the gospel, emphasizing discipleship, prayer, and pastoral care centered on love, compassion, and advocacy in areas such as health education, economic empowerment, social action, and mental health. She has served the congregations of First AME in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and in South Carolina at Bethel AME in Denmark, Trinity AME in Round O, and New Hope AME in St. George; and

Whereas, in the Second Episcopal District, she led many to Christ, organized science fairs in partnership with the DC Metropolitan Organization of Black Scientists, and established a strong prayer ministry. She also conducted vesper services in correctional facilities and championed community health initiatives. Her health fair offered screenings, mammograms, and preventive care in collaboration with Howard University Hospital and George Washington University Hospital; and

Whereas, in the Seventh Episcopal District, Reverend Collins has focused on salvation, prayer, teaching, and spiritual formation. Her signature achievement has been a decade-long ecumenical Bible study and prayer ministry. For four years at New Hope AME, she has navigated complex zoning issues and community concerns related to a nearby Google data center, and the church has had major progress of paying off its mortgage, advancing voter engagement, and improving church facilities; and

Whereas, devoted to her community, she serves as a councilwoman and mayor pro tem for St. George. She is active in the Dorchester County Ministerial Alliance; a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.; on the board of directors for the CLARYN Foundation, which supports underserved communities; and a member of Women in Ministry in the Second and Seventh Episcopal Districts; and

Whereas, professionally, Reverend Collins served for thirty-five years with the United States Food and Drug Administration, retiring in 2011 as director of the Office of Enforcement for the Center for Medical Devices and Radiological Health. Together with her beloved husband, the late Fred Collins, they reared a fine daughter, Aya, who now resides in Maryland with her husband, Avon Williams. They blessed her with two loving grandsons, Joshua and Steven. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Reverend Doctor Betty Walker Collins, pastor of New Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. George, upon the occasion of her retirement after thirty-five years of exemplary ministry, and wish her continued success and happiness in all her future endeavors.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Reverend Doctor Betty Walker Collins.

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