H*5059 Concurrent Resolution, By Parks, Allen, Allison, Altman, Askins, Bailey, 
Bales, Barfield, Barrett, Battle, Bowers, Breeland, G. Brown, H. Brown, 
J. Brown, T. Brown, Campsen, Canty, Carnell, Cato, Chellis, Clyburn, 
Cobb-Hunter, Cooper, Cotty, Dantzler, Davenport, Delleney, Easterday, Edge, 
Emory, Fleming, Frye, Gamble, Gilham, Gourdine, Govan, Hamilton, Harrell, 
Harris, Harrison, Harvin, Haskins, Hawkins, Hayes, J. Hines, M. Hines, Hinson, 
Hosey, Howard, Huggins, Inabinett, Jennings, Keegan, Kelley, Kennedy, Kirsh, 
Klauber, Knotts, Koon, Lanford, Law, Leach, Lee, Limehouse, Littlejohn, Lloyd, 
Loftis, Lourie, Lucas, Mack, Maddox, Martin, McCraw, McGee, McKay, M. McLeod, 
W. McLeod, McMahand, Meacham-Richardson, Miller, Moody-Lawrence, J.H. Neal, 
J.M. Neal, Neilson, Ott, Perry, Phillips, Pinckney, Quinn, Rhoad, Rice, Riser, 
Robinson, Rodgers, Rutherford, Sandifer, Scott, Seithel, Sharpe, Sheheen, 
Simrill, F. Smith, J. Smith, R. Smith, D. Smith, Stille, Stuart, Taylor, 
Townsend, Tripp, Trotter, Vaughn, Walker, Webb, Whatley, Whipper, Wilder, 
Wilkes, Wilkins, Witherspoon, Woodrum and Young-Brickell
 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO COMMEND AND CONGRATULATE THE REVEREND DR. WILLIE S.
 HARRISON, PASTOR OF THE MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH IN GREENWOOD, FOR HIS
 TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP OF THE MACEDONIA
 BAPTIST CHURCH.

   05/11/00  House  Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate HJ-2
   05/11/00  Senate Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence SJ-6

TO COMMEND AND CONGRATULATE THE REVEREND DR. WILLIE S. HARRISON, PASTOR OF THE MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH IN GREENWOOD, FOR HIS TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP OF THE MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH.

Whereas, on June 25, 2000, Dr. Willie S. Harrison will celebrate his twenty-fifth anniversary as pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Greenwood; and

Whereas, Dr. Harrison was born June 1, 1932, in Greenwood County, in the Winter Seat community near the Greenwood and McCormick County lines. He was the eighth of nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gentle H. Harrison; and

Whereas, being the son of farmers, he got his education the hard way with many interruptions. He attended the public schools of Greenwood County, graduating from Brewer High School in 1952. He graduated from Benedict College in 1957 with a B.S. degree in mathematics, earned a M.S. degree in education, Master of Divinity in theology, and Lander University conferred on him the honorary Doctor of Humanities degree; and

Whereas, he has worked as a schoolteacher, coach, counselor, and school administrator. He is a brick mason and carpenter and has served in a management position with the Social Security Administration. He is active in political and civic affairs. He was a leader in the civil rights struggle beginning in the 1960's and spent many hours on the battlefront. He was an organizer of the NAACP and has served on the various boards including Council on Human Relations, Coalition of Critical Human Needs, Coalition of Concerned Organization, city council, and Mayor Pro Tempore; and

Whereas, he was licensed to preach in June, 1973, and ordained in July, 1973, by his home church, Mt. Herman Baptist Church in Greenwood County. He has served as pastor at Hopewell Baptist Church in Laurens, Pine Pleasant Baptist Church in Ninety-Six, and Macedonia Baptist Church in Greenwood where he has served for the past twenty-five years. He is active in the various unions, associations, and convention of the Baptist Church. He is a trustee of Morris College and Benedict College; and

Whereas, under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Harrison during the past twenty-five years, Macedonia Baptist Church and the Community Center were renovated. Most of the money used in these projects was raised by Dr. Harrison. The center is a meeting place of several groups and used for various activities: child care, summer youth, computer training, and tutorial programs, food and clothing banks; and drug rehabilitation programs. The entire community has been redeveloped through a federal grant. Moreover, the spiritual growth of the church is a point of pride. Under his administration, lives have been changed, hearts touched, souls saved, marriages mended, burdens lifted, and hope inspired. More than four hundred members have joined and many other dry bones resurrected. He is an articulate communicator for Christ and community development; and

Whereas, Dr. Harrison has received numerous awards and citations as an outstanding citizen, teacher, lecturer, educator, religious leader, and humanitarian. He points with pride at some first-time occurrences: first in his family to get a college degree, first black elected to city council, first black to graduate from Erskine Theological Seminary, and first "Moderator of the Year" in South Carolina E&M Baptist convention; and

Whereas, Dr. Harrison is a leader with the special gift of bringing out the best in everyone. He is a man of enormous good will and he brings diverse people together to find common ground to move on. His style is to work quietly in the background never seeking recognition for his many outstanding accomplishments. He is a man with the courage to be unconventional, innovative, and experimental. At personal risk he abandoned tradition and shattered the shell of custom and conventionality. He firmly believes that if you keep on doing the same old things, the same old way, you will get the same old results. He never concerns himself with trying to attract large crowds. Dr. Harrison's focus is on outgroup service or getting people out there where pain and need are. He firmly believes that growth will take place as the by-product of a ministry, which refuses to be self-centered and self-serving; and

Whereas, Scripture says that it is not good for man to be alone, and that he should have a helpmate to complement him. The Lord blessed Dr. Harrison to meet and marry the former Annaphine C. Nettles. Mrs. Harrison was a native of Florence and a graduate of Benedict College where she earned an A.B. degree in early childhood education. She unfortunately has gone to be with God, and her loss is deeply felt not only by Dr. Harrison but by all those who knew and loved her; and

Whereas, the members of the General Assembly, by this resolution, would like to publicly recognize and thank Dr. Harrison, one of South Carolina's most distinguished men of God for his service to the Macedonia Baptist Church, to other churches in our State, and to the State of South Carolina on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his pastorship of the Macedonia Baptist Church. Now, therefore,

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

That the members of the General Assembly, by this resolution, hereby commend and congratulate Reverend Dr. Willie S. Harrison, pastor of the Macedonia Baptist Church in Greenwood for his twenty-five years of outstanding service and leadership of the Macedonia Baptist Church.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to The Reverend Dr. Willie S. Harrison.