A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

TO recognize and honor the pastors and congregation of RIGHT DIRECTION CHURCH INTERNATIONAL OF COLUMBIA FOR three DECADES OF ministry and SERVICE AND TO CONGRATULATe THEm on the OCCASION OF THE CHURCH'S ThirtIETH ANNIVERSARY.

 

Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly is pleased to learn that Right Direction Church International of Columbia is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary in 2026; and

 

Whereas, created in 1995 as Right Direction Christian Center (RDCC), the church began as a weekly Bible study in the home of Pastors Herbert and Marcia Bailey, who had moved to Columbia in 1995 with their four young children. At the Bible study, the Bailey family, along with three other adults and one child, became charter members of RDCC; and

 

Whereas, in April 1996, the fledgling church held its first worship service in the former Holiday Inn Express on St. Andrews Road, where membership grew to forty. Later that year, RDCC began hosting its services in the nearby Postal Workers Union Hall, where the congregation grew to nearly sixty members; and

 

Whereas, when another move became necessary for the growing congregation, the church relocated first to River Drive, and again in March 2001, it moved to its first property at 1230 St. Andrews Road. By December 2001, weekly Sunday attendance soared to more than six hundred people, with three hundred attending Wednesday Bible study. Pastor Marcia Bailey created Women's Bible Study at noon on Fridays, and Pastor Herbert Bailey began the noonday Wednesday Bible Break; and

 

Whereas, in January 2004, the church expanded with the building of a "sprung structure" sanctuary design on its Broad River Road property. In July of the same year, RDCC moved into its new worship center, commemorated by a march from the St. Andrews Road location to the new facility; and

 

Whereas, the next two years brought more milestones. RDCC purchased a business complex on St. Andrews Road, which now houses the church's administrative offices and learning center, and paid off the balance on the worship center in full only one and a half years from its completion. RDCC went on to purchase an additional seventeen acres on the property, bringing the total to forty acres; and

 

Whereas, since that time, RDCC has changed its name to Right Direction Church International (RDCI); planted campuses in Orangeburg and Florence; constructed a family life center; established Dee's Haven as transitional housing for women; founded the Compass CDC, which includes My Sister's Closet and the Hub; refreshed its vision and mission to empower people to live successful lives through the teaching of faith principles that transform thinking and impact future generations; and opened Kids Town, a facility dedicated to children's ministry; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Herbert Bailey Jr. was elevated to the office of bishop at a Service of Episcopal Consecration and Installation in September 2018; and

 

Whereas, RDCI will host a special gala for the thirtieth anniversary on May 2, 2026, at the Columbia Convention Center and will feature acclaimed psalmist Micah Stampley. This event is part of a series celebrating three decades of ministry, which includes a separate Anniversary Service on April 26, 2026, with guest speaker Dr. Charles Jackson; and

 

Whereas, Right Direction Church International has faithfully sent forth the gospel of Jesus Christ for thirty years and, Lord willing, will carry on its ministry in many more years of worship and service. Now, therefore,

 

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

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor the pastors and congregation of Right Direction Church International of Columbia for three decades of ministry and service and congratulate them on the occasion of the church's thirtieth anniversary

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Right Direction Church International.

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