11 LC 28 5470

Senate Resolution 158

By: Senator Mullis of the 53rd

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing and commending Dr. Darrell Henry; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, Dr. Darrell Henry was born on April 11, 1956, in Athens, Tennessee; and

WHEREAS, his father John Henry was a bivocational pastor for many years; and

WHEREAS, he attended Meigs County High School, where he graduated in 1974, and received his bachelor of science in psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, his master of divinity at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and his doctorate of divinity and doctorate of ministry at Covington Seminary; and

WHEREAS, he married Diane Bacon in 1981 and is the father of two lovely daughters, Jessica and Julie; and

WHEREAS, he became a follower of Jesus Christ at the age of 19 and accepted God's call into the ministry shortly thereafter in 1976; and

WHEREAS, he has been a pastor since 1977, pastoring churches in Tennessee and Georgia; and

WHEREAS, he has been the Senior Pastor at Oakwood Baptist Church since February 20, 1991, and, under his dynamic leadership, the church has grown from approximately 250 attenders to almost 3,000 members today and is recognized across America as one of the leading innovative and break-out churches for small towns; and

WHEREAS, he is a leader in the Georgia Baptist Convention, having served as vice president of the convention and on several committees of the convention, and he was the keynote speaker for the state convention in 2003; and
WHEREAS, he has served on several national committees of the Southern Baptist Convention and was one of the speakers at the Southern Baptist Convention Pastor's Conference in 2006; and

WHEREAS, he has been sought as a church growth conference leader and speaker and has spoken at the Georgia, Indiana, and Alaska Baptist conventions; and

WHEREAS, he enjoys taking groups on tours to the Holy Land, traveling, running, and playing golf and jokingly says that his greatest two spiritual gifts are cynicism and agitation; and

WHEREAS, his life verse and goal is to fulfill Acts 13:36a (NIV): "And David served God's purpose in his own generation and then he died"; and

WHEREAS, his significant organizational and leadership talents, his remarkable patience and diplomacy, his keen sense of vision, and his sensitivity to the needs of the citizens of this state and people around the world have earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues and associates; and

WHEREAS, he is a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness; and

WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and congratulate Dr. Darrell Henry on 20 years of service as the Senior Pastor of Oakwood Baptist Church and extend to him best wishes for the future.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Dr. Darrell Henry.