By Davis H.R. No. 437 74R8302 SAJ-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, On March 5, 1995, the Reverend Dr. Manuel L. Scott, 1-2 Sr., retired as pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 1-3 drawing to a close more than 50 years of faithful service to the 1-4 spiritual needs of others; and 1-5 WHEREAS, At that time, the congregation named him pastor 1-6 emeritus, and his selection to that position is truly indicative of 1-7 the esteem in which he is held throughout the religious community; 1-8 and 1-9 WHEREAS, Dr. Scott is a native of Waco and was graduated from 1-10 Bishop College with a bachelor of arts degree before going on to 1-11 earn doctorate of divinity degrees from that school and Texas 1-12 College; an eminent theologian, he is well regarded for both his 1-13 church administrative skills and his illumination on Biblical 1-14 theology; and 1-15 WHEREAS, This dedicated clergyman pastored for 33 years at 1-16 Calvary Baptist Church in Los Angeles before settling in 1982 in 1-17 Dallas, where he has ministered to the congregation at St. John 1-18 Missionary Baptist Church for more than a decade; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Under Dr. Scott's guidance, the church experienced 1-20 an exceptionally vibrant and rewarding period of growth, building 1-21 its Community Life Center and expanding the church complex as well; 1-22 and 1-23 WHEREAS, Reverend Scott has continued to serve his 1-24 denomination through his noteworthy work in a variety of areas; he 2-1 served as president of the Western Baptist State Convention of 2-2 California and has conducted highly informative lectures at several 2-3 forums, including the National Baptist Congress of Christian 2-4 Education, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Monrovia 2-5 Baptist Seminary in Liberia, and Boston University; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Moreover, this eloquent pastor has gone on to affect 2-7 countless other Christians as the author of two important books, 2-8 From a Black Brother and The Gospel for the Ghetto; and 2-9 WHEREAS, Dr. Scott also is well known for his evangelical 2-10 work and currently serves as secretary of the board of evangelism 2-11 for the National Baptist Convention of America, USA, Inc., and 2-12 oversees the organization's national and international evangelism 2-13 activities; he also has been active with the International Congress 2-14 for World Evangelism in Switzerland and Morehouse College in 2-15 Atlanta, which inducted him into the Martin Luther King Jr. 2-16 International Board of Preachers in 1994; and 2-17 WHEREAS, His outstanding contributions have earned him 2-18 several prestigious accolades, including designation as one of 2-19 America's 15 best black preachers by Ebony magazine and as 2-20 Outstanding Minister of the Year by the Los Angeles Business 2-21 Association; he also has received numerous distinguished-service 2-22 awards and was named to the 1994 Ministers Honor Roll by The 2-23 Communicator magazine; and 2-24 WHEREAS, For more than half a century, Reverend Scott's 2-25 outstanding spiritual leadership, understanding guidance, and 2-26 strong faith have been a tremendous source of inspiration to many 2-27 people in his church and community, and he is most worthy of 3-1 special recognition on the occasion of his retirement from the 3-2 active ministry; now, therefore, be it 3-3 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 3-4 Legislature hereby commend the Reverend Dr. Manuel L. Scott, Sr., 3-5 on his exemplary service as a minister and extend to him warmest 3-6 best wishes for a happy and fulfilling retirement; and, be it 3-7 further 3-8 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-9 prepared for Reverend Scott as an expression of high regard by the 3-10 Texas House of Representatives.