| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Bishop Ronnie Elijah Brailsford Sr. has inspired and |
|
|
uplifted countless people through his lifetime of service in the |
|
|
ministry and the African Methodist Episcopal Church; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Ronnie Brailsford was elected and consecrated as the |
|
|
136th bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church during the |
|
|
50th Quadrennial General Conference held in Philadelphia, |
|
|
Pennsylvania, in July 2016; he has since distinguished himself |
|
|
through his tenure as president of the AME Church's Council of |
|
|
Bishops, and since August 2024, he has proudly served as the |
|
|
presiding prelate of the 10th Episcopal District of the AME Church |
|
|
in Texas; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Over the years, Bishop Brailsford has upheld and |
|
|
advanced the humanitarian mission of the AME Church; he previously |
|
|
served the 19th and 20th Episcopal Districts, which together |
|
|
encompass more than 77,000 members in South Africa, Malawi, |
|
|
Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, and Mozambique; he has visited hundreds |
|
|
of churches and dozens of AME schools in Africa, and he has helped |
|
|
oversee a number of fundraisers, medical mission trips, and |
|
|
disaster relief efforts that have provided aid to thousands of |
|
|
people; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A native of South Carolina, Bishop Brailsford |
|
|
graduated from the University of South Carolina and earned his |
|
|
master of divinity degree from the Interdenominational Theological |
|
|
Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was a Benjamin E. Mays Fellow |
|
|
and a John Middleton Scholar; he received his doctor of ministry |
|
|
degree from United Theological Seminary, and he has been recognized |
|
|
with many academic, professional, and community accolades, as well |
|
|
as an honorary doctor of divinity degree from the African Methodist |
|
|
Episcopal University in Monrovia, Liberia; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Licensed to preach at the Historic Liberty Hill AME |
|
|
Church in Summerton, South Carolina, in 1980, Bishop Brailsford |
|
|
went on to pastor at churches in South Carolina and Georgia before |
|
|
assuming the pulpit of Bethel AME Church in Columbia, South |
|
|
Carolina, and guiding the congregation from 1992 to 2016; during |
|
|
that time, his leadership brought about significant growth in the |
|
|
church's membership and financial standing; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Bishop Brailsford has enjoyed |
|
|
the love and support of his wife of more than 40 years, Carolyn |
|
|
Brailsford, as well as their three children and seven |
|
|
grandchildren; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, This esteemed clergyman has demonstrated a |
|
|
wholehearted commitment to his church and his wider community of |
|
|
faith, and his many good works have earned him the respect and |
|
|
admiration of all who know him; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor Bishop Ronnie Elijah Brailsford Sr. for |
|
|
his outstanding contributions as a spiritual leader and extend to |
|
|
him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Bishop Brailsford as an expression of high regard by |
|
|
the Texas House of Representatives. |
| |
|
|
Reynolds |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 592 was adopted by the House on April |
|
|
17, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 128, Nays 12, 2 present, not |
|
|
voting. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |