| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 112 3451 |
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| 2 | 2 | | House Resolution 699 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Representatives Oliver of the 84 |
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| 4 | 4 | | th |
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| 5 | 5 | | , Crawford of the 89 |
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| 6 | 6 | | th |
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| 7 | 7 | | , and Drenner of the 85 |
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| 8 | 8 | | th |
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| 9 | 9 | | |
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| 10 | 10 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 11 | 11 | | Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Decatur Presbyterian Church, Decatur, Georgia; and |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1 |
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| 13 | 13 | | for other purposes.2 |
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| 14 | 14 | | WHEREAS, on Sunday, October 30, 1825, Decatur Presbyterian Church conducted its first3 |
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| 15 | 15 | | worship service as an officially chartered congregation, three years after the United States4 |
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| 16 | 16 | | signed a treaty with the Creek Indians and two years after the establishment of DeKalb5 |
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| 17 | 17 | | County; and6 |
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| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, to educate the children in faith, Presbyterians organized the Union Sunday7 |
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| 19 | 19 | | School in 1831, the oldest Sunday School in DeKalb County, inviting other congregations8 |
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| 20 | 20 | | as teachers and learners; and9 |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, women and children continued holding Sunday School and services during the10 |
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| 22 | 22 | | Civil War while most men were serving in the military, despite Union troops taking over the11 |
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| 23 | 23 | | church building and emptying it of its pews, pulpit, and papers; and12 |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, the mission-minded Decatur Presbyterian Church organized 17 new13 |
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| 25 | 25 | | congregations in the area, including Smyrna in 1827, followed by First Atlanta, Rock14 |
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| 26 | 26 | | Springs, Salem, Midway, Kirkwood, Ingleside, Panthersville, Oakhurst, Alexander15 |
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| 27 | 27 | | H. R. 699 |
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| 28 | 28 | | - 1 - 25 LC 112 3451 |
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| 29 | 29 | | Memorial, Glen Haven, Emory, Trinity Decatur, Columbia, Clairmont, Memorial Drive, and |
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| 30 | 30 | | 16 |
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| 31 | 31 | | finally North Decatur in 1955; and17 |
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| 32 | 32 | | WHEREAS, to meet the need for educating young women, Decatur Presbyterian Church18 |
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| 33 | 33 | | organized Decatur Female Seminary in 1889, later known as Agnes Scott College, named19 |
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| 34 | 34 | | for the mother of Decatur Presbyterian Church Elder Colonel Scott, a primary financial20 |
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| 35 | 35 | | supporter; and21 |
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| 36 | 36 | | WHEREAS, in 1927, Decatur Presbyterian Church made it possible for Columbia22 |
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| 37 | 37 | | Theological Seminary to move from Columbia, South Carolina, to Decatur, enhancing a23 |
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| 38 | 38 | | partnership with its sister institution, which trained 14 of its installed pastors and numerous24 |
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| 39 | 39 | | associate pastors, encouraged over 50 seminary interns to be trained within the congregation,25 |
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| 40 | 40 | | and benefitted from trustees, faculty, staff, and presidents who were among the26 |
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| 41 | 41 | | congregation's participants; and27 |
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| 42 | 42 | | WHEREAS, the first church kindergarten in DeKalb County was registered in 1950 as28 |
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| 43 | 43 | | Decatur Presbyterian Children's Community, which currently serves over 100 students a29 |
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| 44 | 44 | | year, from nine months through kindergarten, with thousands of alumni throughout the30 |
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| 45 | 45 | | world; and31 |
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| 46 | 46 | | WHEREAS, since the late 1800s, Decatur Presbyterian Church has supported global mission32 |
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| 47 | 47 | | partners, in more recent years in South Sudan, Madagascar, Niger, the United States-Mexico33 |
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| 48 | 48 | | border, and Taiwan, and financed the 1968 creation of the Topple Hospital in Soonchun,34 |
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| 49 | 49 | | South Korea, to treat leprosy, polio, and other crippling diseases; and35 |
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| 50 | 50 | | H. R. 699 |
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| 51 | 51 | | - 2 - 25 LC 112 3451 |
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| 52 | 52 | | WHEREAS, the congregation has generously hosted the Global Village Project within its |
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| 53 | 53 | | 36 |
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| 54 | 54 | | buildings since 2010, enabling the specialized education of hundreds of refugee teenage girls;37 |
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| 55 | 55 | | and38 |
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| 56 | 56 | | WHEREAS, to serve those on the margins of society, Decatur Presbyterian Church created39 |
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| 57 | 57 | | its Threshold Ministry in 2013 to provide assistance through direct services such as MARTA40 |
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| 58 | 58 | | cards, mail service, hygiene kits, warm coats, and other aid, as well as referrals to Legal Aid,41 |
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| 59 | 59 | | the Furniture Bank, Veterans Administration Services, First Step Staffing, and numerous42 |
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| 60 | 60 | | housing and shelter opportunities; and43 |
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| 61 | 61 | | WHEREAS, the congregation intends to celebrate its 200th anniversary to the glory of God44 |
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| 62 | 62 | | on October 26, 2025, continuing its love of God and neighbor into its third century and45 |
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| 63 | 63 | | fulfilling its stated mission: "Rooted in the heart of Decatur, we worship, love, and serve with46 |
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| 64 | 64 | | hospitality, generosity, and compassion."47 |
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| 65 | 65 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that48 |
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| 66 | 66 | | the members of this body recognize the rich history of Decatur Presbyterian Church,49 |
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| 67 | 67 | | commend its 200 years of dedicated service to the Lord and community, and extend their50 |
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| 68 | 68 | | warmest best wishes for its continued growth and success.51 |
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| 69 | 69 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized52 |
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| 70 | 70 | | and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to53 |
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| 71 | 71 | | Decatur Presbyterian Church.54 |
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| 72 | 72 | | H. R. 699 |
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| 73 | 73 | | - 3 - |
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