MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2013 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Coleman (65th), Buck (72nd), Clarke, Wooten, Calhoun, Dixon, Evans (70th), Watson
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE, LEGACY AND HERITAGE OF REVEREND NATHANIEL VINSON BOOKER, AND EXTENDING DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HIS PASSING.
WHEREAS, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens," and as such, the immaculate author and finisher of our soul's destiny has summoned the mortal presence of our dearly beloved, Reverend Nathaniel Vinson Booker, to eternal rest as he departed this earthly life on Tuesday, January 22, 2013, causing great sorrow and loss to his family, friends and congregation whose lives were profoundly enriched by his pastoral guidance and spiritual counsel; and
WHEREAS, born on April 10, 1934, to his late parents, Mr. Perry and Esertine Murrell Booker, Sr., who raised him on the tenets and precepts of selfless servanthood, Reverend Booker confessed his hope in Christ and grew in the spirit and carried the word of God in his heart as a member of College Hill Baptist Church and later at St. James Missionary Baptist Church, where he remained faithful in service until his ministerial calling to the Ecclesiastical Order of the gospel, as orchestrated by the grand architect as the perfect will for his life's design; and
WHEREAS, as divinely destined for the true fulfillment of his life's purpose, Reverend Booker united in holy matrimony with the former Geneva Williams, who completed the master plan of his life, as his spouse, helpmate and first lady for some 53 years; and
WHEREAS, over the course of his ministerial tenure, which spanned more than 40 years, Reverend Booker pastored eight churches, and at the time God dispatched his angel to retrieve the soul and life that ultimately is his own, Reverend Booker was the spiritual shepherd of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, White Chapel Baptist Church and New Galilean Baptist Church; and
WHEREAS, one who was deeply passionate about singing, Reverend Booker sang in various choirs and quartets, and to his credit recorded with the Jackson Superiors and the JC Disciple Singers; and
WHEREAS, as a testament to his innate ability to transform lives, Reverend Booker was a prolific and colorful preacher with a niche for appealing to the heart of many issues that resonated with the congregations he addressed Sunday after Sunday; and
WHEREAS, in Reverend Booker's transformation from mortality to immortality, he now adorns the raiment of a spiritual host dressed in white, as he joins the league of chariot escorts, as it is written in the Book of Revelation 21:1-2, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."; and
WHEREAS, although he has traversed the river of life to reunite with those who answered God's summons to life eternal and now beckon his arrival to the celestial shores of heaven's grandeur, the legacy of Reverend Booker's life will continue to refresh the hearts and fond memories of his beloved survivors, including: his loving wife, Geneva Booker; children, Gentina, Marvin and Timothy; six grandchildren, Antonio, Mercedes, Destinee', Katelynn, Lakeycia and Nathaniel David Booker; two great-grandchildren, Jaiden and Addison Booker; six brothers; two sisters; and a host of other relatives and friends; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to commend the life and legacy of such highly esteemed clergymen and social activists as Reverend Booker, who has blessed and enriched the lives of so many while present in this earthly life, and whose indelible imprint resoundingly echoes in the ears of those who were privileged to experience his sermonic gift:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commemorate the life, legacy and heritage of Reverend Nathaniel Vinson Booker, whose life was a melodic aria, infusing the atmosphere with his charismatic rifts and stirring crescendos of life, love and encouragement, and to whose family and friends we express our sincerest and deepest sympathy upon his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Reverend Nathaniel Vinson Booker and to the member of the Capitol Press Corps.