House Resolution 44

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE DEVOTED MINISTERIAL SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, SPIRITUAL EXCELLENCE, WISE COUNSEL AND GUIDANCE OF DR. REX YANCEY UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AS PASTOR OF RIPLEY FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.

WHEREAS, it is written in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that "To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the Heaven": and as the season has come that esteemed devotional messenger, spiritual guide, wise counsel and exceptional pastor, Dr. Rex Yancey has beseeched the blessing of God and his congregation upon his decision to retire as pastor of Ripley First Baptist Church; and

WHEREAS, born on March 5, 1948, in Ripley, Mississippi, it is ceremoniously fitting that Dr. Yancey's retirement from full-time service in the Ecclesiastical ministry concludes in the very church where his spiritual nurturing and introduction to Christ manifested after nearly fifty years of spreading the Gospel of the Living Christ; and

WHEREAS, having received his call to the ministry in 1965, Dr. Yancey who spent the first two and one-half years in full-time evangelism before being chosen to lead his first congregation of baptized believers at First Baptist Church of Quitman, Mississippi, for eleven years and subsequent thereto as pastor of First Baptist Church of Pascagoula for fifteen years before returning to his native hometown of Ripley to serve since 2007; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Yancey received his bachelor of science degree from Blue Mountain College, and furthered his educational career by attending seminary at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he obtained both his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Divinity Degrees; and

WHEREAS, as a pastor, he has showcased an unbiased love and encouragement for all Christians to stand up and be counted for Christ, being the very epitome of a man of God who holds steadfast to his convictions, and keeps sacred things sacred, as he is unselfish in service and holds fast to his integrity, walking by faith and not by sight; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Yancey's ministry, like David's, seeks the very heart of God, and in his efforts as a denominational leader to lead as many souls to Christ under the auspices of that philosophy, he has served as President of the Mississippi Baptist Convention; and

WHEREAS, men of faith such as Dr. Yancey are rare in these times of social and moral decline in America but nevertheless serve to uphold everything that is good and right about a country that has its very founding premised upon spiritual foundation in God as the sovereign deity; and

WHEREAS, throughout the entirety of his ministry, Dr. Yancey has given extraordinary and dedicated leadership to each of the congregation to which he has been vested with the responsibility to lead, and has been lovingly supported in all his endeavors by his faithful wife, the former Ellen Paseur; and their two children, former Mississippi State Senator Lee Yancey and daughter Lorie Yancey Cooper; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize such outstanding godly leaders as Dr. Yancey, who has dedicated his long and distinguished career to bringing many souls to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Reverend Dr. Rex Yancey on the occasion of his retirement as Pastor of Ripley First Baptist Church and extend heartiest wishes for God's continuous blessings and success in all of his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Reverend Dr. Rex Yancey and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.