--- title: HR 187. Neal, Reverend Corey J.; occasion of his 17th pastoral anniversary; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr187 cite_as: HR 187, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr187 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr187.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr187/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70000 date: 2025-02-05 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr186.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr188.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr187.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 187 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-05 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Teddy Reese - Carolyn Hugley - Debbie Buckner - Carmen Rice - Vance Smith text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR187/2025 upstream_id: 1958336 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - ceremonial resolution - Columbus Georgia - faith community recognition - House of Representatives honors --- # HR 187. Neal, Reverend Corey J.; occasion of his 17th pastoral anniversary; recognize ## Text House Resolution 187 By: Representatives Reese of the 140th, Hugley of the 141st, Buckner of the 137th, Rice of the 139th, and Smith of the 138th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Reverend Corey J. Neal on the occasion of his 17th pastoral anniversary; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Reverend Corey J. Neal answered the call to ministry at the age of 27 after a transformative series of hardships led him to relinquish his personal plans and embrace God's purpose, committing himself to preaching and serving in Columbus, Georgia; and WHEREAS, Reverend Corey J. Neal was called by the Lord 17 years ago to lead the congregation of Greater Peace Baptist Church; and WHEREAS, prior to becoming the church's senior pastor, he faithfully served as director of Christian education, youth pastor, and assistant pastor under the leadership of his grandfather, Reverend E. L. Sullivan; and WHEREAS, during his distinguished tenure, Reverend Corey J. Neal has established numerous programs and workshops, including those focused on health, finances, and employment, that have improved the spiritual growth and well-being of the church and the surrounding community; and WHEREAS, he further serves as the vice-president-at-large of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia and is a certified instructor for the local, state, and national Congress of Christian Education; and WHEREAS, he is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., the Kappa Alpha Psi Columbus Alumni Chapter, the Columbus Georgia Family Connection Coalition, and the 100 Black Men of America; and WHEREAS, whether the task is preparing a sermon, visiting the sick, counseling the troubled, baptizing a new believer, or acting as a theologian, educator, administrator, or humanitarian, Reverend Corey J. Neal has shown the energy, devotion, and commitment truly reflective of divine guidance; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the dynamic Christian ministry of this devout and pious man. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend Reverend Corey J. Neal on the wonderful occasion of his 17th pastoral anniversary and extend best wishes for many more years of successful fellowship and leadership. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Reverend Corey J. Neal. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution recognizes Reverend Corey J. Neal of Columbus for his 17th anniversary as pastor of Greater Peace Baptist Church. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring Reverend Corey J. Neal on the 17th anniversary of his pastorate at Greater Peace Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia. It recounts his path to ministry, his earlier roles at the church under his grandfather's leadership, and his community programs on health, finances, and employment. The resolution also notes his leadership role in the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia and his memberships in several civic and fraternal organizations. It does not change any Georgia law; it simply expresses the House's recognition and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to Reverend Neal. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Reverend Corey J. Neal on his 17th anniversary as pastor of Greater Peace Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Reverend Neal. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement of the House's recognition. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Reverend Corey J. Neal and his congregation at Greater Peace Baptist Church in Columbus. It has no regulatory or financial effect on other Georgians, agencies, or businesses. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or financial effect on Georgians generally. Its significance is symbolic and local, offering official recognition from the state legislature of a Columbus pastor's community and religious contributions over 17 years. ### Key provisions - The resolved clause formally commends Reverend Corey J. Neal on his 17th pastoral anniversary and wishes him continued success. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute a copy of the resolution to Reverend Neal. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-05) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-05) - Sponsors: Teddy Reese, Carolyn Hugley, Debbie Buckner, Carmen Rice, Vance Smith - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70000 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr187.md?full=1