Senate Resolution 243
By: Senator Harbison of the 15th
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing and commending the Reverend Lee C. Franklin; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, the Reverend Lee C. Franklin is Senior Pastor of the Mount Ephraim Baptist
Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and serves as the second pastor in the church's history following
the founding Pastor, the Late Dr. R. L. White Jr., who pastored for 53 years; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Franklin was licensed to preach in 1996 and ordained in 1999, and he
has since served in various spiritual capacities including Minister for Bereaved Families,
Associate Minister, Musician, Young Adult Pastor, Director of the Psalms 150 Choir (the
church's young adult choir), Youth Minister, Bible Study Leader, and Vacation Bible School
Teacher; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Franklin's Kingdom-building efforts extend beyond the four walls of the
church, and as a Carver Bible graduate, he has served as a civic leader in key social action
dimensions such as the National NAACP Religious Affairs Liaison and as the Fulton County
Government Chaplain; and
WHEREAS, he has further ministered for over 30 years at the grassroots level to the
homeless community, individuals serviced through the Atlanta Drug Courts, and to ranking
governmental officials; and
WHEREAS, seeing a need to address the social ills of the community, he launched a
self-help network, the Greater Atlanta Congress of Black Men, which brings Black men in
the Atlanta metro area together to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to create
a better tomorrow for Atlanta; and
WHEREAS, in 2024, the first annual conference of the network was held, successfully
engaging local and state elected officials, civil rights leaders, law enforcement, financial
empowerment, social justice, and issues of military veterans to forge a path towards
strategizing for sustainable community upliftment.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body
recognize and commend the Reverend Lee C. Franklin for his ecumenical leadership, civic
affairs, and social action excellence in the State of Georgia.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Reverend Lee
C. Franklin.