--- title: SR 259. Simmons, Reverend Vandy Carl; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr259 cite_as: SR 259, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr259 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr259.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr259/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70781 date: 2025-02-26 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/sr258.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr260.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr259.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 259 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-26 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Randal Mangham text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR259/2025 upstream_id: 1983839 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - community recognition - Stone Mountain - faith leaders - Georgia Senate resolutions --- # SR 259. Simmons, Reverend Vandy Carl; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 259 By: Senator Mangham of the 55th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Reverend Vandy Carl Simmons, recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, a native of Tifton, Georgia, Reverend Vandy Carl Simmons has dedicated his life to ministry, education, and service to others; and WHEREAS, since October 2016, he has faithfully served as the senior pastor of Antioch A.M.E. Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, continuing the legacy of spiritual guidance and community outreach established by his predecessor, Bishop Stafford J.N. Wicker; and WHEREAS, under his leadership, Antioch A.M.E. Church has completed renovations to the sanctuary, fellowship hall, restrooms, daycare, and food pantry as well as improved accessibility with a newly paved and marked parking lot and new security systems; and WHEREAS, embracing the mission of being "In the Community, For the Community," he has fostered strong partnerships with Freedom Middle School and Friends of Hairston Park as well as secured over $73,000 in funding to provide financial assistance and vital resources to the community; and WHEREAS, Reverend Simmons has expanded the church's outreach efforts by hosting town hall meetings, a mental health forum, summer camps for the learning-disabled, career fairs, and back-to-school events that offer free haircuts and hair braiding for students; and WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the church in securing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds to sustain full-time staff, serving as a Virtual Learning Center for children of working parents, and operating as a COVID-19 testing site; and WHEREAS, his steadfast leadership and service have earned him numerous accolades, including Clergy of the Year awards from Bishop Reginald T. Jackson and the Lay Organization, the Best Pastor Award from Antioch Seniors in Action, the People's Choice Award from the Sixth Episcopal District, and many more; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper to honor the outstanding accomplishments and dynamic Christian ministry of this devout and pious man during this special time. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Reverend Vandy Carl Simmons, recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award, and extend sincere best wishes for continued success. 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 Reverend Vandy Carl Simmons. ## 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 Senate resolution honors Reverend Vandy Carl Simmons of Stone Mountain for his ministry and community service, recognizing him as recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It recognizes Reverend Vandy Carl Simmons, a Tifton, Georgia native who has served since October 2016 as senior pastor of Antioch A.M.E. Church in Stone Mountain, for his work in ministry, education, and community outreach. The resolution details his accomplishments, including church renovations, partnerships with local schools and parks, over $73,000 raised for community assistance, pandemic-era programs like a Virtual Learning Center and COVID-19 testing site, and various clergy awards. The Senate resolves to commend him and directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide him a copy of the resolution. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Reverend Vandy Carl Simmons for his ministry and community service work. - Documents his leadership at Antioch A.M.E. Church, including facility renovations and expanded accessibility. - Notes his community outreach efforts, including town halls, a mental health forum, summer camps, and back-to-school events. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Reverend Simmons. - Does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia law. ### Who it affects The resolution directly honors Reverend Vandy Carl Simmons and references Antioch A.M.E. Church in Stone Mountain, Freedom Middle School, and Friends of Hairston Park as partners in his community work. It has no legal effect on the general public. ### Why it matters This resolution carries symbolic rather than legal weight. It gives official state recognition to a local faith leader's community service, which can raise public awareness of his work but does not change any rights, funding, or requirements for Georgians. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount Reverend Simmons's background, his pastoral role since 2016, and specific community programs he has led. - The resolving clause formally commends him as recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award. - A further resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to him. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-26) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-26) - Sponsors: Randal Mangham - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70781 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr259.md?full=1