--- title: SR 950. Whitt, Pastor Dr. Brad; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr950 cite_as: SR 950, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr950 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr950.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr950/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74081 date: 2026-03-16 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/sr949.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr951.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr950.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 950 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-16 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Lee Anderson - Max Burns - Larry Walker - Harold Jones - Jason Anavitarte - Billy Hickman - Russ Goodman - Kay Kirkpatrick - Ben Watson - Mike Hodges - Ricky Williams - Chuck Payne - Chuck Hufstetler - Timothy Bearden - Bill Cowsert - Randy Robertson - Greg Dolezal - Steven McNeel - Brian Strickland - Blake Tillery - Marty Harbin - Jason T. Dickerson - Carden Summers - Bo Hatchett - Ed Setzler - Matt Brass - Sam Watson - Steve Gooch - Shawn Still text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR950/2025 upstream_id: 2133344 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - ceremonial resolution - Georgia Senate - community recognition - religious leaders --- # SR 950. Whitt, Pastor Dr. Brad; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 950 By: Senators Anderson of the 24th, Burns of the 23rd, Walker III of the 20th, Jones II of the 22nd, Anavitarte of the 31st and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt has demonstrated his commitment to preaching the Gospel, witnessing for Christ through word and deed, and addressing the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of others; and WHEREAS, since 1996, Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt has dedicated innumerable hours of his time and energy toward leading congregations in Tennessee, Ohio, and South Carolina, culminating in his current role as senior pastor of Abilene Baptist Church; and WHEREAS, his vision and direction have helped Abilene Baptist Church grow in size and influence, uplifting the community with the love of God and serving as a spiritual leader and place for fellowship; and WHEREAS, over the past 14 years leading Abilene Baptist Church, Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt has established numerous programs and resources which have led to the spiritual growth of Christians in the community and around the world; and WHEREAS, he has further served the faith community as president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention's Pastors' Conference and has written three exemplary books, Rooted, 40 Days of Refreshment, and Heroes: Amazing Stories of Faith; and WHEREAS, whether the task is preaching a sermon, visiting the sick, counseling the troubled, baptizing a new believer, or acting as a theologian, educator, administrator, or humanitarian, Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt has shown the energy, devotion, and commitment truly reflective of divine guidance; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this enduring example of God's message of peace and love be recognized and congratulated for his innumerable works rendered for the glory of God. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt for his 30 years of exceptional pastoral service as well as extend best wishes for many more years of successful leadership. 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 Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt. ## 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 recognizes and commends Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt of Abilene Baptist Church for 30 years of pastoral service. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate honoring Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt, senior pastor of Abilene Baptist Church, for three decades of ministry work. The resolution describes his career leading congregations in Tennessee, Ohio, and South Carolina before coming to Abilene Baptist Church, his role as president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention's Pastors' Conference, and his authorship of three books. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally states the Senate's recognition and commendation of Pastor Whitt and directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to him. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt for 30 years of pastoral service, including his current leadership at Abilene Baptist Church. - Extends the Senate's best wishes for his continued leadership in future years. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Pastor Whitt. - Creates no changes to Georgia law, funding, or regulations; it is a purely ceremonial statement. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Pastor Dr. Brad Whitt and, by extension, the congregation of Abilene Baptist Church. It has no legal or regulatory effect on any other individuals, businesses, or government agencies. ### Why it matters This resolution carries symbolic rather than practical weight. It creates no new obligations, funding, or legal changes for Georgians; its purpose is to publicly honor an individual's decades of service through an official Senate statement and a distributed printed copy. ### Key provisions - The resolution recites Pastor Whitt's biography and career, including his roles in Tennessee, Ohio, South Carolina, and at Abilene Baptist Church since arriving there. - The resolved clause formally commends him for 30 years of pastoral service and wishes him continued success. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to him. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-16) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-16) - Sponsors: Lee Anderson, Max Burns, Larry Walker, Harold Jones, Jason Anavitarte, Billy Hickman, Russ Goodman, Kay Kirkpatrick, Ben Watson, Mike Hodges, Ricky Williams, Chuck Payne, Chuck Hufstetler, Timothy Bearden, Bill Cowsert, Randy Robertson, Greg Dolezal, Steven McNeel, Brian Strickland, Blake Tillery, Marty Harbin, Jason T. Dickerson, Carden Summers, Bo Hatchett, Ed Setzler, Matt Brass, Sam Watson, Steve Gooch, Shawn Still - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74081 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr950.md?full=1