--- title: HR 29. Powell, Pastor Arthur L.; outstanding ministry, leadership, and service to the citizens of Clayton County and the State of Georgia; recognize collection: bills id: 2026-special/hr29 cite_as: HR 29, 2026 Special Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr29 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr29.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr29/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74889 date: 2026-06-22 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/2026-special.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr28.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr30.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr29.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 29 session: 2026 Special Session session_slug: 2026-special chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-06-22 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sandra Scott text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR29/2026/X1 upstream_id: 2154444 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - commendation resolution - Clayton County - religious leadership - Georgia House of Representatives --- # HR 29. Powell, Pastor Arthur L.; outstanding ministry, leadership, and service to the citizens of Clayton County and the State of Georgia; recognize ## Text House Resolution 29EX By: Representative Scott of the 76th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Pastor Arthur L. Powell for his outstanding ministry, leadership, and service to the citizens of Clayton County and the State of Georgia; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Pastor Arthur L. Powell is a faithful servant of God, an esteemed community leader, and a dedicated pastor whose life has been marked by unwavering commitment to ministry, faith, and public service; and WHEREAS, Pastor Powell was born in Valdosta, Georgia, later becoming a native of Decatur, Georgia, and accepted Christ as his Savior in 1972 before answering the call to the Gospel Ministry in 1974; and WHEREAS, he preached his first sermon from Psalms 25:2 entitled "Lord Let Me Not Be Ashamed," and he was ordained by Thankful Baptist Church in 1979; and WHEREAS, Pastor Powell has faithfully served as Pastor of Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Morrow, Georgia, since 1986, leading the church through tremendous spiritual growth and expansion from a modest congregation to a thriving ministry of more than 1,500 members and over 40 ministries; and H. R. 29EX WHEREAS, under his visionary leadership, Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church purchased land on Rex Road in 1992 and, through faith, prayer, and dedication, constructed a new sanctuary and educational wing, marching into the new edifice in July 1999; and WHEREAS, Pastor Powell continued to expand the ministry through the opening of the Genesis Christian Bookstore in 2004 and the establishment of the Family Life Center in 2009, creating a lasting impact on the spiritual, educational, and social well-being of the community; and WHEREAS, Pastor Powell attended Morehouse College and graduated from Dekalb College and Carver Bible College, equipping himself with the knowledge and wisdom necessary to lead God's people with excellence; and WHEREAS, he has faithfully served beyond the walls of the church as past President of the Association of Christian Ministers of Clayton County, representing more than 10,000 members, as past Moderator of the Hopewell Baptist Association, as a lifetime member of the Clayton County NAACP, and as a member of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.; and WHEREAS, Pastor Powell has received numerous honors and awards recognizing his faithful service and dedication to ministry, including the Heritage Legacy Award in 2012, the 2003 Pastors Gospel Choice Award, an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from American Bible University in 2015, and the Pillar Award in Ministry from The Good Shepherd Center of Morrow, Georgia; and WHEREAS, Pastor Powell's life and ministry have been strengthened by the love and support of his devoted wife, First Lady Dianne Powell, and their daughter, Adrian; and H. R. 29EX WHEREAS, through decades of faithful leadership, spiritual guidance, and community service, Pastor Arthur L. Powell has touched countless lives and remains a beacon of hope, faith, and inspiration throughout Clayton County and the State of Georgia. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend Pastor Arthur L. Powell for his extraordinary ministry, leadership, and dedication to the people of Georgia and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued health, happiness, and success in all future endeavors. 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 Pastor Arthur L. Powell. H. R. 29EX ## 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 formally recognizes Pastor Arthur L. Powell of Clayton County for his decades of ministry, leadership, and community service. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution passed by the Georgia House of Representatives honoring Pastor Arthur L. Powell, longtime pastor of Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Morrow, Georgia. It recounts his life story, from his calling to ministry in 1974 to his leadership of the church since 1986, growing it from a small congregation into one with more than 1,500 members and over 40 ministries. The resolution lists his education, community involvement, and awards, then formally commends him for his service to Clayton County and the State of Georgia. It directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Pastor Powell. The resolution does not change any Georgia law; it is a formal statement of recognition. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Pastor Arthur L. Powell for his ministry and community service in Clayton County and Georgia. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute an official copy of the resolution to Pastor Powell. - Extends the House's best wishes to Pastor Powell for continued health and success. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement, as is typical for a commendatory resolution. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Pastor Arthur L. Powell and mentions his church, Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church, his family, and various Clayton County community and religious organizations he has been involved with. It has no regulatory effect on the public. ### Why it matters This resolution has no legal or regulatory effect on Georgians generally. Its significance is symbolic: it gives official, public recognition from the Georgia House of Representatives to a Clayton County religious and community leader for his decades of service. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses detail Pastor Powell's biography, ministry milestones, education, and honors received. - The resolved clause formally commends Pastor Powell for his ministry, leadership, and dedication to the people of Georgia. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to him. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-06-22) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-06-22) - Sponsors: Sandra Scott - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74889 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr29.md?full=1