[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1444-E1445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF REV. JOSEPH ROBERSON FOR HIS SERVICE TO SOUTH COLUMBUS 
                        UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 16, 2009

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Reverend Joseph Roberson of Columbus, Georgia, who has for the past 15 
years served with unwavering love and devotion as the Senior Pastor of 
South Columbus United Methodist. On June 17, 2009, Reverend Roberson 
will resign his pastoral duties to serve as the Statesboro District 
Superintendent, where he will minister to 82 churches and 53 pastors.
  Under Reverend Joseph Roberson's leadership these past 15 years, 
South Columbus United Methodist has grown from 45 members to now more 
than 800 members. It established a Hispanic Ministry and added an 
Associate Pastor to the church leadership team. Reverend Roberson has 
touched many lives through his ministry at South Columbus United 
Methodist. To his parishioners, he is a pastor, an evangelist, a 
prophet, a teacher, a counselor, and a friend.
  A native of Waynesboro, Georgia, Reverend Roberson first joined the 
ministry in 1978 with the Statesboro District of the South Georgia 
Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC). Over the next 16 
years, his career took him from there to the West Point Parish (1980-
1983), Speedwell UMC in Savannah, Georgia (1983-1985), Council on 
Ministries (1985-1991), the National Black Methodists for Church 
Renewal in Dayton, Ohio (1991-1994), and finally to the South Columbus 
UMC in 1994.
  I appreciate the impact that Reverend Joseph Roberson and the South 
Columbus United Methodist Church have made on the city of Columbus. The 
church has become a spiritual pillar of the Columbus community reaching 
out to those in need and comforting those who are suffering.
  I am truly honored to be able to call Reverend Roberson a fellow 
Georgian. His faithfulness and dedication are rare traits. I thank him 
for his years of service at South Columbus United Methodist and I wish 
him Godspeed in the next phase of his life.

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