[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 162 (Monday, November 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF PASTOR DANIEL SIMMONS

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                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2016

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and pleasure to 
extend my sincerest congratulations to Pastor Daniel Simmons, leader of 
my church home, Mount Zion Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Pastor 
Simmons celebrated 25 years of outstanding ministry to Mount Zion 
Baptist Church on Sunday, October 9, 2016.
  A native of Cairo, Georgia, Daniel Simmons was born to Mrs. Pinkie 
Norwood Simmons and the late Reverend Perry Simmons, Sr. He earned a 
Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Albany State College (now 
University) in 1977. He went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in 
Counseling from the University of Georgia in 1985 and a Doctorate of 
Ministry from Bethany Theological Seminary in Dothan, Alabama in 1991. 
Pastor Simmons worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor with the Georgia 
Department of Rehabilitation Services for seventeen years. He also 
worked as a Community Development Specialist.
  Pastor Simmons began preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in June 
1984. He pastored Mountain Grove Baptist Church in Dawson, Georgia and 
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Shingler, Georgia. In 1991, the Lord 
called him to lead Mount Zion Baptist Church. In his 25 years of 
leadership, Mount Zion has expanded its ministry services, increased 
its membership tremendously to the point where a second worship service 
was added, and moved into its new state-of-the-art facility on 109 
acres of land at 901 South Westover Boulevard in 2010.
  But most importantly, Pastor Simmons has led Mount Zion Baptist 
Church to become a pillar in the community, known for ministering to 
those in need. Pastor Simmons welcomes anyone and everyone into the 
church and its members make it their duty to ensure that every soul is 
taken care of and prayed over. With a congregation of over 3,000 
members and 54 ministries, including radio, television, and live-
streaming, Mount Zion is truly ``reaching the world for Christ through 
evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, and missions.''
  Mount Zion Baptist Church celebrated another happy occasion--its 
151st anniversary. The church was founded in 1865, the same year that 
the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery was passed by Congress and 
ratified by the States. Nearly a century later, many of the rallies 
during the Albany phase of the Civil Rights Movement were held at Mount 
Zion. To commemorate those struggles, the church donated the building 
to the Albany Civil Rights Museum which is currently housed there. 
Mount Zion has seen many ups and downs but God's will and our members' 
perseverance have shaped it into the expansive and successful place of 
worship it is today.
  Jeremiah 3:15 says, ``Then I will give you shepherds after my own 
heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.'' Pastor 
Daniel Simmons is one such shepherd and a man of integrity who exudes 
the genuine principles and values of Christian discipleship. Over the 
20 years I have been a member of the church, I am proud to call Mount 
Zion my church home and Pastor Daniel Simmons my pastor. As an ordained 
Deacon and Trustee, I have personally witnessed the unshakeable faith 
Pastor Simmons has for the Lord and the profound exegesis he conveys in 
his sermons. My wife Vivian and I are grateful that we can always count 
on Pastor Simmons' wise counsel and sage advice.
  Pastor Simmons has achieved many things in his life but none of this 
would have been possible without the love and support of his wife and 
First Lady of the Church, Diane Davis Simmons, and his two children and 
five grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife Vivian, and the 
more than 730,000 residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District 
in thanking Pastor Daniel Simmons for 25 outstanding years of service 
to Mount Zion Baptist Church and a lifetime of service in the ministry 
of Jesus Christ.

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