[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO REVEREND JOSEPH BAKER

 Mr. OSSOFF. Mr. President, I rise to commend Rev. Joseph Baker 
of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church for his lifetime of 
service to the Chattahoochee River Valley and the State of Georgia. For 
the past 30 years, Pastor Baker has been a beacon of hope and service 
for members of the communities he has served since answering the call 
to preach in 1993. After relocating to Atlanta from Orlando to continue 
his higher education journey, Pastor Joseph Baker served as senior 
pastor of Saint Paul AME Church in Canton, GA, and both Saint Mary's 
AME and Townsley Chapel AME Churches in Savannah, GA. Since July 2013, 
Pastor Baker has served the Columbus community as the 52nd pastor of 
St. James AME Church at the local, conference, and episcopal levels. He 
also serves as dean of the Southwest Georgia Annual Conference Board of 
Examiners and as a member of the Southwest Georgia Annual Conference 
Board of Trustees, Support of Presiding Elders and Ministerial 
Classification.
  A product of the Suwannee County School System, the University of 
Central Florida in Orlando, and Turner Theological Seminary at the 
Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Pastor Baker 
continues to find ways to open doors of opportunity for others through 
access to education. For example, Pastor Baker established a 
partnership with Columbus Technical College to offer GED studies at St. 
James AME.
  As Georgia's U.S. Senator, I commend and recognize St. James AME 
pastor Rev. Joseph Baker for a lifetime of service on behalf of the 
State of Georgia.

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