[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15345-15346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JAMES O. RICH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2007

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to congratulate one of 
South Carolina's

[[Page 15346]]

 most faithful and dedicated church leaders as he retires from the 
ministry. Rev. Dr. James O. ``J.O.'' Rich is a stalwart in upstate 
South Carolina where he has been the long-serving pastor of St. Paul 
Baptist Church and is the co-owner of Rich-Colonial Funeral Home.
  J.O. was born in Sumter, SC, where he attended Lincoln High School 
and went on to earn a bachelor's in divinity from Morris College. His 
dedication to the ministry led him to earn a master's in divinity from 
the International Theological Center, Morehouse School of Religion in 
Atlanta, GA. He completed further study at the Lutheran Southern 
Seminary, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Morris College in 
1975.
  Dr. Rich truly committed himself to the teachings of the church and 
sought leadership positions to help share his faith with a wider 
audience. He served as president of Baptist education bodies on the 
State and national levels including the South Carolina Baptist Congress 
of Christian Education and the Progressive National Baptist Congress of 
Christian Education.
  Within in his own church, Dr. Rich helped expand the educational 
outreach opportunities. He oversaw the construction of St. Paul Baptist 
Church's Educational Center as a testament to the church's investment 
in spiritual and human growth. The center cost $600,000 to build in 
1977, but stands today as a central part of the community and the 
church's outreach ministries.
  Throughout his career, Dr. Rich has been a lecturer and author as 
well. He has spoken on college and university campuses in South 
Carolina and across the Nation. He also served as the compilation 
editor of Foundations of Worship, a developmental meditation for 
families. Other publications by Dr. Rich include, Help, a study guide 
for Baptists, BTU Report, and articles in the Quiet Hour, the Worker, 
and In-Teen magazines.
  His work and dedication are not just isolated to the church. Dr. Rich 
believes strongly in giving back to the community. He did so by serving 
as president of the Anderson Branch of the NAACP for more than 20 
years. He chaired the City of Anderson Community Development 
Corporation, and is a member of the Alston Wilkes Society, Inc., the 
South Carolina Christian Action Council, and Alpha Phi Alpha 
Fraternity, Inc.
  Governor Dick Riley recognized Dr. Rich's dedication and honored him 
with South Carolina's highest honor, the Palmetto Award. Governor Riley 
also appointed Dr. Rich to serve as the Third Congressional District's 
representative to the State Council on Maternal, Infant and Child 
Health. It was a position for which Governor Carroll Campbell re-
appointed him.
  In 1986, while serving as president of the Baptist E&M Convention of 
South Carolina, the Ford Foundation awarded the organization a $180,000 
grant to fight teenage pregnancy.
  Housing issues are also very important to Dr. Rich. He served as the 
chairman of the Baptist Service Inc., the housing arm of the Baptist 
E&M Convention. And while serving as the moderator of the Rocky River 
Baptist Association, Dr. Rich initiated the building of the Rocky River 
Residential Care Home, a 60-unit complex for the elderly and 
handicapped in Anderson.
  As a result of all his outstanding community service and dedication 
to the ministry, his alma mater, Morris College, named one of its men's 
dormitories in his honor. He has also been the recipient of the Mamie 
L. Duckett Founder's Day Award given by Benedict College, the Jefferson 
Award conferred by WYFF-TV, the Howard McClain Christian Action Award 
issued by the Christian Action Council, and the Pastor of the Year 
Award granted by the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
  His leadership of St. Paul Baptist Church has been an inspiration, 
and his accomplishments there are too numerous to mention. Yet 
throughout his service, his loving wife, Arabella, their children 
Stanley and Stephanie, and now their daughter-in-law Phyllis and 
grandson Stanford, have been fully supportive of his efforts.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in commending Rev. Dr. J.O. Rich 
for his tremendous service to his faith and his community. He is a 
living testament to the Bible's admonition ``to whom much is given, 
much is required.'' Dr. Rich has been given extraordinary talents, and 
he has used them to honor his faith and his fellow man. I applaud the 
example he has set for others to follow, and wish him a wonderful 
retirement and Godspeed.

                          ____________________