[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12914-12915]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            IN MEMORY OF REVEREND DR. HOWARD W. CREECY, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 9, 2011

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
great man and child of God, the Reverend Dr. Howard W. Creecy, Jr. His 
passing is a great loss to his family, his congregation, the Southern 
Christian Leadership Conference, and the Christian community.
  Dr. Creecy was a paragon of what a devout servant of God should be. 
He was a third generation gospel preacher, teacher and community 
leader. His family's legacy of leadership has exceeded over 100 years 
of continuous commitment to the Christian ministry. Rev. Dr. Creecy was 
born in Mobile, Alabama, to Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Howard W. Creecy, Sr. The 
family later moved to Dothan, Alabama, before settling in Atlanta, 
Georgia, where he pursued his education.
  In celebrating and acknowledging the outstanding achievements of Dr. 
Creecy, I am

[[Page 12915]]

also paying homage to a family friend and someone who I considered to 
be one of my leading role models. The bond that my family enjoys with 
the Creecy family transcends different generations and is long-
standing.
  Like me, he was a proud Morehouse Man. He began his ministry at 
Morehouse College and completed his graduate work at the Morehouse 
School of Religion of the Interdenominational Theological Seminary. He 
also holds a Doctor of Divinity from Abotra Bible Institute and 
Seminary.
  For 26 years, Dr. Creecy served as senior pastor of Saint Peter 
Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. There, under his leadership, the 
church experienced tremendous growth, including a staff of ministers, 
administrators, musicians and a pastoral clinical psychologist. Central 
to the growth and development of Saint Peter Church was his 
comprehensive and balanced vision of 21st century ministry.
  Starting in 2002, Dr. Creecy pastored with his father, Rev. Dr. 
Howard W. Creecy, Sr., at The Olivet Church in Fayetteville, Georgia, 
where he brought his 21st century ministry innovations, while still 
standing upon traditional Christian values. While working with his 
father until his passing, Olivet's membership, ministries, and 
resources grew exponentially under his leadership as senior pastor.
  Dr. Creecy was highly respected in the Christian community, and he 
was a frequent guest preacher nationwide and internationally. His 
strong faith and tremendous presence were felt by all around him.
  He was involved in numerous civic, social and political activities, 
serving as chairman of the Atlanta Task Force of the Southern Christian 
Leadership Conference; former chairman of the Board of Directors, 
Project Re-direction, Atlanta University Criminal Justice Institute; 
and Founding National Board Member of the Organization of New Equality 
(ONE), Boston, Massachusetts.
  For his numerous endeavours, Dr. Creecy was honored and inducted by 
Morehouse College into the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel 
Board of Ministers and was a proud member of the NAACP. He was the 
first African-American to serve as Director of the Office of Chaplain 
Services for Atlanta Fulton County Government.
  Dr. Creecy leaves behind a devoted family: his loving wife, Yolanda 
Grier Creecy, their two beautiful daughters, Teresa and Kennedy. On 
behalf of my wife, Vivian and myself, I want to extend our heartfelt 
sympathies to the Creecy family.
  Dr. Creecy's devotion to God and his church were unsurpassed, and he 
has left us with a shining example of what a true Christian is. Romans 
6:8 says, ``If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also 
live with him.'' I know that today, Dr. Creecy lives with Christ.

                          ____________________