[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13460]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             IN RECOGNITION OF THE REVEREND WILLIE L. HILL

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an 
outstanding man of God who has been a longstanding source of 
inspiration, spiritual guidance, and moral leadership to the people of 
Southwest Georgia, the Reverend Willie L. Hill. Reverend Hill is 
retiring after 28 years of pastoring the Greater Beallwood Baptist 
Church in Columbus, Georgia. The congregation will be honoring Rev. 
Hill for his leadership at a retirement dinner on Saturday, August 15, 
2015 at 6:00 p.m. at the Columbus Country Club and at a retirement 
program on Sunday, August 16, 2015 during the 11:00 a.m. service at the 
church.
  A native of Columbus, Georgia, Willie L. Hill was born to the late 
Hollis and Dora Hill. He was educated in the public school system of 
Muscogee County. Reverend Hill then served our nation honorably in the 
United States Army during the Vietnam War. After completing his 
service, he attended Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix 
City, Alabama, where he earned an associate's degree, and later 
attended Troy University to complete a bachelor's degree in 
Criminology. It was then that Rev. Hill heard God's call to preach and 
enrolled in the American Baptist College to study theology.
  Rev. Hill pastored the Greater Beallwood Baptist Church for 28 years, 
faithfully carrying out his vision for the church and leading its 
members in the fulfillment of a God-first life. In the years after Rev. 
Hill became pastor, Greater Beallwood expanded greatly, growing from a 
century-old church that was facing financial hardship to a spiritual 
praising center serving almost 350 people weekly. Not only did Rev. 
Hill's leadership grow the congregation in number and in spirit, but it 
also was instrumental in the building of a new sanctuary that would 
accommodate the numerous church services and meetings.
  A strong advocate of access to Christian education, Rev. Hill founded 
Children's Church, a separate training and worship service for children 
ages 5 through 12 to grow in their faith. Children's Church serves as a 
valuable resource for members of the Greater Beallwood Baptist Church 
and has helped children learn about the word of God in a way that they 
can relate to and understand.
  Throughout his pastoral career, always seeking to improve the craft 
of Christian ministry and discipleship, Rev. Hill has served as 
President of the Inter-Denominational Ministerial Alliance for eight 
years and Vice President for four years. He served as President of the 
Fourth District Congress of Christian Education for two years, and he 
also co-founded the Columbus Ministerial Association. An avid golfer 
and fierce competitor, Rev. Hill served on the Golf Authority of the 
Columbus Consolidated Government for ten years.
  Jeremiah 3:15 says, ``Then I will give you shepherds after my own 
heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.'' Reverend 
Willie Hill is one such shepherd and a man of integrity who exudes the 
genuine principles and values of Christian discipleship. A charismatic 
evangelical leader and pioneer, his spiritual zeal is both infectious 
and highly contagious.
  Rev. Hill is surrounded by the love and support of his congregation, 
but also his family--his wife of 52 years, Helen; their two sons, Daren 
and Brandon; and three beloved 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 the Reverend Willie L. Hill for his service to our nation, 
the Columbus community, the Greater Beallwood Baptist Church, and the 
Kingdom of God.

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