Title
To honor, recognize, and celebrate the life's work of the Reverend Dr. Charles E. Booth on the occasion of his 50th preaching anniversary.
Body
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Charles E. Booth has devoted the past 36 years to Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, where he has overseen substantial church growth, improved and expanded facilities, developed new community programs and services, and touched the lives of countless congregants and Columbus residents; and
WHEREAS, education has long been one of Dr. Booth's highest priorities; in 1993, he founded the Mount Olivet Christian Academy, later renamed the Gloria S. Friend Christian Academy, to serve children in grades kindergarten through five, with an emphasis on excellence in academics, Christian education, and African and African American history; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his work locally as senior pastor at Mt. Olivet and professor of preaching at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Dr. Booth has preached to enlisted service members and their families in Germany, served as the North American preacher at the Baptist World Youth Conference in Buenos Aires, and taken the pulpit at churches, conferences, and campuses throughout the United States, Europe, South and Central America, and Africa; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Booth earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Howard University and his Master of Divinity degree from Eastern Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and received a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, where he serves as a member of the board of trustees and which sponsors a preaching conference in his name: The Charles E. Booth Annual Preaching Conference; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Booth has been a force for good and an agent for change and hope in our community, including through his recent service on the Greater Columbus Infant Mortality Task Force, and we are profoundly grateful both for the service he has provided to the residents of Columbus and for his work as an international ambassador for our community; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby honor, recognize, and celebrate the Reverend Dr. Charles E. Booth and his life's work on the occasion of his 50th preaching anniversary.