H 5722

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 5722
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
A house RESOLUTION
to recognize and honor Reverend
Doctor Betty Walker Collins, pastor of New Hope African Methodist Episcopal
Church in St. George, UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT AFTER thirty-five
YEARS OF EXEMPLARY ministry, AND TO WISH HER CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN
ALL hER FUTURE ENDEAVORS.
Whereas, a native of St. George, Reverend Collins is the daughter of
the late Johnnie and Marjorie Kelly Walker and was reared in a loving family grounded
in faith, service, and community responsibility with her four siblings John,
Jerry, James, and Jonnie. Having grown up in the church, she accepted Jesus
Christ at a young age and received a call to ministry after joining Allen
Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. She
learned early that caring for neighbors was as essential as caring for one's
own household; and
Whereas, she was valedictorian of her junior high class and graduated
from Williams Memorial High School with honors. In 1995, she was licensed to
preach and was ordained an itinerant deacon in 1999 and an itinerant elder in
2007 within the Second Episcopal District of the AME Church and transferred to
the Seventh Episcopal District in 2016. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology
from South Carolina State University, a Master of Divinity from Howard
University School of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry from New Hope and Life
Seminary. She completed executive studies at Harvard University's Kennedy
School and holds a mental health first aid certificate from Wesley Theological
Seminary; and
Whereas, for over thirty-one years, Reverend Collins has proclaimed
the gospel, emphasizing discipleship, prayer, and pastoral care centered on
love, compassion, and advocacy in areas such as health education, economic
empowerment, social action, and mental health. She has served the congregations
of First AME in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and in South Carolina at Bethel AME in Denmark,
Trinity AME in Round O, and New Hope AME in St. George; and
Whereas, in the Second Episcopal District, she led many to Christ,
organized science fairs in partnership with the DC Metropolitan Organization of
Black Scientists, and established a strong prayer ministry. She also conducted vesper
services in correctional facilities and championed community health
initiatives. Her health fair offered screenings, mammograms, and preventive
care in collaboration with Howard University Hospital and George Washington
University Hospital; and
Whereas, in the Seventh Episcopal District, Reverend Collins has
focused on salvation, prayer, teaching, and spiritual formation. Her signature
achievement has been a decade-long ecumenical Bible study and prayer ministry.
For four years at New Hope AME, she has navigated complex zoning issues and
community concerns related to a nearby Google data center, and the church has had
major progress of paying off its mortgage, advancing voter engagement, and improving
church facilities; and
Whereas, devoted to her community, she serves as a councilwoman and mayor
pro tem for St. George. She is active in the Dorchester County Ministerial
Alliance; a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.; on the board of
directors for the CLARYN Foundation, which supports underserved communities;
and a member of Women in Ministry in the Second and Seventh Episcopal Districts;
and
Whereas, professionally, Reverend Collins served for thirty-five
years with the United States Food and Drug Administration, retiring in 2011 as director
of the Office of Enforcement for the Center for Medical Devices and
Radiological Health. Together with her beloved husband, the late Fred Collins,
they reared a fine daughter, Aya, who now resides in Maryland with her husband,
Avon Williams. They blessed her with two loving grandsons, Joshua and Steven. Now,
therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of
Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House
of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Reverend Doctor
Betty Walker Collins, pastor of New Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church in
St. George, upon the occasion of her retirement after thirty-five years of
exemplary ministry, and wish her continued success and happiness in all her
future endeavors.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to
Reverend Doctor Betty Walker Collins.
----XX----
This web page was last updated on June 25, 2026 at 05:48 PM