08 LC 95
0329
House
Resolution 1243
By:
Representatives Benfield of the
85th,
Oliver of the
83rd,
Abrams of the
84th,
and Ashe of the
56th
A
RESOLUTION
Recognizing
and commending Reverend Gibson "Nibs" Stroupe; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
Reverend Gibson "Nibs" Stroupe was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1946, and grew
up in Helena, Arkansas; and
WHEREAS,
he graduated valedictorian from Central High School in 1964, and went on to
Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree
in Philosophy in 1968; and
WHEREAS,
he attended Columbia Theological Seminary and graduated first in his class with
a Masters Degree in Divinity in 1975; and
WHEREAS,
he married Reverend Caroline Leach in 1974, and together they raised a son and a
daughter; and
WHEREAS,
he was ordained in 1975 and served churches in Norfolk and Nashville, Tennessee
before coming to Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia in 1983, where
he and his wife have been pastors for over 24 years; and
WHEREAS,
Oakhurst Presbyterian Church is a nationally recognized leader in multicultural
ministry, and in 2003 it was named one of 300 Excellent Protestant Congregations
in the United States by a Lilly-based study; and
WHEREAS,
Reverend Stroupe has served as moderator of Greater Atlanta Presbytery,
commissioner to the general assembly, member of various Presbytery committees,
and he currently coordinates Presbytery's Committee to Combat Racism;
and
WHEREAS,
he has led workshops on racism for over 60 groups, including Thornwell Home for
Children, Greater Atlanta Presbytery, Coastal Carolina Presbytery, National
Council of Churches, Presbyterian Women, Synod of the Living Waters, Presbytery
of New Hope, the Lutheran Church of South Carolina, and the Mennonite Church;
and
WHEREAS,
he has authored many magazine articles and written three books, including
While We Run This
Race which was the winner of the Gustavus
Myers Award in 1996 for Outstanding Book on Human Rights; and
WHEREAS,
in 2007, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr., Board of Peacemakers
at Morehouse College, and in 2008 he was named Peacemaker of the Year for the
Presbytery of Greater Atlanta.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body join in recognizing Reverend Gibson "Nibs" Stroupe for his many years
of service to his faith, his community, and our state.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Reverend
Gibson "Nibs" Stroupe.