Greater Carolina Baptist Church, ribbon-cutting ceremony

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Terry Alexander and 122 co-sponsors

A ceremonial House resolution congratulates Greater Carolina Baptist Church of Columbia on its May 3, 2025 ribbon-cutting at a new location and 43 years of service.

Introduced and adopted

Bill at a glance

Bill number: H 4412

Classification: House resolution (ceremonial)

Title: Greater Carolina Baptist Church, ribbon‑cutting ceremony

Primary sponsor: Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

Key action: Introduced and adopted (House) — filed as a congratulatory resolution recognizing the church’s ribbon‑cutting on May 3, 2025.

Location/event recognized: Greater Carolina Baptist Church of Columbia — ribbon‑cutting at its new location on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

Purpose and intent

This resolution formally congratulates and commends Greater Carolina Baptist Church of Columbia on the occasion of its ribbon‑cutting at a new location (May 3, 2025) and recognizes the church’s 43 years of service to God and the community. It is a ceremonial measure intended to record the legislature’s appreciation and to authorize presentation of a copy of the resolution to the church.

Key content / provisions

Recites the church’s history and ministry milestones:

Organized/chartered by Rev. Dr. Leon Johnson on September 27, 1981, with 45 charter members.
Early worship locations (Luther Lee Building; Latimer Manor Social Room).
Moves to 1412 Kingston Road (1982) and purchase of 1419 Anthony Avenue (1986).
Establishment over time of ministries: Bible study, Missionary Society, Deaconess Board, Mothers of the Church, Pastor’s Aid, Vacation Bible School (first in 1996), Baptist Training Union (2000).
Recent initiatives under Pastor Jamal Bates: virtual worship, online giving, Youth Sunday, social media presence.

Expresses congratulations for the ribbon‑cutting and commends 43 years of community service.

Directs that a copy of the resolution be presented to Greater Carolina Baptist Church.

Who is affected / impact

Direct: Greater Carolina Baptist Church of Columbia — receives formal legislative recognition and a copy of the resolution.

Indirect: Church members, leaders, and the Columbia community — recognition may aid local visibility and morale.

No regulatory or fiscal effect: The resolution is purely ceremonial and does not create or change legal obligations, funding, or regulatory requirements.

Procedural / timeline notes

Filed/introduced and adopted by the House: April 24, 2025 (per docket text).

Other docket entries associated with H 4412 show subsequent processing steps (referred to House Rules 7/17/2025; reported and referred to Judiciary 8/11/2025; Senate concurred 8/14/2025). These entries appear to track additional legislative processing and may reflect administrative routing; final presentation of a ceremonial resolution typically concludes with adoption and presentation to the honoree.

Note on mixed content in the docket

The version text provided also contains language from a separate substantive proposal titled “An Act relative to witness intimidation” (amending Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 268, §13B to add an enhanced penalty if the misconduct was committed while the person was armed — up to 20 years state prison, up to 2½ years in house of correction, and/or a fine up to $10,000). That statutory amendment appears to be a distinct measure and unrelated to the ceremonial congratulatory resolution for Greater Carolina Baptist Church; the two items have been conflated in the provided materials.

Bill