TO HONOR BISHOP BRUCE C. FOX, PASTOR OF SOUTH AIKEN CHURCH OF GOD, FOR HIS THIRTY-NINE YEARS OF GOSPEL MINISTRY, TO CONGRATULATE HIM ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT, AND TO WISH HIM GOD'S RICHEST BLESSINGS AS HE CONTINUES TO SERVE THE LORD.

Whereas, it is with great pleasure that the South Carolina House of Representatives honors those individuals who give tirelessly of themselves to nurture the souls of men; and

Whereas, Bishop Bruce C. Fox, pastor of South Aiken Church of God, stands among their number as an outstanding minister of the Gospel, one much admired by colleagues, congregation, and area residents at large; and

Whereas, a credentialed Church of God minister since 1976, Bruce Fox was licensed on December 18, 1978, and became an ordained bishop on April 12, 1984; and

Whereas, in preparation for his life's work, he earned his bachelor's degree in biblical studies and pastoral ministries with a minor in Greek from East Coast Bible College; and

Whereas, for more than thirty-nine years, Bishop Fox has faithfully and passionately served as a minister, pastoring at the Carmerton Church of God and North Wilkesboro Church of God in North Carolina, Oakley Road Church of God in Moncks Corner, Elmwood Avenue Church of God in Columbia, and South Aiken Church of God, where he has served for over nineteen years; and

Whereas, Bishop Fox, as a leader in his denomination, also has served consecutively since 1992 on various state committees with the South Carolina Church of God, including World Missions (chair), Church Ministries Board, and State Executive Council, for a total of twenty-six years of service beyond his own congregation. In addition, Bishop Fox, with the Reverend Jimmy Jones, in 1994 started Christ Central Ministries of Columbia, which now has grown to an international level; and

Whereas, esteemed by his peers, Bishop Bruce Fox served for eight years as president of the Berkeley County Ministerial Association, the first Pentecostal ever to have served in this position; and

Whereas, Bruce Fox has a passion for raising up ministers to preach the Gospel. As such, he has helped many people obtain their ministerial credentials in the Church of God, and he has encouraged and mentored many others throughout his years of ministry; and

Whereas, this man with a heart of compassion, mercy, and grace carries out his ministry infused with the message of Isaiah 61:1-3, a portion of which reads, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound"; and

Whereas, to recognize Bishop Fox for his almost four decades of ministerial service to the Lord, his congregation will host a retirement celebration in his honor on Sunday, August 30, 2015; and

Whereas, the House of Representatives, cognizant of his many years of spiritual nourishment of the people of South Carolina, takes great pleasure in expressing grateful thanks to Bishop Fox and in wishing him God's best as he continues to run the race the Lord has set before him. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, honor Bishop Bruce C. Fox, pastor of South Aiken Church of God, for his thirty-nine years of Gospel ministry, congratulate him on the occasion of his retirement, and wish him God's richest blessings as he continues to serve the Lord.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Bishop Bruce C. Fox.