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Also naming Emlen Street between W. Upsal Street and W. Johnson Street as Rev. Dr. G. Daniel Jones Way.
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WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. G. Daniel Jones has been Senior Pastor of the Grace Baptist Church of Germantown for the past 31 years; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Jones had previous pastorates at two churches in Massachusetts, and one in Virginia totaling a pastoral career of 48 years; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Jones earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Virginia Union University, a Master of Divinity Degree from Andover Newton Theological School and a Doctorate of Ministry from Howard University School of Religion. Both Virginia Union and the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia conferred on him the Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Jones is a past Moderator of the Philadelphia Baptist Association which is the oldest Baptist Association in the United States. Pastor Jones is also Past President of the 6,100 member Ministers Council of the American Baptist Churches USA and is the Founder and the first President of two local Councils, namely ABC of the South and ABC of Philadelphia (known as Philadelphia Baptist Association); and
WHEREAS, In addition to chairing the National Black Caucus of the American Baptist Churches, USA, Pastor Jones also chairs the Heritage Foundation of the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board MM/BB of American Baptist Churches, USA. Pastor Jones served as immediate past president of The Baptist Pastors' and Ministers' Conference of Philadelphia and Vicinity for the year 2012 and formerly served as Vice Chairman of Philadelphia's Baptist sponsored City-Wide Revival, a position he held for almost 23 years. He is also active with the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention, Inc., one of the pastors on the Executive Board of Directors and is also a member of the Pennsylvania Baptist State Convention Board of Directors. Pastor Jones is an adjunct professor in Christian Education at Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia and also the Center for Urban Theological Studies, a division of Lancaster Bible College; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Jones has further invested in the promotion of community living at its best, by enhancing, without outside funding, the programming of the Grace Community Center, a multi-service agency offering services to children, youth, adults, seniors, and a weekly food distribution program assisting hundreds of low-income citizens; hosting a voter polling precinct for the neighbors; encouraging the development of one of the nation's leading Boy Scout Troop #358, affirmed by being invited to be the only Boy Scout Troop in the nation to participate in the U. S. President's Inaugural Parades in 2009 and 2013, and a troop maintaining one of the lengthiest accumulative lists of Eagle Scouts; hosting for over the past 20 years a strong chapter of TeenShop, an enrichment program for adolescent young ladies; and, establishing a church sponsored credit union which is now merged with the prestigious Philadelphia Credit Union; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Jones is a 50-year Life Member of the Mu Omega Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He is also a long-term Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Christian Council of Philadelphia. Pastor Jones also coordinates the weekly radio broadcast Sunday Evening Worship, sponsored by the Baptist Pastors' and Ministers' Conference of Philadelphia and Vicinity; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Jones has been published numerous times and is the recipient of many awards, including Man of the Year and Citizen of the Year by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity chapters, and an award named in his honor by the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 2011, which is the highest honor granted to clergy of the Philadelphia Baptist Association for encouraging mission support of American Baptist Churches USA 2011; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Emlen Street between W. Upsal Street and W. Johnson Street is also named Rev. Dr. G. Daniel Jones Way.
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