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April 23, 2026
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextRECOGNIZING THE 14TH PASTORAL ANNIVERSARY OF REVEREND JOHNNY H. FLAKES,
III
HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.
of georgia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heart overflowing—full of gratitude, memories, and deep affection—to celebrate the 14th pastoral anniversary of Reverend Dr. Johnny H. Flakes, III, a faithful servant of God, a tireless community champion, and a dear friend I have known for many years. An event to celebrate his ministry and stewardship will be held on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at The Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia.
under the preaching and steady hand of his father, Rev. Dr. J.H. Flakes, Jr., and from those sanctuary pews I watched a young Johnny Flakes, III first learn to love the church, the Word, and the people of Fourth Street. To see him now, shepherding the same flock with humility, wisdom, and joy, moves me in ways words hardly capture. He carries forward a legacy of faith that shaped an entire community.
His life is a tapestry woven with deep learning and undying service. From Tuskegee's gridiron to Ole Miss classrooms of theology and Mercer's halls of ministry formation, his scholarship has always been in service to the flock. But it is in the everyday work, counseling a grieving family, visiting the sick, opening the doors of Fourth Street Towers and the daycare he chairs, and standing with those struggling for dignity, where his heart is clearest.
presence: President of the General Missionary Baptist Congress of Christian Education of Georgia; Faculty Member of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education; President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance; Southeast Regional Vice President of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education; Southeast Regional Coordinator for the National Baptist Convention Sunday School Publishing Board; member of the American Baptist College Board of Trustees; Chair of the Boards for Fourth Street Towers and Fourth Street Daycare and Academy; member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; and a devoted Rotarian in Columbus. He serves on the John Amos Cancer Center Advisory Board, the Valley Healthcare Board, the Board of Historic Columbus, the Mayor's Advisory Council for Diversity, Prosperity, and Unity, and so many other places where hope is built and lives are lifted.
of a man who shows up. He shows up for education, for housing, for health, for history, for young people, and for justice. He shows up when the community needs a voice, a hand, or a prayer.
His awards—from the Dr. Henry Cook Social Action Award to a Congressional Commendation—honor his work. But the truest measure of his ministry is the lives changed: the child fed, the family housed, the student inspired, the grieving heart held.
children, Braya, and Kevin have carried this calling with him, sharing joys and the burdens of ministry. He carries on the legacy of his late father Reverend J.H. Flakes, Jr. and beloved late mother, Robena Flakes. I thank the people of Fourth Street, to the countless boards and associations that have been strengthened by his wisdom, and to Reverend Flakes. I thank them for answering a sacred call with brilliance and for leading with conviction and tenderness, and for making Columbus a place that remembers what it means to love your neighbor.
celebrations alike: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Reverend Flakes has not grown weary. He has labored in hope, and the harvest of lives touched testifies to a faithful heart.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife Vivian, and me along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in honoring Reverend Dr. Johnny H. Flakes, III on his 14th pastoral anniversary—to give thanks for his steadfast ministry, to celebrate his community leadership, and to express our gratitude for a life that models the Gospel in word and deed. May God continue to bless him, his family, his flock and the Columbus, Georgia community.