|
|
FAME's Beloved Pastor
Rev. Richard Allen Washington
Richard Allen Washington is the son of Rev. Walter and Mattie Washington of Columbus, Georgia. He is the fourth generation preacher in a family of preachers and prayer warriors of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the son of a traveling pastor in the A.M.E. Church, he was constantly experiencing the state of Georgia through road trips and revivals. Richard was born in the town of Swainsboro (Emmanuel County) Georgia. However, he received all of his elementary and high school training in the city of Columbus, Georgia. It was in Columbus where Rev. Washington graduated from Hardaway High School as a college prep scholar. Hardaway High School is where he began to develop an urge to speak at the request of an English teacher and his mother, also a teacher. It was in a Voice of Democracy speech-writing contest in that he began to emerge as a writer and soon speaker. After winning the school-wide contest, Rev. Washington went on to win the citywide contest and earned the opportunity to present his speech to the Columbus Rotary Club. From this experience until now, Richard has continued to speak not only for democracy but also for the Lord Jesus Christ. He received and accepted the call into ministry during his senior year of high school. Upon graduating from Hardaway, he earned a Presidential Leadership Scholarship from the University of West Georgia in Carrollton. During his college matriculation, Rev. Washington became very active on campus and enjoyed serving as a Resident Assistant in the largest dormitory on the campus. His desire to improve where he worked and lived lead him to start a student organization named P.R.I.D.E. within the dormitory. Within this group he formed "Campus Companions", "Family Through Friends" and "Keeping It Clean". These groups helped to uplift the morale and spirit of students within his dormitory. Also at West Georgia, Richard proudly became a Prince Hall Mason of the historic Gate City Lodge #42 in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the proudest moments in Richard's life came when he joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Nu Gamma chapter. As an Alpha, Richard served as Chaplain, secretary and vice president. He also won the Belford V. Lawson Oratorical Contest in the district of Georgia, Alpha South, and represented the South in the National Oratorical Contest in his senior year. After graduating from the University of West Georgia with a Bachelor's degree in English and philosophy, Rev. Washington was led to further his education for ministry at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) of the Atlanta University Center. Here as a student of Turner Seminary, he grew as a student scholar and preacher of the gospel, served as Parliamentarian for the Turner Seminary Fellowship and won other awards as well. Rev. Washington went on to win the Donald Ming Scholarship Award , which is given to the junior student with a GPA of at least 3.5 and is committed to the pastoral ministry in the AME church. His is also a prestigious Issac R. Clark Fellow, an honor granted to the school's top preachers selected by the professors only. During his seminary experience, Rev. Washington also pastored Pitts Chapel AME Church in Columbus, Georgia. While serving as pastor of this church, he was a leading force in the community and among the people of his beloved church. Under his leadership, many new ministries were begun and the church ministry grew tremendously. The most important of his accomplishments has been leading people to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Rev. Richard Allen Washington is married to Felicia Washington and they have one daughter little Miss Lauryn.
|
|
|
|
||
