New York J 831: Honoring Bishop Calvin Rice and First Lady Willie Mae Rice for their steadfast and unremitting commitment to the ministry after 46 years of devoted service

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 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

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J00831 Summary:

BILL NOJ00831 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORCOMRIE

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Go to top J00831 Actions:

BILL NOJ00831 

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04/17/2025REFERRED TO FINANCE

04/29/2025REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

04/29/2025ADOPTED

Go to topJ00831 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topJ00831 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topJ00831 Text:

Senate Resolution No. 831

BY: Senator COMRIE

 HONORING Bishop Calvin Rice and First Lady Willie
 Mae Rice for their steadfast and unremitting
 commitment to the ministry after 46 years of devoted
 service

 WHEREAS, The character and richness of religious and community life
in this noble Empire State is nourished and fulfilled through the
faithful concern and selfless devotion of those who would commit their
energies and purpose to the ministry of others; and

 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to bring full
recognition and just tribute to those individuals who distinguish
themselves and the ministry through their unremitting commitment and
preeminence of service; and

 WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Bishop Calvin Rice and First Lady Willie Mae Rice for their steadfast
and unremitting commitment to the ministry after 46 years of devoted
service; a Tea Party honoring the First Lady will be held on Saturday,
April 12, 2025, at New Jerusalem Worship Center in Jamaica, New York,
and a Pastoral Anniversary Banquet Celebration will be held on Sunday,
April 13, 2025, at Russo's on the Bay in Howard Beach, New York; and

 WHEREAS, Pastor Calvin Rice has been the Senior Pastor of the New
Jerusalem Worship Center in Jamaica, New York, since January 2005; in
April 2018, he was elevated to the office of Bishop in the Berean
Fellowship of Churches, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, where Bishop
Timothy J. Clarke serves as the presiding prelate; and

 WHEREAS, Before his tenure at New Jerusalem, Bishop Calvin Rice led
the First Central Baptist Church (FCBC) of Staten Island for 20 years,
growing the congregation from just 35 members to over 2,000; and

 WHEREAS, Bishop Calvin Rice also founded the First Central Housing
Development Corporation (FCHDC), which restored two residential
buildings and transformed an abandoned supermarket into a 15,000 square
foot family life community center; and

 WHEREAS, Additionally, he served as the Executive Director of Staten
Island Communities United, a nonprofit organization responsible for
distributing $2.5 million in funding to five communities on Staten
Island through a New York State Family Preservation grant; and

 WHEREAS, Since his arrival in Jamaica, Bishop Rice has successfully
overseen a large construction project at New Jerusalem Worship Center;
this expansion doubled the size of the church, while also increasing
membership and attendance by 40 percent; and

 WHEREAS, In addition to his work at the church, Bishop Calvin Rice
founded and currently serves as the CEO of the Rochdale Early Advantage
Charter School, a Pre-K to Grade 8 publicly funded institution housed
within the New Jerusalem Worship Center complex; and

 WHEREAS, The school, which opened in 2010 with just 35 students, now
enrolls 486 scholars, employs 80 staff members, and operates with an
annual budget of $10 million; in 2018, Rochdale was recognized as a
"Rewards School," a distinction given to only 155 schools statewide; to
accommodate the school's rapid growth and a waiting list of over 600
applicants, Bishop Rice directed a vast expansion project; and

 WHEREAS, Bishop Calvin Rice is currently a member of the Mayor's
Clergy Advisory Team as well as the Queens District Attorney's Clergy
Advisory Board; he is also a founding member and part of the leadership
team of Queens Power, a community organization which unites residents to
advocate for justice; and

 WHEREAS, Bishop Calvin Rice's contributions to community and
economic development have earned him recognition from the New York
Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators; in 2013, he was
awarded the Vernon M. Dougherty Distinction in Ministry Award by The
New Theological Seminary, the institution's highest h