HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL NR 2019-02-14 Black History Month Proclamation
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
February 14, 2019
Media Contact:
Leah Kosin, Public Information Assistant
lkosin@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2781
Leesburg Town Council Presents Black History Month
Proclamation
Leesburg, VA (February 14, 2019) – On
Tuesday, February 12, 2019, the Leesburg
Town Council presented a proclamation in
honor of Black History Month, which is
nationally recognized during the entire
month of February.
The proclamation recognizes the
contributions made by the Town’s local
black religious leaders, churches, and other
community organizations to preserve and
remember the accomplishments of all
African Americans throughout the history
of our nation.
The recipients accepting the proclamation included:
Reverend Harold S. Stinger of First Mount Olive Baptist Church (216 Loudoun Street SW). Rev.
Stinger was called to the ministry in 1977. After accepting his first pastorate in 1981 at Union
Baptist Church of Vienna, Virginia, Pastor Stinger successfully led efforts to refurbish the church
building using many of the church's own members as resources in the planning, building, and
completion of the project. In December 1989, Rev. Stinger was called back to Leesburg to
become Pastor of First Mt. Olive Baptist Church. He was installed in June 1990 and has
continued to faithfully serve. Under his leadership, the church has implemented on-going
Christian Education programming, completed a building expansion to house extended ministry
efforts, and continues to increase its reach in service to the surrounding community.
Reverend Tracey Bullock-Lyons, a native of Petersburg, Virginia, is an ordained Baptist minister,
and a full membership Methodist pastor. She attended Union Presbyterian School of Christian
Education and The Samuel Dewitt Proctor’s School of Theology at Virginia Union University
where she received her Master of Divinity degree. Rev. Lyons served as an Associate Minister at
Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia, for 10 years while being employed as an
administrator for Central Texas College in Fort Lee, Virginia. At Good Shepherd Baptist Church
she served as the Director of the Multicultural Ministry, developing programs that provided
resources and support to the diverse cultures in the church. She was also the Educational
Liaison, connecting the area public schools and the church in the “Shoulder to Shoulder”
program. As the Educational Liaison, she developed a program called “Make the Grade”,
motivating students to improve their grade point averages.
In June 2013, Rev. Bullock-Lyons began serving as the Director of Christian at the Beulah United
Methodist Church. It was there that she created initiatives in Christian education for the
congregation and the community, and also launched the Beulah Baby Food Basket outreach,
suppling baby food to the food banks in Chesterfield, Petersburg, and Colonial Heights, Virginia.
She is currently the Senior Pastor of the Mount Zion-Willisville Chapel UMC Cooperative Parish
in Upperville, Virginia.
Rev. Corey Z. Gault has worked in the Prince William County School system for twelve years
with children of special needs, ranging from second to twelfth grade. He has served as the
minister of music at the Providence Baptist Church since 2005. In June of 2012, Rev. Gault was
licensed to preach by his pastor of thirty years, the venerable Rev. Dr. Herbert C. Love. In
November of 2014 Rev. Gault was ordained by authority and order of the Northern Virginia
Baptist Association Ordaining Council.
Rev. Gault is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he earned a bachelor's
degree in music education and minor in string bass. He is a graduate of the Samuel Dewitt
Proctor School of Theology on the campus of Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia,
where he earned a Master of Divinity degree.
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