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2025-2026 Bill 4895: Bishop Jalen De'Vonte Whittleton pastor of New Zion Baptist Church Blackstock, SC - South Carolina Legislature Online
South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 4895
STATUS INFORMATION
House Resolution
Sponsors: Rep. McDaniel
Document Path: LC-0287VR-JAH26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 14, 2026
Adopted by the House on January 14, 2026
Summary: Bishop Jalen De'Vonte Whittleton pastor of New Zion Baptist Church Blackstock, SC
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date
Body
Action Description with journal page number
1/14/2026
House
Introduced and adopted (
House Journal-page 77
)
View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
01/14/2026
A
house
RESOLUTION
To commend Bishop Jalen De'Vonte Whittleton on his
installation as pastor of New Zion Baptist Church in Blackstock in Fairfield
County and to extend heartfelt congratulations to him on this significant
milestone.
W
hereas, the South
Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to recognize Bishop Jalen De'Vonte
Whittleton on the occasion of his installation as the new pastor of New Zion
Baptist Church in Blackstock and to recognize his dedicated service to faith
and community; and
W
hereas, born on April
19 in Columbia, Bishop Whittleton sensed his divine calling to the gospel ministry
at a young age. Accompanying his mother to various churches across
denominational lines, where she ministered in song, he came to understand that
God had a greater purpose for his life; and
W
hereas, Bishop
Whittleton is a proud alumnus of Irmo High School, where he founded a social
club and served as president of the award-winning Victory in Praise Gospel
Choir. He continued his theological education at Benedict College and the
School of the Great Commission Theological Seminary, where he preached his
initial sermon, was ordained to the priesthood, and established Revelation
Tabernacle Ministries in Columbia. His academic journey culminated with a
degree in Christian leadership in August 2011, a master's degree in theology in
December 2014, and an honorary doctor of divinity in 2018. In 2023, he earned a
doctorate in church history from Transfiguration Theological Seminary in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing a degree in religious studies
at Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary; and
W
hereas, on April 30,
2016, Bishop Whittleton was consecrated to the Bishopric by the late Bishop
James Edward Wiley Jr. and the late Apostle Floyd E. Nelson Sr. and appointed
as diocesan prelate of the First Episcopal Diocese of the United Churches of
Deliverance Apostolic, Inc. He now serves as the assistant presiding bishop for
the Ecumenical Convergence of Christian Ministries under the leadership of Reverend
Hayward Clemon Smith II. Additionally, he contributes as a member of the consortium
think tank committee for the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal
Bishops; and
W
hereas, in 2020,
Bishop Whittleton was featured in the TIME Magazine short film
Starting from
Scratch,
and that same year published his first book,
The Burden of
Divorce
; and
W
hereas, Bishop
Whittleton is blessed with a loving family, including his devoted wife, Rasheeda
Whittleton, and their three beautiful children, Jayla Victoria, Jailey Brielle,
and Skylar Cash. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Capital
City Lodge #47, and the Columbia chapter of the NAACP. He is also the former vice
president of Theta Alpha Kappa, Inc., a religious fraternity at Benedict
College; and
W
hereas, he holds the Thirty-Third
Degree in Prince Hall Masonry and serves as Associate Grand Prior of the United
Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Additionally, he is
a member of Wayman Lodge #1339 of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows and serves
as Establishmentarian of The Experience Cathedral in Mooresboro, North
Carolina; and
W
hereas, Bishop
Whittleton believes his calling is to help souls receive Christ and the baptism
of the Holy Spirit through preaching holiness, love, unity, and operating under
the anointing of the Holy Ghost. His personal motto is, "I am what I am by the grace
of God. For it is nothing that I've done, but it is the pure power of the Holy
Ghost that moves through a willing vessel." Now, therefore,
B
e it resolved by the
House of Representatives
:
T
hat the members of the
South Carolina
House of Representatives
,
by this resolution, commend Bishop Jalen De'Vonte Whittleton on his
installation as pastor of New Zion Baptist Church in Blackstock in Fairfield
County and extend heartfelt congratulations to him on this significant
milestone.
B
e it further resolved
that a copy of this resolution be presented to Bishop Jalen De'Vonte
Whittleton.
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This web page was last updated on January 14, 2026 at 4:08 PM