Special to Atmore News
The Annual Rosa Parks Prayer Breakfast is set for Saturday, February 4, 9 a.m., at Greater Mt. Triumph Missionary Baptist Church. The event is always held at no charge and is open to the public (16 and older).
This year’s speaker is the Rev. Cromwell A. Handy, the past pastor of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church (2013-2022) and is the president of the Dexter Avenue King Legacy Foundation, Inc. He is currently the pastor of The Church in Montgomery. He is a native of Montgomery, and the son of the late Loyce Cromwell and Dorothy Handy. He grew up in Mount Zion AME Zion Church in Montgomery, and is a past associate minister at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Bethel Baptist Institutional Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. Rev. Handy attended ASU on a music scholarship and was a member of the symphonic band, brass ensemble, jazz band and the Mighty Marching Hornets.
Rev. Handy was selected Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and graduated with a BS degree in accounting in 1980 from Alabama State University. He was employed by the U.S. Department of Treasury for 30 years and retired in 2007. He held several senior level management positions which include Branch Chief, North Florida District, Jacksonville, Florida; Special Agent in Charge, Cincinnati Field Office; and Director of Review & Programs Evaluation in Washington, DC, where he led review teams of criminal investigation operations in the Boston, Charlotte, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Detroit Field Offices. As a collateral duty, he also served as an Equal Employment Opportunity Investigator.
While in Jacksonville, he attended Jacksonville (Fla.) Center for Biblical Studies. He has extensive training and experience in executive leadership, team leadership and media / business acumen. He is currently the Director of Alumni Relations at Alabama State University and serves as a board member of the Alabama State University Foundation. He is also a member of Leadership Montgomery.
Rev. Handy has a true love for people, and he willingly shares his gifts with the community. He was featured on WVAS- FM 90.7 each Sunday morning with the “Promises of God.” Some of his achievements and servant-leadership activities include recipient of a Certificate of Proclamation from the Mayor’s Office, City of Cincinnati, proclaiming October 22, 2003 as “Cromwell A. Handy Day;” President, Association for the Improvement of Minorities (AIM-IRS), Birmingham Chapter; Board Member of LOVE Christian Academy (Charter School) Jacksonville, Fla.; and President of Alabama State University-NAA, Cincinnati, Alumni Chapter. He is a member of 100 Black Men of Greater Montgomery, the NAACP, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc and the Montgomery Baptist Ministers Union. He is the past President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which was founded in 1955 to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He also led in the first Rosa Parks Day Observance in the State of Alabama and the Centennial Birthday Celebration of the Honorable Judge Frank Johnson, Jr. He recently served on the host committee for the World Council of Churches virtual tour 2022.
Rev. Handy was licensed for ministry at Bethel Baptist Institutional Church, Jacksonville, Fla., in 1998. He was ordained as a minister in 2003 and served as an associate minister at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church, Cincinnati. His ministry and service to the Lord includes Associate Minister Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church, Cincinnati; Congregational Leader for the Billy Graham Mission; Adam & Eve Marriage Ministry Leader & Workshop Presenter; Pre-Marital Counseling Workshops Leader; and organizer and teacher for weekly Bible Study, “Lunch and Live” in the Federal Building, Cincinnati, for federal employees and the downtown business community (2001-2010); and numerous keynote addresses including the Emancipation Proclamation, Talladega, Ala.; Alabama State Convention of NAACP, Mobile; and Alabama State Convention of SCLC, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Rev. Handy is married to Cynthia J. Handy, Director, Amazing Students Putting In Resilient Effort (ASPIRE) Mentoring Program, Alabama State University. They have two daughters Candice Renee Handy, actor (Cincinnati Shakespeare Theater); and Casey Christina Handy Smith, Esq., Houston, Texas.
Rev. Handy’s favorite scripture is: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10