Emory C. Virgil, Sr. was born in Thomasville, Georgia. He is the third child of nine siblings born to                                                                                           the late Rev. Washington Virgil and Lula Belle (Saunders) Virgil.  He is married to the former                                                                                                    Carolyn Arrington, and they are the parents of three adult sons.    

 

                                                                                         Religious Affiliation: He was nurtured in the Providence Missionary Baptist Church, Thomasville,                                                                                            Georgia under the pastorate of the late Rev. Frank Dean Martin, Sr., and was converted and                                                                                                      baptized under the pastorate of the late Rev. Atkinson.  

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                                                                                        Under the pastorate of the late Rev E.S. Sheffield, he was ordained twice, first as a Deacon in 1975,                                                                                          and secondly as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in 1980. He is a third generation                                                                                                           Missionary Baptist teacher and pastor. He served as President of the Sunday school and BTU                                                                                                    Congress Auxiliary of the Thomasville Missionary Baptist Association established in 1867. 

 

Educational Background: Pastor Virgil graduated from Douglass High School of the Thomasville Public School System - He earned his Bachelor of         Business Administration degree from Albany State (College) University, A Master of Theology degree from Emmanuel Theological Seminary, his             master’s thesis was an exhaustive work on ‘The Theology of Redemption.’ He earned his Doctor of Christian Counseling degree from Colorado                 Theological Seminary. His dissertation was the completion of a three-year (3 yr.) project of twenty-five (25) individual temperament case studies.                                                                                            

He is a member of the National Christian Counselors Association, and holds a NCCA Temperament Counselor License, and a NCCA Board Advanced   Certified Christian Counselor License. He also holds membership in the Sarasota Academic Christian Counselor Association. He was certified by the     Sunday School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A, Inc. Nashville, Tenn.   

 

Further Studies include: 

• American Baptist Theological Seminary (Thomasville Extension Unit)

• Trinity Theological Seminary, Newburgh, IN

• University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, Athens, Ga.

• University of Colorado at Denver

• He has participated in numerous denominational conventions and conferences, and ecumenical seminars across the nation.

• He traveled to Dakar, Senegal West Africa as a delegate in the Fourth Africa and African American Summit in 1995, at the invitation of the late Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan, Senior Pastor of the Zion Baptist Church, Philadelphia, Pa.

 

Civic & Other Affiliations: Pastor Virgil is a member of Phi Beta Lambda National Honor Society, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Thomasville Alumni Chapter, Inc. He has served as a member of the International Association of Personnel In Employment Services, Southwest Georgia Employer Committee, Jackie Robinson Memorial Foundation Board of Directors, Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce Leadership 2000; Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition Steering Committee, Bainbridge State Hospital Advisory Transitional Board, Bainbridge College Advisory Board, Southwest Georgia Workforce Investment Board, Family Connection Board of Directors, Board of Directors Goodwill Big-Bend, Inc. Tallahassee, Fla., Thomasville-Thomas County Boys and Girls Club, and  the Thomasville Police Department Internal Review Board. He is the 2003 recipient of the Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce Distinguish Service Award.

 

He has served as Chaplain of the Georgia House of Representatives, and has received numerous awards, plaques, and certificates; holds membership in other social and civic organizations, and served on numerous committees and boards. He is a Viet Nam era veteran and a member of the American Legion.

 

Pastor Virgil is listed in Outstanding Young Men of America, and Who’s Who in International Managers and Executives.

He is a retiree from the Georgia Department of Labor. He managed State Employment Career Center offices in Cairo, Bainbridge, and Thomasville.

 

In 2006 Pastor Virgil was appointed by the former Georgia Commissioner of Labor Michael L. Thurmond, as Interim Executive Director, for the Southwest Georgia Fourteen (14) County Area Workforce Investment Board, which collaborated with ten (10) One-Stop Career Centers, seven (7) colleges and universities, and 12 public school systems. 

 

Pastorates:

• Zion Hill M.B. Church, Cairo Georgia

• Mount Calvary M.B. Church, Cairo, Georgia

• Oak Grove M.B. Church, Camilla, Georgia

• He currently serves as senior pastor of the Providence Missionary Baptist Church, Thomasville, Georgia.