On Thursday, October 12, Smith Street Baptist Church held a ceremony for the dedication of a portion of Reid Street in honor of Pastor Willie L. Finney, Jr. The ceremony was held at the Church where family and friends joined the celebration and shared some words about Pastor Finney. 

“It is an honor to be able to say and share sentiments of the heart about our brother Pastor Finney, Jr.,” said Pastor of New Hope Baptist Christopher Cabiness. “We are seeing how God is further cementing the name of Finney in our community.” 

In July 2023, Commissioner Bronson sponsored – and the Commission approved – an ordinance to rename the portion of Reid Street between Broadway and Fifth Street after Pastor Finney. You can read the full ordinance here. 

“Pastor Finney is a true pillar within our community because he is focused on the development of our citizens both physically and spiritually,” said District 2 Commissioner Paul Bronson. “We are thankful to have such a devoted man of God as a beacon of light to so many, and today, we honor his tireless work.” 

After the unveiling of a replica of the sign, Pastor Finney thanked everyone who made this possible.  

“This is truly an honor,” said Pastor Finney. “Words cannot express…coming up from the community of Pleasant Hill and growing up in Broad City and Pendleton Homes as a child, and the hardships and not knowing how my life would go…I couldn’t imagine this would happen.” 

About Pastor Willie L. Finney, Jr. 

Pastor Willie L. Finney, Jr. is the oldest child of Pastor Willie L. Finney, Sr. (Vickie Finney). He is also the eldest of three children born to the late Barbara Williams. After graduating from Central High School Macon GA in 1988, Pastor Finney served his country during the Desert Storm era and is the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. After the military, he began working for the United States Postal Service and soon was promoted to management. After 20 years of service with the Postal Service, he retired as the Postmaster of Warner Robins, GA. Pastor Finney is a family man and has been married to Yolanda Brown Finney for the past 24 years, and they share a lovely daughter, Ariel Finney. 

Pastor Finney has the heart of God which manifests in his life and the lives of his God-given flock. Pastor Finney’s earned his Associate’s Degree in Biblical Studies Ministry in 2005, Bachelor Degree in Theology in 2008 from Andersonville Theological Seminary, and Chaplin Certification from the Pastoral Supervision Seminary. Currently, he is pursuing his master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling. In September 2020, Pastor Finney was honored with an honorary Doctorate Degree.  

In February 2003, God placed him in the position of the Chief Under Shepherd of Smith Street Baptist Church on Reid Street. Pastor Finney’s most recent accomplishments in the community include serving on the board of Disability Connections, allowing him to advocate for individuals with special. He has also developed numerous partnerships with community organizations, and he has been recognized on numerous occasions by civic organizations such as the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In January 2018, God gave Pastor Finney a vision to start an afterschool reading program, and the We Read, We Achieve (WRWA) program was created. Through this program, a collaborative relationship with parents and other Bibb County stakeholders was established to help increase the reading and literacy levels of elementary students. The goal of WRWA is to impact the lives of youth within our community by supplementing and reinforcing what they have learned inside the classroom.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, WRWA educated several students and provided a safe and conducive place to learn where parents could have peace in knowing their children were safe and learning.   Additionally, Pastor Finney spearheaded the feeding of thousands of families throughout the Middle Georgia area during the pandemic, coordinating the logistics of providing food giveaways with many churches throughout Macon-Bibb, Monroe , Houston, Peach, Laurens, Jones, Baldwin, and Telfair counties.