SOUTH FULTON, GA. – Whether at the pulpit at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, or the pulpit inside Zion Hill Baptist Church, where he was on Sunday morning, Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock always draws a crowd.
Warnock was on Campbellton Road on Sunday, May 4, to host a town hall, and the line outside of the more than 125-year-old church stretched from the entrance to the parking lot. Men, women, and children were dressed like they were attending church service hours before the 4 p.m. start time of the town hall.
Democratic and Republican United States Senate and Congress members have recently hosted town halls nationwide. That list includes Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who hosted a town hall inside the Ackworth Community Center in Cobb County last month. Several attendees were arrested for disturbances during that town hall.
A woman wearing a black and white shirt that read “Stop arming Israel” quietly took her seat in the back of the church. Other than that, there were no disturbances for the first hour and a half on Sunday, and instead were shouts of praise for the job Warnock is doing representing Georgia in the Senate. A Baptist preacher, Warnock was amongst his people in Zion Hill Baptist Church, and he recognized that fact during his introductory speech to the congregation.
Photo by Julia Beverly/The Atlanta Voice
Before the town hall began, Warnock spoke about moving between the two responsibilities of being a pastor and a United States Senator, calling it the greatest honor of his life.
“I’ve always said it is the honor of my life to represent the people of Georgia in the United States Senate,” Warnock said. “We are here today to talk about what keeps you up at night, and what I’m going to do to fix it.”
The cuts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), tax cuts for “ordinary people,” and social security concerns were among the topics of discussion during the town hall. Warnock asked federal workers, teachers, military veterans, and active-duty service members to stand and be recognized.
Photo by Julia Beverly/The Atlanta Voice
“We see what this administration is doing. This president is unserious, playing a reckless game of yo-yo with the American economy,” Warnock, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said. “This has been the longest 100 days of my life.”
Town hall attendees were given tickets, and random numbers were called to have them ask Warnock questions. The first three people to walk over to the microphone asked the Senator questions about what he plans to do to protect the laws of this country, tariff and trade policies, DEI cuts, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“You have my commitment as a member of the Senate, I am holding this administration accountable,” Warnock said. “If we can just get four of them in the House and four of them in the Senate, we can get a whole lot done.”
One woman named Amanda asked what DOGE was, if it was illegal, and why it still exists.
“Much of this is unprecedented. We have an unellected billionaire running what is called DOGE, and he’s doubling as co-president,” Warnock said in a response to her question. “If Elon Musk wants to find some waste nd fraud, I know where he can find some.”
“What is your vision for the Democratic Party to gain back trust? ” Brenda, a pregnant woman, asked Warnock when it was her turn.
“I don’t spend much of my time worrying about the party, I worry about the people,” Warnock said. “I really am focused on the people. You have to let the people know you are walking with them.”
Newly elected Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey was also present on Sunday at Zion Hill Baptist Church.
“I’ll let Charlie handle the party,” Warnock said.
“I want America to win, I love this country,” Warnock said. “The American family story is complicated, and I know I carry in my veins the brutal side of that.”
During Warnock’s introduction before the beginning of the town hall, Zion Hill Baptist Church Pastor Dr. Aaron L. Parker opened by asking all in attendance to take a moment “for silence and meditation.”
“We are in some critical moments in this nation, and we need insight, we need leadership, and we really need to come together in some ways we haven’t done before,” Parker said. “We know why we are here, we are here to inform and to be informed.”
“Today I won’t have the answers to all of your questions, let me tell you that,” Warnock said.
Before he left the pulpit at Zion Hill Baptist Church, Warnock also took questions about the conflict in Palestine. Several protestors stood up and yelled “Free Palestine” and “You’re a war criminal” at Warnock and asked him about what he is doing to stop the conflict.
“As someone who comes from the activist community, I understand that you have come here to make your point,” he said.
Warnock added that it is good to have a discussion about the conflict, but not like this.
“I have heard you and I hear you,” Warnock said after a man stood up in protest of the conflict in Palestine.
What’s Next:
Warnock will remain busy this month with a pair of commencement speeches at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) coming up. On the weekend of May 10-11, Warnock, a graduate of Morehouse College, will give the commencement speeches at Virginia Union University in Richmond and Paine College in Augusta, Georgia.
