Reverend Collins A. Days, Sr. entered South Carolina State College in 1978 to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.  In 1982, while still in college, he was called to the ministry. Rev. Days became the youngest full-time Pastor in the State of South Carolina when he accepted the call to Round-O Baptist Church in Darlington, SC.  After thirteen years of serving the congregation and community in Darlington, SC, Rev. Days relocated, with his family, to Atlantic City, NJ, in order to serve the congregation of Second Baptist Church. With over 3,000 members, he shepherds one of the largest congregations in Atlantic City.

Since his arrival in 1994, Rev. Days has continually made a significant impact on Atlantic City, its surrounding areas, and in the mission field abroad. He has served as President of the Fellowship of Churches of Atlantic City and vicinity and has preached in 20 countries. He has initiated, implemented, and promoted numerous community projects. Rev. Days’ commitment to missions is evident through the agency of the United Brethren in Action (UBIA), of which he is President. UBIA supports mission partnerships in Kenya where a children’s orphanage was established to provide housing and education for more than 200 children. Other mission efforts in Kenya include the development of a Solar Cooker Project, a drinking water well in the dry eastern portion of the country, health clinics, and businesses.  In addition to Kenya, Rev. Days has also visited the following countries to perform missionary work abroad: Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, India, Haiti, Trinidad, and the United Kingdom.

About 20 years ago, Rev. Days established a Community Development Corporation known as Vision 2000 for which he serves as President.  Vision 2000 has accomplished a great deal in the Atlantic City area, including developing home ownership programs, creating the Civil Rights Garden, building senior citizens apartments, instituting minority-owned businesses, and establishing low-income housing. He serves on the Board at the John Brooks Recovery Center, which offers substance abuse treatment services in Atlantic City for New Jersey residents.  Rev. Days is also the public face and President of the Board of Directors for the Atlantic City Long Term Recovery Group (ACLTRG), which is one of the more successful private Hurricane Sandy relief programs in the State. ACLTRG has coordinated the repair of more than 100 homes in Atlantic City’s poorest, most neglected neighborhoods. Rev. Days’ most recent project was the opening of the Turning Point Day Center for the Homeless. Turning Point provides a safe haven for homeless and at risk individual in the community.

During the summer of 2019 under the direction of Pastor Days, Vision 2000 with several community collaborators initiated two youth based work programs. The first program was the Summer Youth Diversionary Art Program that combined a group of 14 to 16 year olds who have been involved with the juvenile justice system and youth who are doing well in the community as a peer to peer empowerment program. The Second program was LIT (Leaders in Training) for at risk youth ages 14 – 17 for those youth who lived in some of the most dangerous areas in the community. Both programs offered a positive outlet and employment to the youth who were involved.

Rev. Days possesses a fervent desire to encourage emotionally broken men and women who have lost hope. That desire led him to launch Christians in Recovery, a program for those struggling with addiction. Likewise, it was his deep concern for our youth that motivated Rev. Days to establish the Pastor’s Posse, a mentor program for male teenagers.  Rev. Days is an advocate for education and serves as a mentor to many. He promotes an anti-violence movement in Atlantic City, as well. He has received numerous awards, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Award and the Stockton Council of Black Faculty’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Maintaining an open door policy is of great importance to Rev. Days, not only for the shepherding and counseling of members of Second Baptist Church, but also for anyone who comes seeking advice or assistance. Rev. Days will continue to play a vital role within the Atlantic City community, as he also continues to travel the globe, driven by his passion, whether at home or abroad, to reach as many as possible with the healing transformations of courage and faith provided by the gospel and grace of God.

.