Dr. Edwin M. “Buddy” Cooper, Jr. is the Senior Minister at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Columbus, Georgia. He has an Associate degree from Middle Georgia College, B.S. in Math from Georgia Southern University, and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He serves on the Board of Directors for the following institutions: Wesley Glen Ministries and Biblical Gardens of Callaway Gardens with Jim Fleming. Dr. Cooper has been a part of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church for 33 years. He is an Elder of the United Methodist Church and has served in the South Georgia Conference as the Chairperson of the Committee on Evangelism and as Registrar of the Board of Ordained Ministry. He is currently the Chairperson of the Peed Scholarship Committee. He served as Delegate to SEJ Conference in 2000 and 2004. He and his wife, Sheila Diane Davis Cooper, have been married since 1975. They have a son, Edwin M. Cooper III (25) and a daughter, Charlotte Diane Cooper (22). His hobbies include writing and golf.