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HR0513 |
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LRB096 13242 GRL 27902 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
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| Representatives are pleased to congratulate the congregation |
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| of the Main Baptist Church in Aurora on the occasion of the |
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| church's 142nd anniversary in June of 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, The Main Baptist Church had its beginnings in the |
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| Park Place Baptist Church, which was instrumental in the |
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| transportation of slaves to Aurora by way of the Underground |
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| Railroad during the Civil War; after the emancipation of the |
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| slaves, many African-Americans migrated to the North, with some |
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| choosing to settle in Aurora; many of these ex-slaves chose to |
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| worship at the Park Place Baptist Church, which manifested its |
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| concern by welcoming them as part of its congregation; as the |
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| new members grew in numbers and met in their homes for prayer |
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| meetings, they felt the need for their own place of worship; |
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| through the help of Reverend Buttons, the Pastor of Park Place, |
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| and Reverend Barnett, the leader of the African-American |
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| membership, the Colored Baptist Church of Aurora came into |
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| being in June of 1867; and
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| WHEREAS, Around the 1890's, a frame church was erected on |
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| the Main Baptist Church's current site, utilizing property |
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| given as a gift to the church from a prominent Aurora citizen; |
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| at the time, services were held in the basement and the name of |
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HR0513 |
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LRB096 13242 GRL 27902 r |
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| the church became the Third Baptist Church; and
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| WHEREAS, During the Main Baptist Church's first 48 years, |
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| many pastors were called to serve the congregation; the church |
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| also started numerous organizations, including a choir, a |
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| quartet, Sunday School, Missionary Society, and Baptist Young |
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| People's Union; in addition, an envelope system of paying |
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| church dues and the tithing method of supporting the church |
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| were introduced; and
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| WHEREAS, On November 24, 1924, the Third Baptist Church was |
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| torn down and worship services were held in the Grand Army of |
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| the Republic Memorial Hall, the Aurora City Hall, and the Labor |
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| Temple, among other places; on August 23, 1925, the Reverend G. |
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| W. Alexander preached the sermon for the "Laying of the |
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| Cornerstone" and the church was renamed the Main Street Baptist |
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| Church; and |
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| WHEREAS, In November of 1949, Reverend Joseph L. Griffin of |
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| Chicago accepted the call to serve as Pastor of the Main Street |
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| Baptist Church; the church added many new organizations at that |
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| time, including the Junior Missionary Society, the Volunteer |
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| Service Guild, and the Willing Workers Club; in addition, |
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| observance programs of the Pastor's Anniversary, Women's Day, |
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| and Men's Day were started, along with the purchase of the |
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| parsonage at 21 N. East Avenue in Aurora and the establishment |
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LRB096 13242 GRL 27902 r |
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| of a Scholarship Fund; the church's membership increased |
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| greatly through gospel preaching, revivals, and faithful |
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| witnessing; and
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| WHEREAS, In April of 1955, after a short period without a |
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| pastor, the Reverend Robert Wesby became the Pastor of the Main |
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| Street Baptist Church, with the Reverend Churchill Cowherd |
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| serving as Assistant to the Pastor; during his pastorate, the |
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| Children's Church, the Pathfinders, Silent Helpers, and the |
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| Credit Union were organized; during this time, the church also |
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| started the Sunday evening broadcast over WMRO and purchased |
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| property at 818 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora; in November of 1963, |
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| Rev. Wesby resigned as pastor and Rev. Churchill Cowherd served |
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| as the church's Interim Pastor; and
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| WHEREAS, On May 14, 1964, the congregation of the Main |
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| Street Baptist Church enthusiastically welcomed Reverend |
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| Robert Edward Morgan as their Spiritual Commander; during his |
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| tenure, he added many new Deacons and Trustees, including the |
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| church's first women trustees, Sisters Estella Smith, Martha |
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| Dade, Tommie Wells, Eunice Tresenwriter, and Donna Williams; he |
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| was also instrumental in the organization of the Pastor's Aid, |
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| the Men's Club, the Church Council, the Christian Education |
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| Board, the Deaconess, the Mothers' Board, the Nurses' Aid |
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| Guild, and a Youth Fellowship; due to the changing of the names |
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| of many of the streets in Aurora, it became necessary for a |
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LRB096 13242 GRL 27902 r |
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| church name change; by popular vote, the church became the Main |
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| Baptist Church in 1964; and
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| WHEREAS, During the third year of Rev. Morgan's pastorate, |
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| the Main Baptist Church launched its comprehensive building and |
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| expansion program to meet its educational and sanctuary needs; |
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| in the fall of 1972, Rev. Morgan resigned his pastorate and |
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| Rev. Churchill Cowherd once again served as Interim Pastor; on |
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| August 12, 1973, the Reverend Dezo McGill became pastor of the |
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| church; Rev. McGill's first endeavor was to advance the Sunday |
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| School hour and add Baptist Training Union workshops before the |
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| Sunday morning worship hour; a nursery during morning worship |
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| was instituted as well, with Sister Dorothy Walton directing; |
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| in September of 1974, a church library was established and |
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| dedicated honoring the labor of Rev. Robert E. Morgan and the |
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| Hostess committee was organized to greet members and visitors |
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| each Sunday; in December of 1980, an additional Worship Service |
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| at 7:30 A.M. was instituted in to eliminate overcrowding at the |
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| church's 11:00 A.M. Worship Service; and |
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| WHEREAS, On June 8, 1980, the Main Baptist Church's |
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| mortgage was burned in the presence of Reverend Dezo McGill, |
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| Reverend Robert E. Morgan, Reverend Wallace S. Hartsfield, |
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| Aurora city officials, and the congregation-at-large; and
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| WHEREAS, Under the inspired leadership of Reverend Dezo |
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LRB096 13242 GRL 27902 r |
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| McGill, the Main Baptist Church added many ministries and |
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| organizations to its church program, including the Golden Agers |
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| Ministry, Family Night, the Tape Ministry, Mission II, the |
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| Women's Bible Study and Prayer Group, The Adventures of the |
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| 3R's Summer Learning Program, the Evangelistic Committee, the |
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| Men's Ministry, the Singles Ministry, the Marriage Ministry, |
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| Toastmasters, the New Members Class, and a part-time Children's |
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| Church Pastor and assistants; in the fall of 1993, property was |
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| purchased and renovated at 808 E. Galena Blvd. for the church's |
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| education annex; and
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| WHEREAS, In October of 2006, Reverend McGill announced his |
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| retirement after 32 years; the church's Deacons' Ministry, |
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| chaired by Deacon Hase Phillips, established a Pulpit |
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| Committee, which faced an awesome task of searching, screening, |
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| and presenting candidates seeking to serve as Pastor; on June |
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| 2, 2007, Dr. Julian E. Spencer of Tracy, California accepted |
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| the call to lead the Main Baptist Church; and
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| WHEREAS, Today, the congregation of the Main Baptist Church |
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| continues its mission of being an effective, spiritual pillar |
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| in its community, striving for the advancement of the Kingdom |
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| of God by proclaiming the Word of God, leading lost souls to |
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| Christ, and ministering to the needs of the saved and unsaved |
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| in the church congregation, local community, across the nation, |
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| and throughout the world; therefore, be it
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HR0513 |
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LRB096 13242 GRL 27902 r |
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
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| congratulate the congregation of the Main Baptist Church in |
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| Aurora on the occasion of the church's 142nd anniversary and |
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| wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be |
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| it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| presented to Dr. Julian E. Spencer, Pastor of the Main Baptist |
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| Church, as a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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