HR1259 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1259 LRB100 23990 MST 43080 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the First Baptist Church of Orion on the occasion of its 175th anniversary and its tradition of faithful ministry to the local community; and

WHEREAS, The church, originally known as the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, was founded in 1843 in the home of Nathan W. Washburn as a result of the missionary work of the Reverend Thomas Powell; and

WHEREAS, The church faced many difficulties in its early years and nearly disbanded in the late 1850s when most of the original members moved away; and

WHEREAS, The remaining members committed that "as long as two were present", there would always be meetings; and

WHEREAS, This faithfulness sustained the church; in 1866, its members built the first official church building in Orion, debt free; and

WHEREAS, Equipped with a new building, the congregation began to expand, creating a Union Sunday School and purchasing a parsonage for $1,100 in 1881; and

WHEREAS, In 1892, in order to serve members of the congregation who lived many miles from Orion, the church established a new branch in Warner, which lasted until 1921; and

WHEREAS, The church continued to grow and thrive, and in the summer of 1897, a new and expanded building was built and rededicated in October of that year; and

WHEREAS, During the First World War, the congregation sent weekly letters to the young men and boys of the church who served in the conflict; and

WHEREAS, In 1918, under the supervision of the Shining Lights Society, a new pipe organ was installed in the church, an instrument that has provided 100 years of music and worship for the congregation; and

WHEREAS, In 1920, the church adopted a new constitution, formally changing its name from the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church to the First Baptist Church of Orion; and

WHEREAS, During the Second World War, 26 young men and two young women of the church served in the armed forces; and

WHEREAS, In 1943, renovations and upgrades were continually made to the church; the congregation celebrated its l00th anniversary by staging a pageant, performed by descendants of the first settlers, that depicted the original members of the church and recounted the founding of the church; and

WHEREAS, In 1962, the church was cited as the Town and Country Church of the Year at the Illinois Baptist State Convention; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the rest of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century, the First Baptist Church of Orion, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, has continued to be a pillar of the community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the First Baptist Church of Orion on its 175th anniversary, and we wish it 175 more years of continued faithfulness and dedication to the surrounding community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Reverend Jerry Higdon and the congregation of the First Baptist Church of Orion.