HR0858 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0858 LRB101 21551 MST 72405 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives would like to congratulate the congregation of the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Orion on the occasion of its 175th anniversary celebration on April 26th, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Ascension Day in 1870 was marked by the organization of the Orion Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church by a group of laymen with 30 charter members, mostly from the Swedona Church, on May 26th; and

WHEREAS, A year later, they were accepted into membership in the Augusta Synod and completed their church's first building; and

WHEREAS, Eleven years later, their first pipe organ was installed at a cost of $800, which served the church for 40 years; and

WHEREAS, In 1922, 52 years after its creation, the church's membership had grown to 600, and the name of the congregation was changed to what it is still known as today, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, in order to be inviting to non-Swedish residents; and

WHEREAS, In 1979, an internship program was created, which lasted 22 years and had 18 participants; it was also the same year that the Orion senior citizens meal site was started by the St. Paul social ministry; and

WHEREAS, In 1989, the first parish nurse of the congregation was installed; and

WHEREAS, At the 125th anniversary in 1996, a revised mission statement was adopted which included a major component entitled Rooted, Nourished, Sent; and

WHEREAS, On June 18th, 1998, the steeple that topped the church since 1902 fell during a tornado-like storm; it was originally built of structured steel, measuring 103 feet from ground to top of the six foot cast-iron cross; and

WHEREAS, In 1999, St. Paul Church entered the digital age by launching their first webpage; and

WHEREAS, A year later, their hand bell choir joined others from across the United States and a variety of foreign nations to perform Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace during The Columbine Benefit Project, raising funds which promoted programs to prevent school violence; and

WHEREAS, The same year, a new steeple, replacing the former one that was destroyed two years prior, was dedicated; and

WHEREAS, The following year brought about many exciting changes, such as the authorization of church expansion and renovation, the hiring of the first Director of Youth and Family Ministry, and the creation of Fun and Fit, which was an outreach program for the children of the Orion community designed to improve children's nutrition, health status, and spiritual growth; and

WHEREAS, In 2003, two years after the expansion was authorized, there was a dedication of a new building, The Ark, on March 30th; and

WHEREAS, Retirement of The Ark mortgage concluded just before Ascension Day in 2014, and the church began their Backpack Blessings program, which operated through the food pantry; and

WHEREAS, When a blizzard hit the area in 2018, St. Paul Church continued its long tradition of caring for the community when the church was utilized as a warming center for 37 people; and

WHEREAS, Celebrating its 150th anniversary entitled Growing in God's Grace, St. Paul Church still holds its roots in a strong Swedish component but is home to a very large number of members from other nationalities; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the congregation of the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church on the occasion of its 175th anniversary celebration, we commend the continued good work of the church within and beyond the community of Orion, and we wish them many more years of faith and fellowship; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the congregation of St. Paul Church as an expression of our esteem and respect.