HR1173 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1173 LRB093 23296 HSS 53272 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Waukegan and Pastor Arthur J. Gass Sr. on the occasion of their 17th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Arthur J. Gass Sr. was born on October 18, 1951 in Sylvester, Georgia to Mr. Ulysses & Mrs. Tannie L. Gass Sr.; he has been married to Anne V. Gass for 26 years, and they have 2 children, CaRita Anne Gass and Arthur James Gass Jr.; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Gass became a member of the Hopewell Baptist Church as a young child; his church ministry experiences include serving as Junior Usher, Church Clerk, Youth Director, a Junior Deacon, a Deacon, the Chairman of the Board of Deacons, an Associate Minister, Assistant to the Pastor, and Pastor; he accepted his calling into ministry on November 23, 1978, was licensed on December 10, 1978, and was ordained on May 4, 1981; and

WHEREAS, He served as Pastor of the New St. Stephen Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia and as Associate Minister of the Christian Valley Baptist Church; as a religious leader, he organized the Christian Ministers Fellowship Organization and served as president of the organization in 1986; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Gass has served as Pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Waukegan since June of 1987; under his leadership, the church has grown to over 300 members, and the new church was built and dedicated in March of 1993; under his guidance, the church has purchased real estate consisting of two residential houses, and has added annually to the church's income, and converted vacant land to accommodate approximately 28 additional parking spaces for the church; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Gass is more than a pastor; he also serves as a teacher, community leader, and scholar; he is a past president of the North Shore Baptist Ministers Alliance, secretary of the North Shore Pastor's Conference, the first Vice-Moderator of the New Era District Association, and the former Financial Secretary/Budget Director and 3rd Vice President of Finance for the Young Pastors & Ministers Department of the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.; he is an accountant for The People's Voice Newspaper, a member of the NAACP, a member of the Board of Directors of Daisy's Resource Center, a former member of the Board of Directors of Lake County Community Action Project (CAP), and a former member of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Housing Service; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure as president of the North Shore Baptist Ministers Alliance, he was instrumental in the renaming of Utica Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, effective in January of 2002; he organized the Financial Planning Conference, Christian Family Conference, and the Singles and Teen Conferences at Mt. Zion that are aimed at strengthening the family financially and teaching family values from a Biblical perspective; he is credited with helping three church families in purchasing new residential homes and four sister churches in purchasing new edifices; and

WHEREAS, In 1986, Pastor Gass was presented with the Leadership Award from the Christian Ministers Fellowship Organization; in 1998, he was presented with the Publisher's Award - Most Influential African-Americans of Lake County; from 1975 to 2001, he received several Outstanding Service Awards, both from his employer and the community; and in 2004, the City of Waukegan dedicated and named Wainlow Avenue in his honor in recognition of his religious and community activities; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Waukegan and Pastor Arthur J. Gass Sr. on the occasion of their 17th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Waukegan and to Pastor Arthur J. Gass Sr. as an expression of our esteem.