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HR0580 |
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LRB096 13570 GRL 28329 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 Paul Koch on the |
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| occasion of his retirement as Senior Pastor of Ebenezer |
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| Lutheran Church on June 30, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Paul Koch was raised in New York City; he attended |
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| school at Concordia Junior College in Bronxville, New York and |
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| Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana; after spending |
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| a year with Richard John Neuhaus in 1965, he enrolled at |
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| Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri; he received his |
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| Master of Divinity degree from the seminary in 1970; that same |
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| year, he was ordained and began a five year pastorate at |
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| Transfiguration Lutheran Church, the oldest African-American |
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| Lutheran congregation in St. Louis; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1976, Paul Koch accepted the call to serve at |
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| Grace Lutheran Church in Detroit (now Genesis Lutheran Church); |
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| he also transferred his roster status to the American Lutheran |
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| Church at that time; in 1981, he accepted the call to serve at |
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| Black Hawk Lutheran Ministry in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Iowa, |
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| which was formed as a new cooperative ministry of five ALC |
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| congregations; during his 8 years of service there, the |
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| ministry expanded to include LCA congregations and grew to |
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| eleven members; the ministry also helped to establish regional |
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HR0580 |
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LRB096 13570 GRL 28329 r |
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| food banking and build bridges between the white and |
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| African-American communities; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1989, Paul Koch was called to serve as senior |
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| pastor at Ebenezer Lutheran Church; during his tenure as senior |
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| pastor, the church's strategy has been to position Ebenezer as |
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| a spiritual and community center for those who live in |
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| Andersonville and the north side of Chicago; today, the |
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| building's constituency includes Latinos, African-Americans, |
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| Africans, gays, lesbians, seniors, youth, families, and those |
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| with special needs seeking support; and
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| WHEREAS, Paul Koch and his wife, Sharon, have two grown |
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| sons, Jeremy and Philip; he will now have more time to enjoy |
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| his favorite hobbies, which include movies, reading, cycling, |
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| and creating art glass projects; and
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| WHEREAS, Paul Koch has served as a model of dedication, |
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| integrity, and hard work for the people of the State of |
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| Illinois; therefore, be it
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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 Paul Koch on the occasion of his retirement and |
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| wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it |
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| further
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