HR1380 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1380 LRB099 22740 GRL 50171 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Pastor Joseph B. Gordon on the occasion of his 20th anniversary in the ministry; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Joseph Gordon is a native of Detroit, Michigan; he accepted his call to ministry at the age of 15; he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications from the University of Michigan and a Masters of Divinity from the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University in Evanston; he continued his studies at the Institute of Church Administration and Management at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia; he also has an earned Doctor of Ministry degree in Prophetic Preaching and Congregational Leadership from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio; and

WHEREAS, Prior to his service at Carter Temple, Pastor Joseph Gordon served as senior pastor in four assignments in Illinois and Michigan; through his leadership, there were increases in stewardship, membership, and community involvement; his passions are preaching, teaching and working with civic and community leaders, health care issues, and other concerns directly related to the African American experience and the urban church; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Joseph Gordon has been invited to serve as a preacher, teacher, and revivalist across the United States and was an inaugural presenter at the Styberg Preaching Institute; he received the Styberg Award for excellence in homiletics and the 2011 Outstanding Minister Award from the Phillips School of Theology at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia; he is also a three-time recipient of the Spirit of Detroit Award; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Joseph Gordon served as a member of the advisory board for Brothers and Sisters United against HIV/AIDS in Illinois; he is the current Chairman of the Joint Board of Finance of the Southeast Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin Region and held the same position in the Michigan-Indiana Region; he served on the Board of Directors for the Storehouse of Hope, a church and non-profit collaborative in Detroit's Northend neighborhood; he has been a public relations aide for Congressman John Conyers, Jr., a community-faith liaison the NAACP, an appointed member of Mayor Dave Bing's Detroit Community Faith Initiative, a delegate to the General Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and the Conference of National Black Churches, a founding member of the Black Methodist Alliance of Detroit, president of the Detroit District Ministerial Alliance, and a member of the Pan-Methodist Commission; he currently serves on the National Council of Churches, where he is a member of the Intergenerational Think Tank; during his pastorate at St. John's in Detroit, the Black Methodist Alliance held the first annual BMA "One in the Spirit Revival" at St. John's Church, the first of its kind in the nation; and

WHEREAS, The congregation of Carter Temple will celebrate Pastor Joseph Gordon's 20th anniversary in the ministry with a Pastor's Appreciation and U.N.I.T.Y. Celebration on August 13 and 14, 2016 at the Martinique Banquet Complex Grand Ballroom in Burbank; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Pastor Joseph B. Gordon on the occasion of his 20th anniversary in the ministry and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Pastor Joseph Gordon as a symbol of our esteem and respect.