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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the Wayman African
4Methodist Episcopal Church on the occasion of its 175th
5anniversary on October 21, 2018; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 1836, Reverend Paul Quinn was assigned the task
7of expanding the African Methodist Episcopal Church to the
8western states; while on his journey, he became closely
9associated with the Underground Railroad; the churches and
10schooled he established became stops on the Underground
11Railroad; in 1843, he reached Bloomington, Illinois, and he met
12Moses Bird, Joseph Hobson, and James Hill, visionary and
13energetic African Americans who were ready to establish a place
14of worship; On January 16, 1847, the deed for the land was
15secured for $20.00, and a small-frame building was erected; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The first pastor, Reverend P.H. Ward, was a grocer
17in the community, and the congregation had 20 members; the
18school teacher was Matilda E. Davidson; in 1855, an itinerant
19circuit rider named Austin Woodford became the next pastor, and
20the congregation grew to 50 members; in 1859, the original
21building was moved and used as the parsonage; that same year, a
22new church was built; in 1860, Miss English supervised the
23school and, within six years, had 40 students; for the first 20

 

 

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1years, the African Methodist Education Society was the only
2African American church in the community; the new church
3building was expanded in 1871, and the membership grew to over
4100; in 1879, Reverend C.S. Jacobs became pastor; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 1880, Reverend Charles Spencer Smith was
6appointed pastor of the African Methodist Education Society; he
7believed that racial uplift was through religious education,
8and he developed a plan for a universal Sunday school
9literature that was adopted by a special Bishops Council in
101882; this was the humble beginning of the African Methodist
11Episcopal Church Sunday School Union, which later moved to
12Nashville, Tennessee; and
 
13    WHEREAS, On January 26, 1910, the church was renamed the
14Wayman African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church; in 1918, the
15Bloomington National Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was
16formed, and the meetings were held at Wayman AMEC; through the
17years, Wayman was the church home to several pioneers in the
18Bloomington African American community; in 1970, Reverend
19Walter Walters became pastor, and he completed extensive
20remodeling; his quiet dignity, vision, and confidence did much
21to encourage a progressive effort; and
 
22    WHEREAS, In August of 1978, Reverend David Jarrett, the
23newly assigned pastor, established a good rapport with the

 

 

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1youth in town and at the church; and
 
2    WHEREAS, In September of 1990, Reverend Robert E. Harvey
3brought vision, insight, and energy to the church; he relocated
4the church from its original home on Center Street to the
5current building on West Olive; in 1993, the congregation
6celebrated 150 years of ministry in McLean County; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In 2001, Reverend Nathan Dixon became the pastor:
8in preparation for hosting the Illinois Annual Conference, new
9windows were installed in the church and parsonage, the
10sanctuary was repaired, and new tile was added in the foyer;
11and
 
12    WHEREAS, In 2005, Reverend Charles Orr was assigned, and
13under his leadership the mortgage was paid off and burned;
14additionally, he spearheaded a capital campaign to cover the
15cost of major renovations, maintenance, and repair; he served
16with distinction for 11 years; and
 
17    WHEREAS, On September 11, 2016, history was made when
18Bishop John Franklin White, Bishop of the Fourth Episcopal
19District, assigned Reverend Dr. Brigitte A. Black, the first
20female pastor, to Wayman AME Church; a new furnace was
21installed, and the church is embarking on a project that
22includes major repairs to the infrastructure and interior;

 

 

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1therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
4congratulate the Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church on
5the occasion of its 175th anniversary; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church as
8an expression of our esteem and respect.