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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the St. Paul Church of
4God in Christ on the occasion of its 85th anniversary; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The St. Paul Church of God in Christ was
6established by Bishop Louis Henry Ford on the street corners
7of Chicago in 1934 and later organized in 1936; during its
8early history, the church became involved in the ecumenical
9and civic affairs in the city of Chicago, wherein food,
10clothing, shelter, and other forms of relief were provided for
11victims of disaster in the late 1930s; it also became
12recognized for its ability to secure employment and fight
13relentlessly for human and civil rights for African Americans
14in the 1940s; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The St. Paul Church of God in Christ was led by
16Bishop Louis Henry Ford as its pastor and spiritual leader for
17nearly 61 years; he eulogized Emmett Till in 1955 and later
18spearheaded the reconstruction of Saints Junior College in
19Lexington, Mississippi; his dedication to the church and
20humanity brought acclaim, honor, and recognition to the church
21and its ministries; he concluded his assignment as the
22presiding bishop of the Churches of God in Christ on March 31,
231995; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The St. Paul Church of God in Christ was next led
2by Bishop Charles Mason Ford, who was immediately installed as
3pastor upon his father's passing by Bishop Charles E. Blake
4Sr. in 1995; his first mission was to memorialize his father,
5and he was instrumental in having the stretch of I-94 known as
6the Calumet Expressway be renamed the Bishop Ford Memorial
7Freeway by the State in 1996, making Bishop L.H. Ford the first
8African-American to have an Illinois expressway named after
9him; under his administration, the church offered family-based
10programming, including in-home care for infants and an
11after-school program for elementary through high school
12students, which complemented the Chaney Ford Child Care
13Center; he oversaw the creation of the Margaret Ford Manor, a
1460-unit independent, affordable senior living facility located
15at 4500 S. Wabash Avenue, and the Victoria Jennings
16Residences, a 24-unit building for the disabled located at 624
17W. 61st Street; and
 
18    WHEREAS, On February 24, 2018, the St. Paul Church of God
19in Christ installed Pastor Kevin Anthony Ford as pastor after
20he served as assistant pastor for several years under the
21auspices of First Jurisdiction Illinois on February; the
22ceremony was officiated by Bishop Ocie Booker, Prelate; prior
23to his promotion, he was appointed by his father Bishop
24Charles Mason Ford to lead the workforce arm of the ministry to

 

 

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1enhance employment opportunities for the disenfranchised in
22000; he established the St. Paul Community Development
3Ministries (SPCDM), a 501(c) 3 community-based organization
4and pre-apprenticeship training program, and it has
5successfully prepared over 200 individuals for entry into
6registered Department of Labor apprenticeships for over 19
7years and is recognized throughout the State of Illinois for
8its unique training model and placement ability; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The St. Paul Church of God in Christ will
10celebrate its 85th anniversary on June 13, 2021; therefore, be
11it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
13HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14we congratulate the St. Paul Church of God in Christ on serving
15its parishioners and the community for the past 85 years, and
16we wish the church continued success in the years to come; and
17be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to Pastor Kevin Anthony Ford as an expression of our
20esteem and respect.