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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Pastor
4Gicele "Gigi" Wray-Lindley, who passed away on October 1,
52022; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Pastor Wray-Lindley was born to Esteban and
7Isabel Wray in Colon, Panama on May 28, 1976; as a child, she
8attended The Church of Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith,
9where she started singing solos by age seven; by age nine, she
10started leading praise and worship on Sunday mornings; by age
1113, she served as the choir director and youth leader; at the
12age of 14, she was a lead soloist in her high school choir; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Pastor Wray-Lindley was ordained as an Evangelist
14when she was 23; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Pastor Wray-Lindley earned her bachelor's degree
16in Psychology with a minor in Early Childhood Education from
17the University of Illinois at Chicago; she completed her
18master's degree in Human Services Administration and most
19recently completed a master's degree in Nonprofit Management
20and Organizational Leadership; at the time of her passing, she
21was pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Ethical Leadership;
22and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 2004, Pastor Wray-Lindley founded Shining Star
2Youth and Community Services and Shining Star Early Learning
3Centers to provide early literacy and family support to
4children; under her leadership as CEO, her creation became a
5successful multi-center, bilingual child care operation, which
6provides quality early learning to 407 children and employs
7over 100 people today; and
 
8    WHEREAS, In 2014, Pastor Wray-Lindley, along with her
9family, founded The Wray Family Foundation to improve the
10lives of aspiring community service leaders in need of
11mentoring and financial support while pursuing formal
12education; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 2015, Pastor Wray-Lindley co-founded Child
14Care Advocates United, a non-profit professional organization
15for child care providers and early childhood educators in the
16State of Illinois; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Pastor Wray-Lindley and her husband, Omar
18Lindley, ministered in several Latin American countries,
19including Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Guatemala,
20Panama, and Argentina; they also traveled and ministered in
21Brazil, on the African Continent, and in several U.S. states;
22in 2017, they launched the bilingual ministry Transformation

 

 

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1Church International; and
 
2    WHEREAS, In 2020, Pastor Wray-Lindley founded Auntie
3Gigi's to develop a generation of transformative leaders while
4bridging the gap between ministry and the marketplace; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Pastor Wray-Lindley helped her daughter,
6Serenity, start an anti-labeling initiative by launching a
7publishing company, and the company's first published book was
8entitled, Stop Calling Me Bossy; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Pastor Wray-Lindley is survived by her husband
10and her two daughters, Serenity Blessing and Heavenly
11Blessing; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
13HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14we mourn the passing of Pastor Gicele "Gigi" Wray-Lindley and
15extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all
16who knew and loved her; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18presented to the family of Pastor Wray-Lindley as an
19expression of our deepest sympathy.