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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Reverend Charles M.
4Straight on the occasion of his retirement as lead pastor of
5Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Rev. Straight is a pastor, social activist,
7thought leader, and strategic visionary with over 35 years of
8experience in ministry; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Rev. Straight began his career in ministry after
10becoming a member of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church
11in 1973, becoming associate minister in 1974; during his
1227-year membership, he served in the church's combined choirs,
13conducted worship services for the Children's Church, and led
14the Mission Department, which provides spiritual support and
15guidance to persons confined to hospitals, prisons, nursing
16homes, and mental institutions; he then served as assistant
17pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church from 2000 to 2008,
18during which he chaired the Evangelism Committee and served as
19overseer of the AIDS Ministry; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Rev. Straight became lead pastor of Faith United
21Methodist Church (Faith UMC) in July 2008; in addition to more
22traditional pastoral duties such as administering sacraments,

 

 

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1preaching, visitation of the sick, and overseeing church
2administration, he has successfully led his church's historic
3congregation through a cultural transition to become a
4welcoming and inclusive church for members of the LGBTQIA+
5community; he has accomplished this through implementing
6significant social service programs and events, including
7adult computer classes, a community feeding program, HIV/AIDS
8testing, The Next Movement social justice ministry, the
9Visioning and Community Investment Program, employment of
10justice involved individuals, and cultivation of an atmosphere
11of equality and fairness through workshops, seminars, and
12sermon series; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Rev. Straight has spent a lifetime of service in
14the field of HIV research, prevention, and education; he
15organized and chaired the City of Chicago's first
16African-American church-based AIDS ministries in 1985, serving
17over 25 HIV-impacted church members at Fellowship Missionary
18Baptist Church and other churches; he has continued to provide
19vital services to the HIV/AIDS community for more than 20
20years, working as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and
21volunteering in a number of institutions, including the Howard
22Brown Health Center, the Martha Washington Hospital Treatment
23Center, the Kupona Network, the Evanston Health Department,
24the Chicago Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS,
25and Cook County's Stroger Hospital as project coordinator for

 

 

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1the HIV Vaccine Preparedness Trials; he remains a certified
2instructor of the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center
3(MATEC); and
 
4    WHEREAS, Rev. Straight has served a number of
5organizations, including the U.S. HIV & AIDS Faith Coalition
6Leaders Group, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago Board, the Black
7Church & HIV Advisory Committee for the NAACP, the HIV
8Prevention Task Force for the Northern Illinois Conference of
9the United Methodist Church, the Spiritual Care Committee for
10Bonaventure House, and Pastors United for Change (PUC), a
11community action group made up of ministers involved in the
12issues of crime, health, education, social justice, and
13economic empowerment of local community members; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Rev. Straight, now an empty nester, was the
15licensed foster parent or adoptive parent of Krystal, Kenneth,
16Ruth, Jeremiah, and Jasmine, whom he raised to adulthood;
17therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
19HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
20we congratulate Reverend Charles M. Straight on his retirement
21as lead pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton, and
22we wish him the best in his future endeavors; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to Rev. Straight as an expression of our esteem and
3respect.