HR0523 LRB094 12585 HSS 47284 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Grace Church of Mahomet celebrated its 50th
3 anniversary in October of 2004; beginning with just a handful
4 of people and one pastor in the mid-1950s, the church has
5 blossomed over the years into a church of over 900 regular
6 attendees, two services, contemporary worship, relevant and
7 practical teaching, seven full-time ministry staff,
8 multi-faceted children's, student, adult, and worship arts
9 ministries, and a clear vision of what God has challenged the
10 leaders and people to do; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Formerly known as Grace Baptist Church, the
12 congregation was founded in 1954 as the Grace Bible Church; the
13 new church met at the McKnelley home south of Mahomet on August
14 29th of that year and soon became affiliated with the
15 Conservative Baptist Association and the name was changed to
16 Grace Baptist; the church's first pastor, Reverend Warren
17 Slaughter, went on to start Grace Baptist Church in Normal
18 after leaving Mahomet; sadly, he passed away in 1963 of cancer
19 just a few years after being an integral part of the formation
20 of two wonderfully strong churches in central Illinois; and
 
21     WHEREAS, After settling on property on Washington Street
22 (presently the location of Sangamon Valley Christian Center) in
23 March of 1955, the congregation acquired property at 800 West
24 Oak Street; a gymnasium/activities center was constructed and
25 completed in May of 1981 while the congregation continued to
26 meet at the Washington Street church; in 1986, the Washington
27 Street property was sold and the church moved its services into
28 the gymnasium at its present location; the current Worship
29 Center was completed in 1992, and a west wing was completed in
30 early 1999; a new children's/student wing opened in June of
31 2004, along with a new daughter church, Crossroads, officially
32 opening in September of 2004 in Monticello; and
 

 

 

HR0523 - 2 - LRB094 12585 HSS 47284 r

1     WHEREAS, On July 13, 2003, the congregation of Grace
2 Baptist Church voted to officially call themselves Grace Church
3 of Mahomet; throughout the years, the church has had nine
4 senior pastors; they are Rev. Warren Slaughter, Rev. Ronald
5 Ayres, Rev. Richard Rice, Rev. Paul Barnes, Rev. Leroy
6 Shumaker, Rev. Michael Hostetler, Rev. John Vincent, Rev. Dave
7 Jankowski, and the current pastor, Rev. Gary Sinclair;
8 therefore, be it
 
9     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11 we congratulate Grace Church of Mahomet on the celebration of
12 50 years of service and fellowship in the Mahomet community;
13 and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15 presented to Grace Church of Mahomet as an expression of our
16 respect and esteem and with best wishes for many more years of
17 ministry.