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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Bishop Arthur M.
4 Brazier of the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago on the
5 occasion of his retirement after 48 years of dedicated service;
6 and
 
7     WHEREAS, Bishop Arthur M. Brazier served his country with
8 pride and distinction as a member of the U.S. Army during World
9 War II, which included tours of duty in China, Burma, and
10 India; he earned two battle stars for his efforts in the North
11 Burma and Central Burma campaigns; and
 
12     WHEREAS, In 1948, Bishop Arthur M. Brazier began working as
13 a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, but felt the
14 calling to preach; inspired by this calling, he attended Moody
15 Bible Institute at night and became pastor of the Universal
16 Church of Christ in 1952; in 1960, Bishop Brazier merged his
17 congregation with the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago's
18 Woodlawn community and formed a new congregation; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Bishop Arthur M. Brazier became increasingly
20 involved in community activism and civil rights during the
21 expansion of his church in the 1960s; inspired by his meetings
22 with community organizer Saul Alinsky, he became the founding

 

 

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1 president of The Woodlawn Organization, a coalition that
2 successfully defeated the expansion of the University of
3 Chicago in 1963; Bishop Brazier worked to combat gang violence
4 and crime in the neighborhood by initiating social programs for
5 rival gangs through the organization; after meeting Dr. Martin
6 Luther King Jr. in 1966, the two protested together against
7 segregated housing and schools, bravely facing death threats
8 for his honorable work; and
 
9     WHEREAS, A telling measure of the incredible leadership
10 skills and religious devotion of Bishop Arthur M. Brazier is
11 the incredible growth of The Apostolic Church of God, which has
12 grown from about 100 members in 1960 into the current
13 congregation of more than 20,000 members; during his tenure,
14 Bishop Brazier oversaw several expansion projects at the
15 church, including a 3,000-seat sanctuary, the addition of
16 television control facilities, a 400-seat banquet facility,
17 and a 37,000-square-foot youth and family center that contains
18 a regulation-sized basketball court, classrooms, a music room,
19 and a dance studio; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Bishop Arthur M. Brazier is the founding president
21 of The Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corporation and the
22 Fund for Community Redevelopment and Revitalization; he is the
23 author of three books, "Black Self-Determination", "Saved by
24 Grace and Grace Alone", and "From Milk to Meat", in addition to

 

 

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1 many published articles; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Bishop Arthur M. Brazier has also served his
3 community through numerous religious and civic organizations;
4 he served as Diocesan of the 6th Episcopal District of the
5 Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, which oversees more than
6 80 churches in the State of Illinois, for 30 years; he was
7 appointed to the Public Building Commission of Chicago on
8 August 28, 1986; he also served as vice president of the Center
9 for Community Change, a Washington, D.C.-based housing and
10 commercial project organization; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Bishop Arthur M. Brazier has been the recipient of
12 numerous awards in recognition of his service to the community,
13 including the Rockefeller Public Service Award from Princeton
14 University and the Catholic Council of Working Life for the
15 Love of Children Award from the Children's Home and Aid
16 Society; and
 
17     WHEREAS, After his last sermon as the pastor of the
18 Apostolic Church of God on June 1, 2008, Bishop Arthur M.
19 Brazier left the pulpit in the capable hands of his son,
20 Reverend Byron Brazier; the congregation of the Apostolic
21 Church of God, however, will remember Bishop Brazier's kind and
22 humble demeanor and his great spiritual strength fondly for
23 generations to come; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3 congratulate Bishop Arthur M. Brazier on the occasion of his
4 retirement, thank him for his many years of service to his
5 community, and wish him many happy and healthy retirement
6 years; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8 presented to Bishop Arthur M. Brazier as a symbol of our esteem
9 and respect.