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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate the congregation
4 of the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Blue Island on the
5 occasion of the church's 100th anniversary; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The rich history of the Salem Evangelical Lutheran
7 Church began in 1862, when Rev. Stubnatzy of St. John's
8 Lutheran Church in Coopers Grove took charge of the various
9 private Lutheran services that took place throughout the Blue
10 Island area; a year later the group formed the German
11 Evangelical Lutheran Society, which hosted a congregation of 66
12 under the pastorate of Rev. Augustus Reinke, who was also
13 responsible for the creation of a school and parsonage; Rev.
14 Reinke was succeeded by Rev. H. Ernst, who served the group
15 from 1871 until 1879, when Rev. H. Duborg became the Salem
16 congregation's new pastor; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Following the Predestination and Election
18 Controversy in the Synodical Conference in 1881, the Salem
19 congregation, as well as the congregation's pastor, broke away
20 from the Synodical conference; the church became affiliated
21 with the denomination now known as the Lutheran Church Missouri
22 Synod in July of 1909 and became self-supporting on April 28,
23 1924; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, In September of 1909, the Salem congregation held
2 its first recorded meeting, with Rev. F. Sievers presiding;
3 during the meeting, the congregation adopted a constitution,
4 which was signed by Andrew Reines, William Siemsen, Louis
5 Storz, Sr., John Wolz, Carl "Charlie" Schwartz, Oscar Jacob,
6 Carl Hupe, and Gustave Thedens; on December 12, 1909, Rev.
7 Raymond Reinke of Harvard was installed as the Salem
8 congregation's first pastor; during the church's first year,
9 the congregation gathered for worship at the Congregational
10 Church on York Street in Blue Island; and
 
11     WHEREAS, On March 7, 1910, the Salem Evangelical Lutheran
12 Church purchased a lot at the corner of Maple and High Streets
13 in Blue Island for the construction of a new church; the
14 building's cornerstone was laid on November 15, 1910 and
15 completed that year; the Salem congregation dedicated the
16 church on December 11, 1910 and began holding services
17 immediately; throughout the 1910's, various improvements were
18 made to the church, including the creation of a Sunday School,
19 the purchase of a church bell, the placement of an altar for
20 the church, and the expansion of the church's basement; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The 1920s were a wonderful time of growth and
22 celebration for the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church; the
23 church purchased an organ for the church on July 9, 1922; the

 

 

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1 church celebration its 15th anniversary on the second Sunday in
2 December of 1924; in 1927, the church built its Parsonage at
3 12906 Maple Avenue, where it remained until it was sold in
4 2001; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In 1934, the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church
6 celebrated the church's 25th anniversary; that same year, the
7 congregation founded the Salem Men's Club; and
 
8     WHEREAS, In 1949, the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church
9 celebrated the church's 40th anniversary with addition of light
10 fixtures; that same year, the church purchased the lot south of
11 the church, known as the Montag property; the house that was
12 sitting on the property was remodeled into the school's Primary
13 Building and was dedicated on December 27, 1949; on August 29,
14 1954, the church built a new school building, which includes
15 the school's basement, kitchen, classrooms, and office; the
16 congregation celebrated the church's continued success with a
17 50-year anniversary celebration in 1959 and a 60-year
18 anniversary celebration in 1969; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In 1973, the front of the Salem Evangelical
20 Lutheran Church's present school was constructed; the school
21 now provided a classroom, library, restrooms, storage space, an
22 office complex, a meeting room, and a kindergarten room for the
23 school's many students, teachers, and staff; the facility was

 

 

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1 dedicated on January 21, 1973; and
 
2     WHEREAS, On December 14, 1980, the Salem congregation
3 re-dedicated the interior of the church and celebrated the 70th
4 anniversary of the church's first dedication; the congregation
5 also extensively remodeled the interior of the church,
6 completing their work in October of 1981; on March 1, 1987, the
7 congregation of the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church
8 celebrated the final payment on the church by burning the
9 church's mortgage; in 1987, the church continued its renovation
10 of the church grounds, demolishing and repaving the site where
11 the Schultz house stood and erecting a fence around the
12 church's playground; the following year, the church completed
13 the construction of the church's new doors; and
 
14     WHEREAS, In 1991, the Salem congregation replaced its
15 original pipe organ with a new electronic organ and removed the
16 organ pipes from the building; in 1993, the lower level of the
17 church was remodeled; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The coming of the new millennium brought many new
19 developments to the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church; on March
20 11, 2001, the church's library was dedicated in the memory of
21 Alan Poegel, a former principal and teacher at Salem; on
22 September 26, 2004, the church celebrated its 95th anniversary
23 with a special service featuring guest preacher Rev. William

 

 

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1 Ameiss and with the dedication of 2 new candelabras and a new
2 blue parament; the church's new Communion vessels were
3 dedicated on May 21, 2006; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Throughout the last 100 years, the Salem
5 Evangelical Lutheran Church has served as a pillar of strength,
6 piety, and compassion for the people of Blue Island, a position
7 that it will undoubtedly serve in for many generations to come;
8 therefore, be it
 
9     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11 congratulate the congregation of the Salem Evangelical
12 Lutheran Church on the occasion of the church's 100th
13 anniversary and wish them continued success and happiness in
14 the future; and be it further
 
15     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16 presented to Pastor Chris A.E. Bottorff of the Salem
17 Evangelical Lutheran Church as a symbol of our esteem and
18 respect.