HR1100 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1100 LRB100 22102 MST 40404 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Paris Donehoo on the occasion of his retirement as senior pastor of the First Congregational Church of Elgin; and

WHEREAS, Paris Donehoo was born in Atlanta, Georgia on August 14, 1952 and raised in the Georgia towns of Decatur and Roswell; he attended Kennesaw College and was ordained by the First Baptist Church of Roswell in December of 1973; he received his Bachelor of Arts from Georgia Southern University in 1974 with a major in history and a minor in journalism; he graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1977 with a Master of Divinity; and

WHEREAS, Paris Donehoo served as pastor of the Sardis Baptist Church from 1977 until 1980, and then as pastor of the Lost Mountain Baptist Church until 1990; in 1988, he received a Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary; from 1991 until 2000, he served as senior minister at Park Ridge Community Church in Park Ridge; he briefly served as hospice chaplain for the West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park and then returned to the pastorate in 2002 as senior pastor of the First Congregational Church of Elgin, where he served until his retirement in 2018; for 11 years, he served as an adjunct professor in the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching program at Chicago Theological Seminary; and

WHEREAS, Paris Donehoo is the author of Prayer in the Life of Jesus and numerous articles in various magazines and journals such as Christian Ministry, The Other Side, Eternity, and Christian Century; his upcoming book, Polarized: Confronting the Collapse of Truth, Civility, and Community in Divided Times, is due in the fall of 2018; and

WHEREAS, Paris Donehoo has two children from his first marriage, Meg Pfister and Kathryn Kennon, and two stepchildren, Rachel Georgakis and Matthew Holihan, with his current wife, Penny; between them they have six grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Paris Donehoo on his retirement as senior pastor of the First Congregational Church of Elgin, and we wish him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution presented to Paris Donehoo as a symbol of our respect and esteem.