Full Text of HR0321 103rd General Assembly
HR0321 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0321 | | LRB103 32466 LAW 61956 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Reverend Charles M. | 4 | | Straight on the occasion of his retirement as lead pastor of | 5 | | Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Straight is a pastor, social activist, | 7 | | thought leader, and strategic visionary with over 35 years of | 8 | | experience in ministry; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Straight began his career in ministry after | 10 | | becoming a member of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church | 11 | | in 1973, becoming associate minister in 1974; during his | 12 | | 27-year membership, he served in the church's combined choirs, | 13 | | conducted worship services for the Children's Church, and led | 14 | | the Mission Department, which provides spiritual support and | 15 | | guidance to persons confined to hospitals, prisons, nursing | 16 | | homes, and mental institutions; he then served as assistant | 17 | | pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church from 2000 to 2008, | 18 | | during which he chaired the Evangelism Committee and served as | 19 | | overseer of the AIDS Ministry; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Straight became lead pastor of Faith United | 21 | | Methodist Church (Faith UMC) in July 2008; in addition to more | 22 | | traditional pastoral duties such as administering sacraments, |
| | | HR0321 | - 2 - | LRB103 32466 LAW 61956 r |
|
| 1 | | preaching, visitation of the sick, and overseeing church | 2 | | administration, he has successfully led his church's historic | 3 | | congregation through a cultural transition to become a | 4 | | welcoming and inclusive church for members of the LGBTQIA+ | 5 | | community; he has accomplished this through implementing | 6 | | significant social service programs and events, including | 7 | | adult computer classes, a community feeding program, HIV/AIDS | 8 | | testing, The Next Movement social justice ministry, the | 9 | | Visioning and Community Investment Program, employment of | 10 | | justice involved individuals, and cultivation of an atmosphere | 11 | | of equality and fairness through workshops, seminars, and | 12 | | sermon series; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Straight has spent a lifetime of service in | 14 | | the field of HIV research, prevention, and education; he | 15 | | organized and chaired the City of Chicago's first | 16 | | African-American church-based AIDS ministries in 1985, serving | 17 | | over 25 HIV-impacted church members at Fellowship Missionary | 18 | | Baptist Church and other churches; he has continued to provide | 19 | | vital services to the HIV/AIDS community for more than 20 | 20 | | years, working as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and | 21 | | volunteering in a number of institutions, including the Howard | 22 | | Brown Health Center, the Martha Washington Hospital Treatment | 23 | | Center, the Kupona Network, the Evanston Health Department, | 24 | | the Chicago Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS, | 25 | | and Cook County's Stroger Hospital as project coordinator for |
| | | HR0321 | - 3 - | LRB103 32466 LAW 61956 r |
|
| 1 | | the HIV Vaccine Preparedness Trials; he remains a certified | 2 | | instructor of the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center | 3 | | (MATEC); and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Straight has served a number of | 5 | | organizations, including the U.S. HIV & AIDS Faith Coalition | 6 | | Leaders Group, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago Board, the Black | 7 | | Church & HIV Advisory Committee for the NAACP, the HIV | 8 | | Prevention Task Force for the Northern Illinois Conference of | 9 | | the United Methodist Church, the Spiritual Care Committee for | 10 | | Bonaventure House, and Pastors United for Change (PUC), a | 11 | | community action group made up of ministers involved in the | 12 | | issues of crime, health, education, social justice, and | 13 | | economic empowerment of local community members; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Straight, now an empty nester, was the | 15 | | licensed foster parent or adoptive parent of Krystal, Kenneth, | 16 | | Ruth, Jeremiah, and Jasmine, whom he raised to adulthood; | 17 | | therefore, be it
| 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 19 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 20 | | we congratulate Reverend Charles M. Straight on his retirement | 21 | | as lead pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton, and | 22 | | we wish him the best in his future endeavors; and be it further
|
| | | HR0321 | - 4 - | LRB103 32466 LAW 61956 r |
|
| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to Rev. Straight as an expression of our esteem and | 3 | | respect.
|
|