Full Text of HR0376 102nd General Assembly
HR0376 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate the St. Paul Church of | 4 | | God in Christ on the occasion of its 85th anniversary; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The St. Paul Church of God in Christ was | 6 | | established by Bishop Louis Henry Ford on the street corners | 7 | | of Chicago in 1934 and later organized in 1936; during its | 8 | | early history, the church became involved in the ecumenical | 9 | | and civic affairs in the city of Chicago, wherein food, | 10 | | clothing, shelter, and other forms of relief were provided for | 11 | | victims of disaster in the late 1930s; it also became | 12 | | recognized for its ability to secure employment and fight | 13 | | relentlessly for human and civil rights for African Americans | 14 | | in the 1940s; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The St. Paul Church of God in Christ was led by | 16 | | Bishop Louis Henry Ford as its pastor and spiritual leader for | 17 | | nearly 61 years; he eulogized Emmett Till in 1955 and later | 18 | | spearheaded the reconstruction of Saints Junior College in | 19 | | Lexington, Mississippi; his dedication to the church and | 20 | | humanity brought acclaim, honor, and recognition to the church | 21 | | and its ministries; he concluded his assignment as the | 22 | | presiding bishop of the Churches of God in Christ on March 31, | 23 | | 1995; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The St. Paul Church of God in Christ was next led | 2 | | by Bishop Charles Mason Ford, who was immediately installed as | 3 | | pastor upon his father's passing by Bishop Charles E. Blake | 4 | | Sr. in 1995; his first mission was to memorialize his father, | 5 | | and he was instrumental in having the stretch of I-94 known as | 6 | | the Calumet Expressway be renamed the Bishop Ford Memorial | 7 | | Freeway by the State in 1996, making Bishop L.H. Ford the first | 8 | | African-American to have an Illinois expressway named after | 9 | | him; under his administration, the church offered family-based | 10 | | programming, including in-home care for infants and an | 11 | | after-school program for elementary through high school | 12 | | students, which complemented the Chaney Ford Child Care | 13 | | Center; he oversaw the creation of the Margaret Ford Manor, a | 14 | | 60-unit independent, affordable senior living facility located | 15 | | at 4500 S. Wabash Avenue, and the Victoria Jennings | 16 | | Residences, a 24-unit building for the disabled located at 624 | 17 | | W. 61st Street; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, On February 24, 2018, the St. Paul Church of God | 19 | | in Christ installed Pastor Kevin Anthony Ford as pastor after | 20 | | he served as assistant pastor for several years under the | 21 | | auspices of First Jurisdiction Illinois on February; the | 22 | | ceremony was officiated by Bishop Ocie Booker, Prelate; prior | 23 | | to his promotion, he was appointed by his father Bishop | 24 | | Charles Mason Ford to lead the workforce arm of the ministry to |
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| 1 | | enhance employment opportunities for the disenfranchised in | 2 | | 2000; he established the St. Paul Community Development | 3 | | Ministries (SPCDM), a 501(c) 3 community-based organization | 4 | | and pre-apprenticeship training program, and it has | 5 | | successfully prepared over 200 individuals for entry into | 6 | | registered Department of Labor apprenticeships for over 19 | 7 | | years and is recognized throughout the State of Illinois for | 8 | | its unique training model and placement ability; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The St. Paul Church of God in Christ will | 10 | | celebrate its 85th anniversary on June 13, 2021; therefore, be | 11 | | it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 13 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 14 | | we congratulate the St. Paul Church of God in Christ on serving | 15 | | its parishioners and the community for the past 85 years, and | 16 | | we wish the church continued success in the years to come; and | 17 | | be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to Pastor Kevin Anthony Ford as an expression of our | 20 | | esteem and respect.
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