Bill Text: IL HR0321 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates Reverend Charles M. Straight on his retirement as lead pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton. Wishes him the best in his future endeavors.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-24 - Resolution Adopted [HR0321 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0321-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to congratulate Reverend Charles M.
Straight on the occasion of his retirement as lead pastor of
Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Straight is a pastor, social activist,
thought leader, and strategic visionary with over 35 years of
experience in ministry; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Straight began his career in ministry after
becoming a member of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church
in 1973, becoming associate minister in 1974; during his
27-year membership, he served in the church's combined choirs,
conducted worship services for the Children's Church, and led
the Mission Department, which provides spiritual support and
guidance to persons confined to hospitals, prisons, nursing
homes, and mental institutions; he then served as assistant
pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church from 2000 to 2008,
during which he chaired the Evangelism Committee and served as
overseer of the AIDS Ministry; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Straight became lead pastor of Faith United
Methodist Church (Faith UMC) in July 2008; in addition to more
traditional pastoral duties such as administering sacraments,

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preaching, visitation of the sick, and overseeing church
administration, he has successfully led his church's historic
congregation through a cultural transition to become a
welcoming and inclusive church for members of the LGBTQIA+
community; he has accomplished this through implementing
significant social service programs and events, including
adult computer classes, a community feeding program, HIV/AIDS
testing, The Next Movement social justice ministry, the
Visioning and Community Investment Program, employment of
justice involved individuals, and cultivation of an atmosphere
of equality and fairness through workshops, seminars, and
sermon series; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Straight has spent a lifetime of service in
the field of HIV research, prevention, and education; he
organized and chaired the City of Chicago's first
African-American church-based AIDS ministries in 1985, serving
over 25 HIV-impacted church members at Fellowship Missionary
Baptist Church and other churches; he has continued to provide
vital services to the HIV/AIDS community for more than 20
years, working as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and
volunteering in a number of institutions, including the Howard
Brown Health Center, the Martha Washington Hospital Treatment
Center, the Kupona Network, the Evanston Health Department,
the Chicago Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS,
and Cook County's Stroger Hospital as project coordinator for

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the HIV Vaccine Preparedness Trials; he remains a certified
instructor of the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center
(MATEC); and
WHEREAS, Rev. Straight has served a number of
organizations, including the U.S. HIV & AIDS Faith Coalition
Leaders Group, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago Board, the Black
Church & HIV Advisory Committee for the NAACP, the HIV
Prevention Task Force for the Northern Illinois Conference of
the United Methodist Church, the Spiritual Care Committee for
Bonaventure House, and Pastors United for Change (PUC), a
community action group made up of ministers involved in the
issues of crime, health, education, social justice, and
economic empowerment of local community members; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Straight, now an empty nester, was the
licensed foster parent or adoptive parent of Krystal, Kenneth,
Ruth, Jeremiah, and Jasmine, whom he raised to adulthood;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we congratulate Reverend Charles M. Straight on his retirement
as lead pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton, and
we wish him the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

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RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Rev. Straight as an expression of our esteem and
respect.