Bill Text: IL HR0639 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Celebrates the 100th anniversary of West Point Missionary Baptist Church.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-10-24 - Resolution Adopted [HR0639 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-HR0639-Introduced.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to congratulate the congregation of the | ||||||
4 | West Point Missionary Baptist Church on the occasion of the | ||||||
5 | 100th anniversary of its founding; and
| ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, On April 19, 1917, a small group of baptized | ||||||
7 | believers met to discuss the organization of a Missionary | ||||||
8 | Baptist Church; the group established the West Point Baptist | ||||||
9 | Church, named after the city in Mississippi from which a number | ||||||
10 | of the organizers transitioned; Reverend R. H. Harmon was | ||||||
11 | called to be their first pastor; and
| ||||||
12 | WHEREAS, Reverend Harmon's primary responsibility was to | ||||||
13 | secure an independent place of worship; Reverend Harmon and the | ||||||
14 | West Point Missionary Church members purchased the old St. Mark | ||||||
15 | Methodist Episcopal Church in the winter of 1917; after several | ||||||
16 | weeks of hard labor by the church's members, the building was | ||||||
17 | ready for occupancy; the congregation moved into the church on | ||||||
18 | the third Sunday of May 1918; to date, the building is 141 | ||||||
19 | years old and is still owned and operated by the church; and
| ||||||
20 | WHEREAS, In July 1922, Reverend Brown became the church's | ||||||
21 | second pastor; through his powerful gospel preaching and | ||||||
22 | spiritual leadership, the membership increased from 85 to |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | 3,000; he cast the vision for a new, modern facility and | ||||||
2 | completed the purchase of additional land to build a parking | ||||||
3 | lot and a new church center; however, his health began to fail, | ||||||
4 | and he subsequently discontinued active leadership; and
| ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, At the request of Reverend James H. Brown, one of | ||||||
6 | the church's staff ministers, Reverend Dr. Carroll J. Thompson, | ||||||
7 | served as interim pastor; he was a scholar and prolific writer; | ||||||
8 | after the death of Reverend Brown, Reverend Thompson was | ||||||
9 | elected as the church's third pastor; he was known as a caring | ||||||
10 | and compassionate pastor, who regularly visited his | ||||||
11 | parishioners; he made it his goal to fulfill Reverend Brown's | ||||||
12 | dream of building a new church; he retired in 1997; and
| ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, Reverend Corey Brooks became the fourth pastor of | ||||||
14 | the church; he introduced a new methodology of worship, which | ||||||
15 | resulted in a substantial growth of younger parishioners; under | ||||||
16 | his leadership, several activities, including clothing and | ||||||
17 | hospitality ministries were implemented; after three years of | ||||||
18 | service, Reverend Brooks resigned his position; and
| ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, In November 2001, after a yearlong search, Dr. L. | ||||||
20 | Bernard Jakes was elected as the fifth pastor of West Point | ||||||
21 | Baptist Church; he was responsible for bringing healing, | ||||||
22 | reconciliation, and restoration; Reverend Dr. Jakes started | ||||||
23 | many new programs, including a community Thanksgiving dinner; |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | youth Bible study, family and friends community day,and a | ||||||
2 | health fair; he has led the church in Operation Divine | ||||||
3 | Restoration and constructed neighborhood town homes, created | ||||||
4 | new ministries for the community, and empowered the laity to | ||||||
5 | actively engage in social justice; in 2010, Dr. Jakes began | ||||||
6 | referring to West Point as The Faith Family of West Point | ||||||
7 | Missionary Baptist Church; while not a constitutional name | ||||||
8 | change, it is a description as to who the local church is, a | ||||||
9 | family of faith; and
| ||||||
10 | WHEREAS, Dr. Jakes is highly involved with local, state, | ||||||
11 | and federal policy makers and utilizes his voice as a local | ||||||
12 | pastor to speak truth to power as it relates to social justice, | ||||||
13 | social action, and social accountability; he serves as a | ||||||
14 | working member on The Mayor's Commission for a Safer Chicago, | ||||||
15 | the Faith Based Leaders Advisory Board of the Cook County | ||||||
16 | Public Defender's Office, and a member of the Board of Trustees | ||||||
17 | for Elmhurst College; additionally, he serves as a spiritual | ||||||
18 | advisor to several local and state politicians; he shares his | ||||||
19 | ministry with his wife, Lady Carole Denise and their children, | ||||||
20 | Brandon and Erika; and
| ||||||
21 | WHEREAS, The accomplishments of The Faith Family of West | ||||||
22 | Point Missionary Baptist Church could not have been achieved | ||||||
23 | without the dedication and commitment of its members; | ||||||
24 | therefore, be it
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
2 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
3 | congratulate the congregation of the West Point Missionary | ||||||
4 | Baptist Church on the creation of a divinely inspired ministry | ||||||
5 | and community outreach effort over the course of 100 years in | ||||||
6 | the Chicago area; and be it further
| ||||||
7 | RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to | ||||||
8 | Reverend Dr. L. Bernard Jakes, Senior Pastor and teacher of The | ||||||
9 | Faith Family of West Point Missionary Baptist Church in | ||||||
10 | Chicago.
|