Bill Text: IL HR1350 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates the members of Shiloh Baptist Church on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the church's founding.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Passed) 2014-11-20 - Resolution Adopted [HR1350 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HR1350-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of
Shiloh Baptist Church on the occasion of the 175th anniversary
of the church's founding; and
WHEREAS, At a time when most of the surrounding country was
forest and the roads were mere cart tracks, a small band of
people met just south of Bridgeport in order to form the first
Baptist church in Lawrence County on December 9, 1839; these
individuals formed the church in order to meet the needs they
had for fellowship and to meet God's call to spread the Gospel
of Jesus Christ; and
WHEREAS, The council, which was requested by the brethren
living in Lawrence County, convened at Springhill Meeting House
to appoint James Highsmith as moderator pro-tempore and William
T. Young as clerk pro-tempore to take into consideration the
expediency of granting their request to be constituted into a
regular Baptist church; and
WHEREAS, The 11 founding members included J.S. Black and
his wife, Mary Ann Black; William Black and his wife, Mary
Black; Samuel F. Black and his wife, Harriet Black; Richard
Shipley and his wife, Sarah Shipley; Daniel Black and his wife,

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Elizabeth Black; and Mrs. Mary Black, who were all baptized by
Elder G.W. Riley on December 8, 1839; and
WHEREAS, The council called for the Articles of Faith,
which was presented by the hand of J.S. Black, who was
appointed by the brethren and sisters to act on behalf of the
church; being satisfied with their Articles, the council
unanimously agreed to constitute them into a regular Baptist
church, which was to be known as the First Regular Baptist
Church of Jesus Christ in Township 3 North, Range 12 West; and
WHEREAS, The church organized their first meeting by
choosing Elder G.W. Riley as moderator and J.S. Black as clerk
pro-tempore; and
WHEREAS, On August 9, 1840, a meeting was held to rename
the church as Shiloh Baptist Church, meaning Messiah, denoting
Him to be the only procurer to their happiness; and
WHEREAS, In January of 1863, the congregation approved a
new meeting house, which would stand for 77 years until it was
tragically destroyed by a fire in 1940; and
WHEREAS, In September of 1940, Shiloh Baptist Church began
construction on a new building to serve as the church
auditorium, along with a basement to hold Sunday school

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classrooms, which today serves as the church's youth
department; and
WHEREAS, As the congregation continued to grow in size, the
construction of a new auditorium began in 1979; a dedication
was held on August 30, 1981 with Pastor George Moore as the
guest speaker; and
WHEREAS, On October 8, 2008, Shiloh Baptist Church approved
the church's new mission statement of "Glorifying God, Loving
People; Knowing Christ, Making Christ Known"; and
WHEREAS, The Shiloh Baptist Church's 175th anniversary
makes it one of the 100 oldest churches of any denomination in
the State of Illinois and one of the 6 oldest Baptist churches
in the State of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, On December 14, 2014, Shiloh Baptist Church will
celebrate the 175th anniversary of its founding with special
guests, music, displays, photos, and a luncheon at noon,
followed by a reception; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we congratulate the members of Shiloh Baptist Church on the
175th anniversary of the church's founding and honor the

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church's commitment to be a place and people of help and
ministry to others; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Shiloh Baptist Church as an expression of our
esteem and respect.