Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0639
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Full Text of HR0639  100th General Assembly

HR0639 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the congregation of the
4West Point Missionary Baptist Church on the occasion of the
5100th anniversary of its founding; and
 
6    WHEREAS, On April 19, 1917, a small group of baptized
7believers met to discuss the organization of a Missionary
8Baptist Church; the group established the West Point Baptist
9Church, named after the city in Mississippi from which a number
10of the organizers transitioned; Reverend R. H. Harmon was
11called to be their first pastor; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Reverend Harmon's primary responsibility was to
13secure an independent place of worship; Reverend Harmon and the
14West Point Missionary Church members purchased the old St. Mark
15Methodist Episcopal Church in the winter of 1917; after several
16weeks of hard labor by the church's members, the building was
17ready for occupancy; the congregation moved into the church on
18the third Sunday of May 1918; to date, the building is 141
19years old and is still owned and operated by the church; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In July 1922, Reverend Brown became the church's
21second pastor; through his powerful gospel preaching and
22spiritual leadership, the membership increased from 85 to

 

 

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13,000; he cast the vision for a new, modern facility and
2completed the purchase of additional land to build a parking
3lot and a new church center; however, his health began to fail,
4and he subsequently discontinued active leadership; and
 
5    WHEREAS, At the request of Reverend James H. Brown, one of
6the church's staff ministers, Reverend Dr. Carroll J. Thompson,
7served as interim pastor; he was a scholar and prolific writer;
8after the death of Reverend Brown, Reverend Thompson was
9elected as the church's third pastor; he was known as a caring
10and compassionate pastor, who regularly visited his
11parishioners; he made it his goal to fulfill Reverend Brown's
12dream of building a new church; he retired in 1997; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Reverend Corey Brooks became the fourth pastor of
14the church; he introduced a new methodology of worship, which
15resulted in a substantial growth of younger parishioners; under
16his leadership, several activities, including clothing and
17hospitality ministries were implemented; after three years of
18service, Reverend Brooks resigned his position; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In November 2001, after a yearlong search, Dr. L.
20Bernard Jakes was elected as the fifth pastor of West Point
21Baptist Church; he was responsible for bringing healing,
22reconciliation, and restoration; Reverend Dr. Jakes started
23many new programs, including a community Thanksgiving dinner;

 

 

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1youth Bible study, family and friends community day,and a
2health fair; he has led the church in Operation Divine
3Restoration and constructed neighborhood town homes, created
4new ministries for the community, and empowered the laity to
5actively engage in social justice; in 2010, Dr. Jakes began
6referring to West Point as The Faith Family of West Point
7Missionary Baptist Church; while not a constitutional name
8change, it is a description as to who the local church is, a
9family of faith; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Dr. Jakes is highly involved with local, state,
11and federal policy makers and utilizes his voice as a local
12pastor to speak truth to power as it relates to social justice,
13social action, and social accountability; he serves as a
14working member on The Mayor's Commission for a Safer Chicago,
15the Faith Based Leaders Advisory Board of the Cook County
16Public Defender's Office, and a member of the Board of Trustees
17for Elmhurst College; additionally, he serves as a spiritual
18advisor to several local and state politicians; he shares his
19ministry with his wife, Lady Carole Denise and their children,
20Brandon and Erika; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The accomplishments of The Faith Family of West
22Point Missionary Baptist Church could not have been achieved
23without the dedication and commitment of its members;
24therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3congratulate the congregation of the West Point Missionary
4Baptist Church on the creation of a divinely inspired ministry
5and community outreach effort over the course of 100 years in
6the Chicago area; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to
8Reverend Dr. L. Bernard Jakes, Senior Pastor and teacher of The
9Faith Family of West Point Missionary Baptist Church in
10Chicago.