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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
3Representatives wish to congratulate the Rev. Dr. Craig Melvin 
4Smith on celebrating 50 years of preaching, from 1972 to 2022; 
5and
  
 
6    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith is the Senior Pastor of the Freedom 
7Baptist Church of the Greater Chicago Area in Hillside; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith was born and raised in Peoria, the 
9third of seven children; he was called to preach the Gospel in 
101972 in his junior year at the University of Illinois in 
11Urbana-Champaign; and
  
 
12    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith preached his first sermon at his home 
13church, the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church of Peoria, 
14in February of 1972; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith was ordained at his home church in 
16April of 1974; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith's structured academic and 
18pastoral-theological preparation has earned him a Bachelor of 
19Arts from  the University of Illinois in 1973, a Master of 
20Divinity from the Northern Baptist Seminary in 2003, and a 
 
 
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1Doctor of Ministry from the United Theological Seminary in 
22009; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith started the Freedom Baptist Church on 
4April 9, 2000, and over 2,500 people have called Freedom 
5Hillside their church home since the first worship service was 
6held in the Hillside Theater; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith's previous professional and pastoral 
8assignments have included serving as  a personal banker for a 
9commercial national bank, as a crime analyst for the Peoria 
10Police Department, as a pastor for Providence Baptist Church, 
11and as a pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church of the 
12Westside in Chicago; and
  
 
13    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith is in his 20th year as a senior pastor 
14and teacher at Freedom Baptist Church; he preaches  Sunday 
15worship services and regularly teaches two Bible classes 
16weekly, Men of the Bible (MOB) and Word on Wednesday; and
  
 
17    WHEREAS, Rev. Smith has dedicated 50 years to the ministry 
18of worship and to work for his community; therefore, be it
  
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
20HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
21we congratulate the Rev. Dr. Craig Melvin Smith on celebrating 
 
 
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150 years of preaching, and we wish him many more wonderful 
2years; and be it further
  
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
4presented to Rev. Smith as a symbol of our respect and esteem.