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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate James Andrew "Andy" Busch | ||||||
| 4 | on the occasion of his retirement as pastor at Alpha Baptist | ||||||
| 5 | Church after 34 years of service at the age of 70; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Andy Busch has been a pillar of the community for | ||||||
| 7 | decades, supporting and organizing events at hospitals and | ||||||
| 8 | churches, officiating numerous weddings, and serving as | ||||||
| 9 | chaplain for ten funerals; and | ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, Andy Busch was born in Duluth, Minnesota on | ||||||
| 11 | January 18, 1956; he attended Green Bay East High School in | ||||||
| 12 | Green Bay, Wisconsin, graduating in 1974; he then studied at | ||||||
| 13 | the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, graduating in 1979, and | ||||||
| 14 | the Bethel Theological Seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota, | ||||||
| 15 | graduating in 1983; after completing his education, he moved | ||||||
| 16 | several times before eventually settling in Galesburg, | ||||||
| 17 | Illinois in 2007; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, Andy Busch became a full-time chaplain at the | ||||||
| 19 | United Medical Center on August 20, 1990, retiring from that | ||||||
| 20 | position on January 31, 2025; his service in hospitals | ||||||
| 21 | included improving mental health and addiction care through | ||||||
| 22 | music and spiritual teaching, facilitating community grief | ||||||
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| 1 | groups, and assisting aspiring hospital chaplains to become | ||||||
| 2 | certified with the Association of Professional Chaplains in | ||||||
| 3 | 1992; for his efforts, he was honored with a monthly service | ||||||
| 4 | award; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Andy Busch became the pastor of Alpha Baptist | ||||||
| 6 | Church in Alpha, Illinois in February 1995; his service has | ||||||
| 7 | included overseeing four baby dedications, leading four | ||||||
| 8 | revivals, participating in the praise band and One Love youth | ||||||
| 9 | ministry, writing a column in the Register-Mail, and playing | ||||||
| 10 | in six church concerts; he has also officiated 35 weddings | ||||||
| 11 | between Alpha Baptist Church and Community Baptist Church of | ||||||
| 12 | Ontario, Wisconsin, including a wedding hosted at a stock car | ||||||
| 13 | racetrack; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, Andy Busch's pastoral duties have extended even | ||||||
| 15 | further, including starting a food pantry at the Community | ||||||
| 16 | Baptist Church in 1988, being the co-winner of the American | ||||||
| 17 | Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region Hymn Contest in | ||||||
| 18 | 1993, and giving the invocation to the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 19 | Representatives on May 14, 2026; and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, Andy Busch will retire on July 19, 2026, leaving | ||||||
| 21 | a legacy of faith and dedication that will not be forgotten by | ||||||
| 22 | the congregations he has served or the many people his service | ||||||
| 23 | has touched; therefore, be it | ||||||
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| 1 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 2 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 3 | we congratulate James Andrew "Andy" Busch on the occasion of | ||||||
| 4 | his retirement as a pastor at Alpha Baptist Church after 34 | ||||||
| 5 | years of service, and we thank him for his dedication and | ||||||
| 6 | commitment; and be it further | ||||||
| 7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 8 | presented to Andy Busch as a symbol of our esteem and respect. | ||||||