HR0726 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0726 LRB095 13746 GRL 39473 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the congregation of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church on the occasion of the church's 150th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church is one of the oldest and largest African-American churches in Decatur/Macon County; and

WHEREAS, The first congregation of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church was organized around 1854, with Maria Carr, better known as "Grandma Carr", along with Mrs. Gilbert Vernon and Mrs. Emily Stains having weekly prayer meetings in their homes; the three women sought to build a church that would edify the gospel and word of God; and

WHEREAS, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church's first location was a small frame building located on Spring Street on land donated by Captain David L. Allen, a wealthy citizen at the time; a warranty deed for the land was titled over to the first trustees of the church on June 21, 1858; the church's first pastor was Reverend Tom Reasoner; the church housed the first school for black citizens in Decatur from 1857 to 1905; and

WHEREAS, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church later moved to a location at 600 Greenwood Avenue, followed by a move to 525 North Church Street; and

WHEREAS, Several ministers have served Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, including the late Rev. Dr. Oscar C. Turner, Jr., a faithful servant who led the congregation from 1965 until his death in 1995; he was the Administrative Dean of the United Theological Seminary of Monroe, Louisiana and opened an extension of this seminary in Decatur at Antioch; many local ministers from Decatur and neighboring cities studied under Dr. Turner and earned their Bachelor's and/or Master's of Theology degree; lay people also obtained certification while attending this school; a free food bank and clothing room was also established under Dr. Turner in order to serve needy families in the community, which continues to this date at a location on Church Street in Decatur; Antioch Credit Union was established in 1970; the church also hosts an annual free Community Health Fair in the month of September and weekly worship broadcasts on both radio and television stations; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1995, the Reverend Dr. C. D. Stuart, from Arkansas, became the next Shepherd to lead Antioch Missionary Baptist Church's congregation; under Dr. Stuart's leadership, Antioch moved to its current location at 530 West Mound Road on February 7, 1999; for a time, services were held at both locations, with Antioch being known as "One Church, Two Locations", with the Church Street location known as Antioch South and the Mound Road location known as Antioch North; and

WHEREAS, On August 18, 2003, Antioch Christian Academy, a vision of Dr. Stuart's, became a reality, offering a program for kindergarten through second grade; the academy currently offers kindergarten through sixth grade classes; and

WHEREAS, A mortgage burning ceremony was held on Palm Sunday, March 24, 2004 for Antioch Missionary Baptist Church's Antioch North location; the final worship service at Antioch South was held on January 2, 2005 and Antioch South's location was sold in the fall of 2006; and

WHEREAS, Through a collaboration with a number of not-for-profit organizations and the City of Decatur, a piece of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church's property, known as "the blue house" on Church Street, was renovated into a homeless shelter and was dedicated during a special ceremony as the Antioch Safe Haven on May 17, 2006; the shelter provides permanent housing and support services for up to eight chronically homeless individuals; and

WHEREAS, In celebration of the church's sesquicentennial year, the congregation of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church will host a special banquet on Friday, October 12, 2007 at the Decatur Club and a special anniversary service on Sunday, October 28, 2007, along with many other events and special services throughout 2007; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the congregation of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church on the occasion of the church's 150th anniversary and wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Reverend Dr. C. D. Stuart as a symbol of our esteem and respect.