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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are pleased to congratulate the pastor and 
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congregation of Bethel Baptist Church in Caseyville on the 
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200th anniversary of the church; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Bethel Baptist Church was formed in 1809; the 
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early church members and the first pastor were strong 
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abolitionists, and the early church constitution stated that 
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members could not own slaves or hold a pro-slavery position; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, The first pastor, James Lemen Sr., was an 
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important figure in the abolitionist movement in the early days 
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of Illinois history, and the early church was an important link 
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in the Underground Railroad; and

 
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    WHEREAS, John Mason Peck, another early pastor of the 
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church, helped John Meachum teach African-Americans to read and 
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write on a barge on the Mississippi River; he founded Shurtleff 
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College as Alton Seminary in 1827, and was the author of 
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several books; and

 

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    WHEREAS, Bethel Baptist Church has a full and rich history 
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and has truly reached a milestone with this bicentennial 
 


 






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anniversary which will be celebrated on October 4, 2009; 
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therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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congratulate the pastor and congregation of Bethel Baptist 
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Church and wish them continued blessings in the years to come; 
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and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Reverend Michael Evans, Pastor of Bethel Baptist 
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Church, as a symbol of our respect.