HR0635 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0635 LRB098 14496 MST 49265 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Bishop Willie James Chambliss, founder and Pastor of the Miracle Revival Center Church of God in Christ in Maywood on the occasion of his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Chambliss founded the Miracle Revival Center Church on Saint Charles Road in Maywood on May 11, 1969; the church's innovative approach to ministry, tent revivals, vacation bible school, and a string of dynamic speakers prompted unanticipated growth; after the original location on Saint Charles Road was no longer adequate, the church spent time located on West Madison in Bellwood and a second location on Saint Charles in Maywood; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Chambliss also served as First Administrative Assistant during his early days as Pastor; he quickly became respected as a true leader and a man of honor and integrity; on February 2, 1985 he accepted his calling into the Office of Bishop and on February 29, 1996 he was installed as the Jurisdictional Bishop of the Illinois Midwest Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in the Church of God in Christ; he oversees 12 churches across 3 mid-western states, with the majority located in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The Miracle Revival Center has advanced a great deal since its founding by Bishop Chambliss; the ministry's current home, constructed in 1991, is a 1,200 seat state-of-the-art facility that houses an audio and video center, a community child-care center, bookstore, and prayer tower; and

WHEREAS, In 1994, Governor Jim Edgar proclaimed September 16, 1994 to be Miracle Revival Center Day throughout the State of Illinois in honor of the ministry's 25th year anniversary and service to the community; and

WHEREAS, Today the ministry strives to address a myriad of complex social issues; Bishop Chambliss has established a non-profit organization, the West Suburban Neighborhood Development Corporation, to meet the social services and economic development needs of the community; it serves as a delivery system through which grant funding and community economic development projects are conducted; the Miracle Revival Center Food & Pantry Depository, the Community Juvenile Justice Education Project, the Maywood Health & Wellness Fair, and the Community Youth Residential Center are all programs under the West Suburban Neighborhood Development Corporation dedicated to helping those in the community; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Chambliss was born to Willie J. Chambliss, Sr. and Lucille Chambliss on February 6, 1929 in Macon, Georgia; he has been married to Mother Irene Chambliss since 1959 and together they have 5 children, 12 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren; he studied at the Moody Bible Institute and the C.H. Mason-William Roberts Bible Institute; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Bishop Willie James Chambliss on his retirement as Pastor from the Miracle Revival Center Church of God in Christ, thank him for his commitment to his community, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Bishop Chambliss as an expression of our esteem and respect.