HR1210 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1210 LRB098 21861 MST 60720 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Pastor J.C. Smith on the 50th anniversary of his ministry; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Smith is a native of Montgomery, Alabama; while there, he worked with Dr. M.L. King and Dr. Ralph Abernathy from 1955-1957 in the Montgomery Improvement Association during the bus boycott; he also worked as an insurance salesman for North Carolina Mutual from 1958-1962 and was the owner and operator of Smith's Clothing Store; in 1963, he moved to Harvey and became a licensed real estate salesman with the Blake Realty Company; he also became a journeyman carpenter and worked for 10 years for several general contractors before forming his own remodeling business; and

WHEREAS, In 1964, Pastor Smith accepted his call to preach and enrolled in the Chicago Baptist Institute Seminary, graduating in 1972; he was a founding member of the Bethlehem Temple Baptist Church in Harvey in 1969 and has served as its pastor since its inception; under his leadership, the church has experienced phenomenal growth and is a staple in the south suburbs and the greater Chicago area; in June of 2001, he extended the ministry to the northwest suburbs, and, in October of 2003, Bethlehem Temple Baptist Church moved into its own building in Elk Grove Village; and

WHEREAS, In the spring of 2002, Pastor Smith received special recognition from the YMCA for community service at its annual "Night Under the Stars", and, in July 2002, he was presented with an honorary doctorate degree from the Mt. Carmel Theological Seminary in Fresno, California; he has been listed in Who's Who Among Black Americans (1977-1978) (1980-1981) and has received numerous awards for his service to his country, community, and church; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Smith and the church have operated a summer day camp for the past 8 years for children ages 4-15; in 2001, the first summer basketball camp was held; in 1995, the Bethlehem Community Development Corporation was organized with him as executive director, and under the BCDC, the Bethlehem Village Housing Complex, a 72-unit building (which is now 100% occupied), was built across the street from the church; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Smith served as president of the Progressive Baptist State Congress from 1996 to 1999, while also serving as vice-president of the South Suburban Ministers Fellowship; he has served as president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention Moderators Council for 4 years from 1992 to 1996, and, in 2003, he was elected and served as president of the Progressive Baptist State Convention of Illinois until 2007; for over 40 years, he served his community as a school board member (Dist. #147), and for 20 of those years, he served as president; he currently serves as president of the board; he has also served 2 years as vice-president of the National Caucus of Black School Board members from 1980 to 1982; in August of 2000, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Smith served in the military from 1951 to 1953 and graduated from the Weaver's School of Real Estate in 1958; he is married to Willie M. Myricks-Smith, and, on June 3, 2011, they celebrated their 55th year of marriage; he is a father of 5 children, Jennifer, Jonathan, Jeffrey, Jerrold, and Jacques, and a grandfather of 14; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Pastor J.C. Smith on the 50th anniversary of his ministry and wish him many more years; and be it further

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