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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the Second Baptist Church
4in Elgin on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and
 
5    WHEREAS, During the Civil War, on October 15, 1862, Rev.
6Benjamin Thomas of the First Baptist Church brought to Elgin
7about 125 escaped slaves, mostly women and children, from
8plantations in Franklin County, Alabama; they fled behind the
9lines of the Union Army; this group of refugees, joined later
10by husbands and fathers, established the African-American
11community of Elgin and formed the nucleus of Second Baptist
12Church; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Worship first took the form of camp meetings at
14Colby's Grove; informal services of prayers and songs took
15place at the home of Arthur Newsome; Rev. Adoniram J. Joslyn
16and Harriett Cheney of First Baptist Church provided
17assistance; Second Baptist Church was formally organized on
18December 2, 1866, with John Ford, Arthur Newsome, and Peter
19Newsome serving as trustees; its first African-American
20minister was Rev. Richard DeBaptiste of Chicago, who served as
21pastor prior to his death in 1901; born free in Ohio, he came
22to Elgin to preach at the new church and baptized many of the
23members; in the early days, even during the winter, baptisms

 

 

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1were conducted in the Fox River; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The first church building was a frame structure on
3Center Street facing Barclay Park; later, a portion of the
4church moved to Dundee Avenue and remained there until March
528, 1875, when it was destroyed by fire; services were then
6held in City Hall until a new brick structure was erected in
71876 on the northwest corner of Dundee Avenue and Kimball
8Street; Newsome Park now rests on this site and was named in
9honor of the Newsome brothers who were among the church
10organizers; and
 
11    WHEREAS, By 1959, the church had grown in membership and
12the building and its contents were rapidly depreciating; the
13members of Second Baptist Church moved into their new house of
14worship on Franklin Boulevard on May 1, 1961; and
 
15    WHEREAS, On November 21, 1984, Rev. Shirley Roberts was
16licensed as a minister and ordained on September 29, 1991,
17becoming the first female minister in the history of the church
18and the first African-American female to be licensed and
19ordained in the City of Elgin; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Second Baptist Church moved into a new edifice on
21Summit Street on August 19, 1990; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Nathaniel L. Edmond was installed as the
2new pastor on February 20, 2000; under his leadership, the
3church has experienced tremendous growth; accomplishments
4include the nursery being refurbished and re-opening in May of
52000; the first "Wonderful Wednesday" mid-week service
6commenced on February 7, 2001; a second Sunday morning worship
7service began in June of 2002; the church website was launched
8in July of 2002; Noon Day Bible Study began in July of 2005;
9and a mentoring partnership with Sheridan Elementary School
10began in January of 2006; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In March of 2006, a Children's Church was
12established to provide a service designed to meet the needs of
13children ages 6 to 12; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In October of 2006, Pastor Edmond and First Lady
15Christine Edmond traveled to Africa as part of a World Vision
16International missionary trip; the church sponsored two
17children in Tanzania; the number grew to 132 by February of
182007; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Then United States Senate Candidate Barack Obama
20visited Second Baptist Church on May 11, 2003; his campaign
21slogan was "A Chance to Believe Again"; embarking on a
22grassroots campaign to build support in the State, he visited
23the church to introduce himself to the community and to field

 

 

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1questions from potential voters; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Second Baptist Church operates a Young Adult
3Ministry, Public Relations Ministry, Prison Ministry, Bus
4Ministry, Divine Arts Ministry, Information Technology
5Ministry, Children's Church, Youth Ministry, SAFE (Standing
6Against Abuse for Everyone) Ministry, Empowerment Ministry,
7and League of Military Veterans Ministry in order to spread its
8message and reach the community; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11congratulate Second Baptist Church on its 150th anniversary and
12wish them many more years of success; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to Second Baptist Church as an expression of our
15esteem and respect.