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HR0247 |
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LRB096 12234 KXB 25041 r |
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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 Reverend Howard |
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| Wills, Sr., of the Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church |
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| in Kankakee, on his 25th anniversary as a pastor; and
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| WHEREAS, Reverend Howard L. Wills, Sr., was born in |
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| Chicago, the fifth child of Reverend Joseph and Eliza Wills; as |
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| early as 10 years old Pastor Wills knew he was destined to be a |
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| preacher; in preparation for this calling on his life, he was |
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| converted at age 10 and baptized by Reverend Hezekiah Brady |
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| Sr.; and
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| WHEREAS, As a young man he worked with the Sunday School |
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| ministry as a teacher and superintendent, Baptist Training |
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| Union, Choir Ministry, and Junior Deacon Ministry; in 1969 he |
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| was drafted into the United States Army and served two years, |
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| including a tour of duty in Vietnam; in 1973 he married Carol |
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| A. Riley and God blessed them with two sons, Howard, Jr., and |
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| Devin Christopher; and
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| WHEREAS, Pastor Wills accepted his calling to preach in |
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| 1977; to equip himself for the work of preaching God's word he |
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| attended Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tennessee, |
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| Kankakee Community College, Chicago Baptist Institute, Moody |
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HR0247 |
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LRB096 12234 KXB 25041 r |
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| Bible Institute, and Liberty University in Lynchburg, |
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| Virginia; he has been a member of the B.E.S.T. Conference of |
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| Los Angeles, California for 13 years, which specializes in the |
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| study of Greek and Hebrew; and
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| WHEREAS, Reverend Wills began pastoring the Greater New |
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| Hope Missionary Baptist Church February 12, 1984, after eleven |
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| years as Assistant Pastor under his father Reverend Joseph |
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| Wills, Sr.; he has pastored the Greater New Hope Church for 25 |
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| years, where he has
been instrumental in raising the standards |
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| for the church community and building a $1.6 million edifice to |
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| accommodate a growing congregation and ministry; and
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| WHEREAS, In the last 25 years he has helped to organize the |
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| Chris Lloyd Scholarship Foundation, clothing ministry, food |
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| ministry, and the Outreach Ministry at the River Valley |
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| Supportive Living facility; under his leadership the church has |
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| purchased several properties on Cottage Avenue and Cedar Street |
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| for future building plans;
Pastor Wills has held various |
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| positions in civic and denominational organizations, serving |
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| as President of the Minister's Alliance of Kankakee County, |
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| Assistant Dean of Religion for the Baptist General State |
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| Convention of Illinois, and Chairman of Membership for the |
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| Baptist General State Convention of Illinois; and he was a |
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| member of the Federal Loan Review Committee, a board member of |
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| United Way Organization, as well as a board member and |
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HR0247 |
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LRB096 12234 KXB 25041 r |
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| organizer of the Dr. Martin Luther King Foundation; and
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| WHEREAS, Pastor Wills has always had a love and a passion |
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| for teaching and preaching God's Word and for pastoring the |
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| people of God; like his father, he is truly a man committed to |
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| God's calling and His vision; 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 Reverend Wills on twenty-five years of service to |
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| the church and community and wish him all the best in his |
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| future endeavors; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| presented to Reverend Howard L. Wills, Sr., as a symbol of our |
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| respect and esteem.
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