HR1340 LRB096 22614 KXB 41935 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate the congregation
4 and staff of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Chicago on their 148th
5 anniversary; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Bethel was formally organized as a Mission by
7 Bishop William Paul Quinn in April of 1862; overcrowding at
8 Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church led to the organization of Bethel;
9 Reverend John B. Dawson, a local preacher, was appointed as
10 shepherd of Bethel until a regular minister could be sent; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In June of 1862 Reverend Eamos McIntosh was
12 assigned as the first pastor; in 1865 the Reverend Frederick
13 Myers held services in Trinity Mission while looking for a new
14 and permanent location for the church; and
 
15     WHEREAS, In 1870 the main auditorium was completed; the
16 Chicago fire of 1874 destroyed Bethel and services were held in
17 the old Railroad Chapel; in 1875 the second Bethel church
18 building was erected and dedicated under the pastorate of
19 Reverend J.W. Malone; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Ground was broken in 1890 for the third Bethel
21 building and the cornerstone was laid in September of that

 

 

HR1340 - 2 - LRB096 22614 KXB 41935 r

1 year; and
 
2     WHEREAS, The Federation of Colored Women's Clubs was formed
3 by Mrs. Codelia West and later became a part of the Illinois
4 and National Association of Colored Women; the Afro-American
5 Fellowship movement, under Mrs. Ida B. Wells Barnett began in
6 the Bethel church as well; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Both the Big Sisters Association and the Big
8 Brothers Association were organized at Bethel, leading to the
9 organization of the Southside Boys Club; in September of 1949
10 Dr. C. Baker Pearle completed the church building at its
11 present site and the march and dedication were held on June 10,
12 1951; therefore, be it
 
13     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
15 congratulate the congregation and staff of Bethel A.M.E. Church
16 on their anniversary and wish them continued success in their
17 ministry; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19 presented to Reverend Philip L. Ware, current pastor of Bethel
20 A.M.E. Church, as a symbol of our respect and esteem.