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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate B.J. Gaston on the
4occasion of his retirement as Pastor of the Mt. Zion Baptist
5Church in Zion after 47 years of dedicated service; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Bennie James Gaston is the sixth son born to
7Rayfield and Dasie Gaston; at the age of 11, B.J. Gaston
8accepted Christ as his personal savior; he was united in holy
9matrimony to Rose Broome on June 25, 1957; and
 
10    WHEREAS, At the age of 20, B.J. Gaston entered the United
11States Army and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division;
12after serving for two years, he was given an honorable
13discharge; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Pastor Gaston completed a two-year program at
15Concordia Bible College in Milwaukee; he also earned a bachelor
16of theology degree and a master of divinity degree from
17McKinley Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi and has
18been awarded doctor of divinity, doctor of laws, and doctor of
19humane letters degrees from the Tennessee School of Religion;
20and
 
21    WHEREAS, Pastor Gaston accepted the divine call into the

 

 

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1ministry in 1957; he preached his first sermon on April 5,
21957, at the Tabernacle Community Baptist Church in Milwaukee,
3Wisconsin under the leadership of the now deceased Rev. J. L.
4Williams; in 1959, he was ordained as a gospel preacher and was
5also elected assistant pastor of Tabernacle Community Baptist
6Church, where he served faithfully; in 1964, he was called to
7pastor the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Zion, where he has served
8his congregation, the community, and God faithfully for 47
9years; and
 
10    WHEREAS, During Pastor Gaston's tenure, Mt. Zion Baptist
11Church has undergone numerous substantial improvements; the
12church has grown in membership from 40 to over 1,000; the
13church's Mt. Zion Sheila Day Care Center, church edifice, and
14Mt. Zion multi-purpose building were built, furnished, and paid
15off; the church received $1.2 million from HUD and built the
16B.J. Gaston Bethesda Village 40-unit elderly and handicapped
17complex; the Mt. Zion Credit Union, a charter member of the
18Illinois State Credit Union League, was created; the church
19also started its own website under his leadership; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Pastor Gaston served as president of the North
21Shore Baptist Ministers' Alliance for a total of 21 years;
22under his leadership, the organization started the Martin
23Luther King, Jr. memorial service, the tri-city revival, and
24Good Friday services; he is the President and founder of the

 

 

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1North Shore Bible College and Theological Seminary, Inc., now
2called the North Shore Theological Seminary, Inc.; he is also a
3past vice-moderator of the New Era District Fellowship (Chicago
4vicinity) and a member of the National Urban League, the NAACP,
5and the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Pastor Gaston has been the recipient of numerous
7awards and honors for his service in his community; in 1981, he
8received a proclamation from the City of Waukegan; in 1987, he
9received the keys to the City of Zion from Mayor Howard
10Everline; in 1990, he received a resolution of commendation
11from Zion Mayor Adeline Geo-Karis and an outstanding community
12service designation from Illinois State Representative John
13Matejevich; in 1997, he received the keys to the City of North
14Chicago from Mayor Bobby Thompson; that same year, he received
15an honorary street sign from the City of Zion and was named the
16most influential African-American of Lake County by People's
17Voice; in 1999, he was listed in the Nationwide Register's
18Who's Who in Executives and Businesses 2000-2001 edition; in
192004, he was named Man of the Year by the American Biographical
20Institute, USA and received a letter of congratulations from
21the office of Governor Rod Blagojevich; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Pastor Gaston serves as a model of hard work,
23integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of
24Illinois; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we congratulate B.J. Gaston on the occasion of his retirement
4and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it
5further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to B.J. Gaston as a symbol of our esteem and respect.