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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of
4Shiloh Baptist Church on the occasion of the 175th anniversary
5of the church's founding; and
 
6    WHEREAS, At a time when most of the surrounding country was
7forest and the roads were mere cart tracks, a small band of
8people met just south of Bridgeport in order to form the first
9Baptist church in Lawrence County on December 9, 1839; these
10individuals formed the church in order to meet the needs they
11had for fellowship and to meet God's call to spread the Gospel
12of Jesus Christ; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The council, which was requested by the brethren
14living in Lawrence County, convened at Springhill Meeting House
15to appoint James Highsmith as moderator pro-tempore and William
16T. Young as clerk pro-tempore to take into consideration the
17expediency of granting their request to be constituted into a
18regular Baptist church; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The 11 founding members included J.S. Black and
20his wife, Mary Ann Black; William Black and his wife, Mary
21Black; Samuel F. Black and his wife, Harriet Black; Richard
22Shipley and his wife, Sarah Shipley; Daniel Black and his wife,

 

 

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1Elizabeth Black; and Mrs. Mary Black, who were all baptized by
2Elder G.W. Riley on December 8, 1839; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The council called for the Articles of Faith,
4which was presented by the hand of J.S. Black, who was
5appointed by the brethren and sisters to act on behalf of the
6church; being satisfied with their Articles, the council
7unanimously agreed to constitute them into a regular Baptist
8church, which was to be known as the First Regular Baptist
9Church of Jesus Christ in Township 3 North, Range 12 West; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The church organized their first meeting by
11choosing Elder G.W. Riley as moderator and J.S. Black as clerk
12pro-tempore; and
 
13    WHEREAS, On August 9, 1840, a meeting was held to rename
14the church as Shiloh Baptist Church, meaning Messiah, denoting
15Him to be the only procurer to their happiness; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In January of 1863, the congregation approved a
17new meeting house, which would stand for 77 years until it was
18tragically destroyed by a fire in 1940; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In September of 1940, Shiloh Baptist Church began
20construction on a new building to serve as the church
21auditorium, along with a basement to hold Sunday school

 

 

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1classrooms, which today serves as the church's youth
2department; and
 
3    WHEREAS, As the congregation continued to grow in size, the
4construction of a new auditorium began in 1979; a dedication
5was held on August 30, 1981 with Pastor George Moore as the
6guest speaker; and
 
7    WHEREAS, On October 8, 2008, Shiloh Baptist Church approved
8the church's new mission statement of "Glorifying God, Loving
9People; Knowing Christ, Making Christ Known"; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Shiloh Baptist Church's 175th anniversary
11makes it one of the 100 oldest churches of any denomination in
12the State of Illinois and one of the 6 oldest Baptist churches
13in the State of Illinois; and
 
14    WHEREAS, On December 14, 2014, Shiloh Baptist Church will
15celebrate the 175th anniversary of its founding with special
16guests, music, displays, photos, and a luncheon at noon,
17followed by a reception; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
19NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
20we congratulate the members of Shiloh Baptist Church on the
21175th anniversary of the church's founding and honor the

 

 

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1church's commitment to be a place and people of help and
2ministry to others; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4presented to Shiloh Baptist Church as an expression of our
5esteem and respect.