HR1350 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1350 LRB098 23236 GRL 62254 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of Shiloh Baptist Church on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the church's founding; and

WHEREAS, At a time when most of the surrounding country was forest and the roads were mere cart tracks, a small band of people met just south of Bridgeport in order to form the first Baptist church in Lawrence County on December 9, 1839; these individuals formed the church in order to meet the needs they had for fellowship and to meet God's call to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and

WHEREAS, The council, which was requested by the brethren living in Lawrence County, convened at Springhill Meeting House to appoint James Highsmith as moderator pro-tempore and William T. Young as clerk pro-tempore to take into consideration the expediency of granting their request to be constituted into a regular Baptist church; and

WHEREAS, The 11 founding members included J.S. Black and his wife, Mary Ann Black; William Black and his wife, Mary Black; Samuel F. Black and his wife, Harriet Black; Richard Shipley and his wife, Sarah Shipley; Daniel Black and his wife, Elizabeth Black; and Mrs. Mary Black, who were all baptized by Elder G.W. Riley on December 8, 1839; and

WHEREAS, The council called for the Articles of Faith, which was presented by the hand of J.S. Black, who was appointed by the brethren and sisters to act on behalf of the church; being satisfied with their Articles, the council unanimously agreed to constitute them into a regular Baptist church, which was to be known as the First Regular Baptist Church of Jesus Christ in Township 3 North, Range 12 West; and

WHEREAS, The church organized their first meeting by choosing Elder G.W. Riley as moderator and J.S. Black as clerk pro-tempore; and

WHEREAS, On August 9, 1840, a meeting was held to rename the church as Shiloh Baptist Church, meaning Messiah, denoting Him to be the only procurer to their happiness; and

WHEREAS, In January of 1863, the congregation approved a new meeting house, which would stand for 77 years until it was tragically destroyed by a fire in 1940; and

WHEREAS, In September of 1940, Shiloh Baptist Church began construction on a new building to serve as the church auditorium, along with a basement to hold Sunday school classrooms, which today serves as the church's youth department; and

WHEREAS, As the congregation continued to grow in size, the construction of a new auditorium began in 1979; a dedication was held on August 30, 1981 with Pastor George Moore as the guest speaker; and

WHEREAS, On October 8, 2008, Shiloh Baptist Church approved the church's new mission statement of "Glorifying God, Loving People; Knowing Christ, Making Christ Known"; and

WHEREAS, The Shiloh Baptist Church's 175th anniversary makes it one of the 100 oldest churches of any denomination in the State of Illinois and one of the 6 oldest Baptist churches in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, On December 14, 2014, Shiloh Baptist Church will celebrate the 175th anniversary of its founding with special guests, music, displays, photos, and a luncheon at noon, followed by a reception; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the members of Shiloh Baptist Church on the 175th anniversary of the church's founding and honor the church's commitment to be a place and people of help and ministry to others; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Shiloh Baptist Church as an expression of our esteem and respect.