HR0631 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0631 LRB098 14504 MST 49247 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, The beginnings of the church took place in August 2000 when Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley, Sr. was assigned to Scott Air Force Base near Belleville; although originally planning on returning home to the State of Virginia when his assignment was finished, by January 2001 he found himself planning a ministry to serve the O'Fallon area; and

WHEREAS, In September 2001, plans began to take shape for the church and it started to acquire the necessary finances to support it; in January 2002, the founding Core Group had established a Business Planning Committee; in August 2002, office space in O'Fallon was leased, and in November of that year, land was purchased to serve as the church's future home; and

WHEREAS, On April 20, 2003, the New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church held its first service at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Fairview Heights with an initial congregation of 812 people; by January 2004, there was a congregation of over 1,000, and a ground-breaking ceremony was held on April 9, 2004 to begin construction on a new church building; and

WHEREAS, The first service of the New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church at its new home on Scott-Troy Road was held on June 25, 2005; the current building is a 30,000 square feet facility, with a 450-seat sanctuary, a gym, Christian education classrooms, administrative offices, and a child care center; the church currently has a congregation of over 2,500, and continues to expand, with The Charles and Deane Rayford Family Development Center (youth building) opening in October 2010; and

WHEREAS, Senior Pastor Dudley was consecrated as a Bishop in October 2009; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church on its 10th anniversary and wish them many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church as an expression of our esteem and respect.