Full Text of HR0247 96th General Assembly
HR0247 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
HR0247 |
|
LRB096 12234 KXB 25041 r |
|
| 1 |
| HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to congratulate Reverend Howard | 4 |
| Wills, Sr., of the Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church | 5 |
| in Kankakee, on his 25th anniversary as a pastor; and
| 6 |
| WHEREAS, Reverend Howard L. Wills, Sr., was born in | 7 |
| Chicago, the fifth child of Reverend Joseph and Eliza Wills; as | 8 |
| early as 10 years old Pastor Wills knew he was destined to be a | 9 |
| preacher; in preparation for this calling on his life, he was | 10 |
| converted at age 10 and baptized by Reverend Hezekiah Brady | 11 |
| Sr.; and
| 12 |
| WHEREAS, As a young man he worked with the Sunday School | 13 |
| ministry as a teacher and superintendent, Baptist Training | 14 |
| Union, Choir Ministry, and Junior Deacon Ministry; in 1969 he | 15 |
| was drafted into the United States Army and served two years, | 16 |
| including a tour of duty in Vietnam; in 1973 he married Carol | 17 |
| A. Riley and God blessed them with two sons, Howard, Jr., and | 18 |
| Devin Christopher; and
| 19 |
| WHEREAS, Pastor Wills accepted his calling to preach in | 20 |
| 1977; to equip himself for the work of preaching God's word he | 21 |
| attended Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tennessee, | 22 |
| Kankakee Community College, Chicago Baptist Institute, Moody |
|
|
|
HR0247 |
- 2 - |
LRB096 12234 KXB 25041 r |
|
| 1 |
| Bible Institute, and Liberty University in Lynchburg, | 2 |
| Virginia; he has been a member of the B.E.S.T. Conference of | 3 |
| Los Angeles, California for 13 years, which specializes in the | 4 |
| study of Greek and Hebrew; and
| 5 |
| WHEREAS, Reverend Wills began pastoring the Greater New | 6 |
| Hope Missionary Baptist Church February 12, 1984, after eleven | 7 |
| years as Assistant Pastor under his father Reverend Joseph | 8 |
| Wills, Sr.; he has pastored the Greater New Hope Church for 25 | 9 |
| years, where he has
been instrumental in raising the standards | 10 |
| for the church community and building a $1.6 million edifice to | 11 |
| accommodate a growing congregation and ministry; and
| 12 |
| WHEREAS, In the last 25 years he has helped to organize the | 13 |
| Chris Lloyd Scholarship Foundation, clothing ministry, food | 14 |
| ministry, and the Outreach Ministry at the River Valley | 15 |
| Supportive Living facility; under his leadership the church has | 16 |
| purchased several properties on Cottage Avenue and Cedar Street | 17 |
| for future building plans;
Pastor Wills has held various | 18 |
| positions in civic and denominational organizations, serving | 19 |
| as President of the Minister's Alliance of Kankakee County, | 20 |
| Assistant Dean of Religion for the Baptist General State | 21 |
| Convention of Illinois, and Chairman of Membership for the | 22 |
| Baptist General State Convention of Illinois; and he was a | 23 |
| member of the Federal Loan Review Committee, a board member of | 24 |
| United Way Organization, as well as a board member and |
|
|
|
HR0247 |
- 3 - |
LRB096 12234 KXB 25041 r |
|
| 1 |
| organizer of the Dr. Martin Luther King Foundation; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, Pastor Wills has always had a love and a passion | 3 |
| for teaching and preaching God's Word and for pastoring the | 4 |
| people of God; like his father, he is truly a man committed to | 5 |
| God's calling and His vision; therefore, be it
| 6 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 7 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 8 |
| congratulate Reverend Wills on twenty-five years of service to | 9 |
| the church and community and wish him all the best in his | 10 |
| future endeavors; and be it further
| 11 |
| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 |
| presented to Reverend Howard L. Wills, Sr., as a symbol of our | 13 |
| respect and esteem.
|
|