Full Text of HR0891 97th General Assembly
HR0891 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are pleased to honor Walstone Elisha Francis | 4 | | for his work as a pastor; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Walstone Francis is a native of Nassau, Bahamas; | 6 | | he was born on January 9, 1953; his parents are Drs. Earle and | 7 | | Marjorie Francis; he became a United States citizen on July 19, | 8 | | 1994; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Walstone Francis received his elementary and high | 10 | | school education in Nassau; he accepted Christ at the age of | 11 | | 17; in 1971, he was licensed to preach by his father Dr. Earle | 12 | | Francis of the First Baptist Church in Nassau; he came to the | 13 | | United States that same year; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Walstone Francis earned his Bachelor of Theology | 15 | | and Bachelor of Arts Degrees from American Baptist College of | 16 | | American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee; | 17 | | he later earned his honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from | 18 | | Selma University in Selma, Alabama in 1989; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, On February 28, 1974, Walstone Francis was | 20 | | ordained in the Gospel Ministry by Rev. Wellington A. Johnson. | 21 | | Sr., then Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Smyrna, |
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| 1 | | Tennessee; he served as Pastor of Mt. View Baptist Church in | 2 | | Smyrna, Tennessee from 1974 to 1979, and the Alpha Missionary | 3 | | Baptist Church in Franklin, Kentucky from 1980 to 1992; on | 4 | | January 8, 1992, he was called to pastor the Shiloh
Baptist | 5 | | Church of Waukegan; he accepted the call on January 26, 1992 | 6 | | and assumed the pastorate on March 1, 1992; on May 3, 1992, he | 7 | | was officially installed as pastor by Dr. Earle Francis and | 8 | | Pastor Wellington Johnson; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Walstone Francis has served with numerous | 10 | | religious organizations, including the Franklin-Simpson | 11 | | Ministerial Fellowship, the Sunday Church School and Baptist | 12 | | Training Union Congress of the National Baptist Convention of | 13 | | America; Young Adult Sunday School Quarterly, the National | 14 | | Baptist Publishing Board of the National Missionary Baptist | 15 | | Convention of America, the Committee on Uniform Series, | 16 | | Education for Christian Life and Mission of the Division of the | 17 | | National Council of Churches, U.S.A., and the New Era District | 18 | | Association of Chicago & Vicinity; he has served as a volunteer | 19 | | Chaplain at Victory Memorial Hospital, St. Theresa Hospital, | 20 | | and the Lake County Jail in Waukegan; in August of 2003, he was | 21 | | appointed to the Waukegan Civil Service Commission by Mayor | 22 | | Richard Hyde; in 2009, he resigned as instructor of the | 23 | | Congress of Christian Education of the National Baptist | 24 | | Convention, USA, Inc.; he has also been a member of the NAACP, | 25 | | the Human Rights Commission in Franklin, Kentucky, and the |
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| 1 | | Barren River Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board in | 2 | | Howling Green, Kentucky; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Walstone Francis currently serves as an | 4 | | instructor at the Christian Leadership School of the Baptist | 5 | | General State Congress of Christian Education; he is the | 6 | | Chairman of Foreign Missions for the Baptist General State | 7 | | Convention of Illinois; he is an adult writer for the Sunday | 8 | | School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention, | 9 | | USA, Inc.; he is also an organizer and former Moderator of the | 10 | | Lake Shore Baptist District in Waukegan and Vicinity; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Walstone Francis is well known within the | 12 | | Christian ministry as a passionate and effective pastor, | 13 | | preacher, and teacher of the gospel, whose special gifts in his | 14 | | knowledge of the Word and ability to explain the Scriptures for | 15 | | easy comprehension are beyond comparison; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Walstone Francis has been married to his loving | 17 | | wife, Mrs. Angelia Rene Otey Williams; the special family that | 18 | | the Lord has given them is composed of Ronald (deceased), | 19 | | Angelica, Diesha, Dyasha, John, Jakeyha, Shawntrice, Nigel, | 20 | | Cameron, Lantz, Michaela, Marion, Jamir Elisha, Jamya Rene, and | 21 | | Elijah Emanuel; therefore, be it
| 22 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| 1 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 2 | | we honor Walstone Elisha Francis for his work as a pastor and | 3 | | wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be | 4 | | it further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 | | presented to Walstone Francis as a symbol of our esteem and | 7 | | respect.
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