Full Text of HR1346 100th General Assembly
HR1346 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate the Rev. Dr. Alan Vincent | 4 | | Ragland on the occasion of his retirement as pastor from the | 5 | | Third Baptist Church of Chicago after 26 years; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Ragland completed his undergraduate studies | 7 | | at the University of Memphis; he received his Master of | 8 | | Divinity from the Colgate Rochester Divinity School and earned | 9 | | his Doctor of Ministry from the McCormick Theological Seminary; | 10 | | he served as pastor of the New Fellowship Baptist Church in | 11 | | Memphis prior to coming to Third Baptist Church as only the | 12 | | second pastor in its history; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Ragland was ordained by the Progressive | 14 | | National Baptist Convention, Inc. and the American Baptist | 15 | | Churches, USA; he served as the first full-time | 16 | | African-American faculty member at the Memphis Theological | 17 | | Seminary and as a theological educator at the McCormick | 18 | | Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago Divinity | 19 | | School; during his term as chairperson of the Mission | 20 | | Partnership Committee of American Baptist Churches of Metro | 21 | | Chicago, he spearheaded a partnership with the Ghana Baptist | 22 | | Convention in West Africa, where he traveled several times and | 23 | | led a group of TBCoC members on a mission trip in 2009; he |
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| 1 | | served as a board member of several theological institutions, | 2 | | including the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, the | 3 | | Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, North Carolina, and the | 4 | | Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New | 5 | | York; he was a founding member of United Power for Action and | 6 | | Justice; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Ragland worked extensively for lay and | 8 | | ministerial development; the first female ministers and | 9 | | deacons at TBCoC were ordained under his leadership; during his | 10 | | tenure, more than 25 persons have participated in the TBCoC | 11 | | Ministers-in-Training Program, which he developed; he is | 12 | | father-in-ministry to men and women in various clergy roles in | 13 | | Chicago and nationally; he is a contributing author of Living | 14 | | in Hell: The Dilemma of African-American Survival and wrote the | 15 | | meditation for Psalm 95 in the African-American Devotional | 16 | | Bible; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Ragland leaves the Third Baptist Church | 18 | | having expanded its missional footprint substantially; the | 19 | | congregation operates over three dozen ministries, including a | 20 | | weekly food pantry, a faith-based care network of health and | 21 | | wellness, grief share, Stephen Ministers, a youth development | 22 | | program, a Christian Education Program, a seniors ministry, a | 23 | | jail ministry, a variety of physical fitness options, college | 24 | | scholarships and grants for over 20 consecutive years, and a |
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| 1 | | number of community partnership services such as the One Church | 2 | | One School initiative and the implementation of interfaith | 3 | | worship services with the B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim Jewish | 4 | | congregation; he and the joint boards of Third Baptist Church | 5 | | developed Heritage Community Development Corporation and | 6 | | Quantum Faith non-profit organizations; he spearheaded the | 7 | | ALIVE! Program and led TBCoC in construction of the TBCoC Life | 8 | | Center; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Ragland is an inaugural member of the men's | 10 | | branch of the Praise Dance Ministry of Third Baptist and has | 11 | | danced faithfully for 10 years; he is a member of the church's | 12 | | male chorus and a soloist for the combined choirs; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Ragland is married to Barbara Ollie Ragland | 14 | | Ph.D.; he serves as vice president of The Lydia Group, founded | 15 | | by his wife; they are the proud parents of one daughter, | 16 | | Melanie Loren Ragland; therefore, be it
| 17 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 18 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 19 | | congratulate the Rev. Dr. Alan Vincent Ragland on his | 20 | | retirement as pastor from the Third Baptist Church of Chicago | 21 | | after 26 years, and we wish him the best in all his future | 22 | | endeavors; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to Rev. Ragland as a symbol of our respect and | 3 | | esteem.
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