Full Text of HR0543 102nd General Assembly
HR0543 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives would like to congratulate the congregation of | 4 | | St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wheeler on the occasion of its | 5 | | 150th anniversary; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The history of St. Paul Lutheran Church has its | 7 | | roots in the heavy German immigration to Effingham and Jasper | 8 | | Counties in the 1860s and 1870s; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, The census of 1870 listed 2795 foreign born in | 10 | | Effingham County, of which 2121 were German; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Among the Lutherans settled in St. Francis | 12 | | Township were two men named Gerhard Siefken and Herman | 13 | | Engelbarts; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Siefken purchased 160 acres of land in 1863 | 15 | | at $10 an acre, and a part of that land was sold to the | 16 | | congregation for the pastor's pasture land; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Engelbarts purchased 56 acres of land in 1865 | 18 | | and donated ground for the church buildings and cemetery; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, At first, services were held in homes and, soon |
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| 1 | | after, in the public log school house, which stood on the | 2 | | section of land opposite the present location of the church; | 3 | | St Paul's congregation was taking on its permanent form and | 4 | | resolved to erect its own house of worship; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, An important day in the congregation's history | 6 | | came on Pentecost Sunday, May 29, 1871, when the new frame | 7 | | church measuring 24x40 feet and costing about $1,100 was | 8 | | dedicated; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, The church was built by 14 original charter | 10 | | members, consisting of Fredrich Garbe, Fredrich Behrns, | 11 | | Gerhard Siefken, Andrew Blievernicht, August Piel, Carl | 12 | | Hasting, Herman Engelbarts, John Fritz, Christoph Raabe, | 13 | | Christoph Fritscher, August Gust, Fritz Fritscher, Henry | 14 | | Fritscher, and Toenies Harting; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, By 1900, the congregation had outgrown the small | 16 | | frame church and decided to build a new brick church; Charles | 17 | | F. May of St Louis was the architect; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, The new building was to be 60x36x18 feet and of | 19 | | the Gothic style, including a metal ceiling, an extended | 20 | | chancel for the alter, and a slate-covered tower topped by a | 21 | | cross to fit the symbol of the faith of St. Paul's members; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The first stone was laid on July 2, 1900, and the | 2 | | new church was dedicated on November 19,1900; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The church records were in German until 1934, and | 4 | | there have been approximately 1300 confirmations in the last | 5 | | 150 years; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Since 1934, there have been 306 baptisms, 121 | 7 | | marriages, and 228 burials at the church; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Church membership is currently 146 and is served | 9 | | by Rev. Dean Herberts; therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 11 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 12 | | we congratulate the congregation of the St. Paul Lutheran | 13 | | Church on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, commend the | 14 | | continued good work of the church within and beyond the | 15 | | community of Wheeler, and wish them many more years of faith | 16 | | and fellowship; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church as | 19 | | an expression of our esteem and respect.
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