Full Text of HR1106 97th General Assembly
HR1106 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are pleased to congratulate the congregation | 4 | | of the First United Methodist Church in Elgin on the occasion | 5 | | of the church's 175th anniversary; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The rich history of the First United Methodist | 7 | | Church began in 1837, when Reverend Washington Wilcox was | 8 | | appointed as the head of the Elgin Circuit and became the first | 9 | | minister of the First United Methodist Church; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The cornerstone of the building currently used by | 11 | | the congregation of the First United Methodist Church was laid | 12 | | on January 24, 1924; it is the third structure built on that | 13 | | site since 1839; the building covers over half a city block and | 14 | | has 101 rooms; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The First United Methodist Church has been a | 16 | | strong part of the Elgin community throughout the years, seeing | 17 | | Elgin residents and the congregation through the Civil War, | 18 | | both World Wars, and the Great Depression; the church has given | 19 | | unstinting support to numerous community-wide Christian | 20 | | efforts, including the All People's Inter-Faith Food Pantry and | 21 | | Friendly Aid programs for the less fortunate; the church was | 22 | | instrumental in organizing a volunteer chaplaincy at Sherman |
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| 1 | | Hospital, and in the later development of a full-time | 2 | | Chaplain's office at the hospital; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, In July of 1950, with a congregation of 1,600 | 4 | | members, the First United Methodist Church appointed Carlton C. | 5 | | Rogers to serve as minister; after 34 years of service, Carlton | 6 | | Rogers became the longest-serving minister in the church's | 7 | | history; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, First United Methodist Church inaugurated the | 9 | | annual Elgin Inter-Faith Service in 1972; the program extends | 10 | | the hand of fellowship to clergymen of the Catholic and Jewish | 11 | | faiths in symbolic religious service and has been cited by the | 12 | | United States Congress; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Today, the First United Methodist Church | 14 | | continues its service to the community by opening its doors to | 15 | | various groups and organizations as a meeting place; the | 16 | | congregation also participates in food pantry events and hosts | 17 | | weekly Soup Kettle Evenings; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, The scope and divergence of the church's | 19 | | activities and a Christian commitment that extends from Elgin | 20 | | to the greater community of the world demonstrates that the | 21 | | First United Methodist Church has met and exceeded the | 22 | | expectations of its 175-year history; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The First United Methodist Church has planned a | 2 | | year-long celebration, with several public events to bring the | 3 | | congregation together and revisit its early roots; the | 4 | | congregation will also have an official 175th anniversary | 5 | | service on October 14, 2012; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 7 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 8 | | we congratulate the congregation of the First United Methodist | 9 | | Church on the occasion of the church's 175th anniversary and | 10 | | wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be | 11 | | it further
| 12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 13 | | presented to the First United Methodist Church as a symbol of | 14 | | our esteem and respect.
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