Full Text of HR0721 99th General Assembly
HR0721 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate the congregation of | 4 | | Baileyville Baptist Church on the occasion of the church's | 5 | | 150th anniversary on September 3, 2015; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In 1856, the families of Christopher Wilhelms and | 7 | | Jodokus Bohen, both German Baptists, arrived in Silver Creek | 8 | | Township; soon, there were enough East Frisian families in the | 9 | | area that religious meetings were held in the home of Mr. | 10 | | Wilhelms and later in the home of Harm Eckhoff; the growing | 11 | | desire among these immigrants to establish a church resulted in | 12 | | a meeting on September 3, 1865, at which a decision was made to | 13 | | form a new congregation named "Die Erste Ostfriesische | 14 | | Baptisten Gemeinde of Silver Creek, Illinois"; a church council | 15 | | consisting of Harm Eckhoff, Inderk Bonn, and Fokke Zimmerman | 16 | | was elected and 36 people were charter members of the church; | 17 | | almost all of the charter members were former members of the | 18 | | Baptist Church in Inhren, Ostfriesland; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Church meetings continued in various homes until | 20 | | the spring of 1868, when permission was obtained to use the | 21 | | Diddens schoolhouse, situated in the country about halfway | 22 | | between what are now Freeport and German Valley; in 1869, the | 23 | | growing congregation called upon its first pastor, J. G. |
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| 1 | | Vanloh; in 1874, the construction of a church building was | 2 | | started on a tract of land at the north edge of Baileyville; | 3 | | the new church was dedicated on August 30, 1874; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, In 1914, the official name of the congregation was | 5 | | changed to "Die Erste Deutsche Baptisten Gemeinde, | 6 | | Baileyville, Illinois"; on the night of February 4, 1920, | 7 | | tragedy struck when the church and all its contents were | 8 | | destroyed by fire; construction of a new, large brick building | 9 | | was begun almost immediately, and this new church building was | 10 | | dedicated on March 20, 1921; in later years, the official name | 11 | | of the church was changed to First Baptist Church of | 12 | | Baileyville; the church is also known as Baileyville Baptist | 13 | | Church; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Over the church's history, the Baileyville | 15 | | Baptist Church has ministered to local people and has been | 16 | | involved in spreading the gospel throughout the United States, | 17 | | with church plants in Iowa, South Dakota, Montana, and | 18 | | throughout the State; its foreign missions program has seen | 19 | | ones sent out to Nigeria, Sudan, Japan, the Philippines, | 20 | | Canada, and India; the church also supports missionaries in | 21 | | Germany, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Mexico, Argentina, | 22 | | Israel, and Nepal; and
| 23 | | WHEREAS, Baileyville Baptist Church has had 34 pastors |
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| 1 | | serve as shepherd of the flock since the church's founding; | 2 | | former Pastor Delbert Rogers, who served the congregation from | 3 | | 1980 to 1982, will be the guest speaker during the church's | 4 | | Anniversary Celebration; other pastors who have served in the | 5 | | past 25 years are Rev. Nelson Hadley (1984 - 1993), Rev. John | 6 | | Erenz (1995 - 2007), Rev. Alan Cassel (2007 - June 2015), and | 7 | | the church's current pastor, Rev. Gary Branam; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The congregation and pastorate of Baileyville | 9 | | Baptist Church serve as models of hard work, integrity, and | 10 | | dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, | 11 | | be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 13 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 14 | | congratulate the congregation of Baileyville Baptist Church on | 15 | | the occasion of the church's 150th anniversary and wish them | 16 | | continued success and happiness in the future; and be it | 17 | | further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to Baileyville Baptist Church as a symbol of our | 20 | | esteem and respect.
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