HR1173 LRB093 23296 HSS 53272 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate the Mt. Zion
4 Missionary Baptist Church of Waukegan and Pastor Arthur J. Gass
5 Sr. on the occasion of their 17th anniversary; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Pastor Arthur J. Gass Sr. was born on October 18,
7 1951 in Sylvester, Georgia to Mr. Ulysses & Mrs. Tannie L. Gass
8 Sr.; he has been married to Anne V. Gass for 26 years, and they
9 have 2 children, CaRita Anne Gass and Arthur James Gass Jr.;
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, Pastor Gass became a member of the Hopewell
12 Baptist Church as a young child; his church ministry
13 experiences include serving as Junior Usher, Church Clerk,
14 Youth Director, a Junior Deacon, a Deacon, the Chairman of the
15 Board of Deacons, an Associate Minister, Assistant to the
16 Pastor, and Pastor; he accepted his calling into ministry on
17 November 23, 1978, was licensed on December 10, 1978, and was
18 ordained on May 4, 1981; and
 
19     WHEREAS, He served as Pastor of the New St. Stephen Baptist
20 Church in Albany, Georgia and as Associate Minister of the
21 Christian Valley Baptist Church; as a religious leader, he
22 organized the Christian Ministers Fellowship Organization and
23 served as president of the organization in 1986; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Pastor Gass has served as Pastor of Mt. Zion
25 Missionary Baptist Church of Waukegan since June of 1987; under
26 his leadership, the church has grown to over 300 members, and
27 the new church was built and dedicated in March of 1993; under
28 his guidance, the church has purchased real estate consisting
29 of two residential houses, and has added annually to the
30 church's income, and converted vacant land to accommodate
31 approximately 28 additional parking spaces for the church; and
 

 

 

HR1173 - 2 - LRB093 23296 HSS 53272 r

1     WHEREAS, Pastor Gass is more than a pastor; he also serves
2 as a teacher, community leader, and scholar; he is a past
3 president of the North Shore Baptist Ministers Alliance,
4 secretary of the North Shore Pastor's Conference, the first
5 Vice-Moderator of the New Era District Association, and the
6 former Financial Secretary/Budget Director and 3rd Vice
7 President of Finance for the Young Pastors & Ministers
8 Department of the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.; he
9 is an accountant for The People's Voice Newspaper, a member of
10 the NAACP, a member of the Board of Directors of Daisy's
11 Resource Center, a former member of the Board of Directors of
12 Lake County Community Action Project (CAP), and a former member
13 of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Housing Service; and
 
14     WHEREAS, During his tenure as president of the North Shore
15 Baptist Ministers Alliance, he was instrumental in the renaming
16 of Utica Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, effective in
17 January of 2002; he organized the Financial Planning
18 Conference, Christian Family Conference, and the Singles and
19 Teen Conferences at Mt. Zion that are aimed at strengthening
20 the family financially and teaching family values from a
21 Biblical perspective; he is credited with helping three church
22 families in purchasing new residential homes and four sister
23 churches in purchasing new edifices; and
 
24     WHEREAS, In 1986, Pastor Gass was presented with the
25 Leadership Award from the Christian Ministers Fellowship
26 Organization; in 1998, he was presented with the Publisher's
27 Award - Most Influential African-Americans of Lake County; from
28 1975 to 2001, he received several Outstanding Service Awards,
29 both from his employer and the community; and in 2004, the City
30 of Waukegan dedicated and named Wainlow Avenue in his honor in
31 recognition of his religious and community activities;
32 therefore, be it
 

 

 

HR1173 - 3 - LRB093 23296 HSS 53272 r

1     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3 congratulate the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Waukegan
4 and Pastor Arthur J. Gass Sr. on the occasion of their 17th
5 anniversary; and be it further
 
6     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
7 presented to the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Waukegan
8 and to Pastor Arthur J. Gass Sr. as an expression of our
9 esteem.