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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the congregation
4of the First United Methodist Church in Elgin on the occasion
5of the church's 175th anniversary; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The rich history of the First United Methodist
7Church began in 1837, when Reverend Washington Wilcox was
8appointed as the head of the Elgin Circuit and became the first
9minister of the First United Methodist Church; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The cornerstone of the building currently used by
11the congregation of the First United Methodist Church was laid
12on January 24, 1924; it is the third structure built on that
13site since 1839; the building covers over half a city block and
14has 101 rooms; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The First United Methodist Church has been a
16strong part of the Elgin community throughout the years, seeing
17Elgin residents and the congregation through the Civil War,
18both World Wars, and the Great Depression; the church has given
19unstinting support to numerous community-wide Christian
20efforts, including the All People's Inter-Faith Food Pantry and
21Friendly Aid programs for the less fortunate; the church was
22instrumental in organizing a volunteer chaplaincy at Sherman

 

 

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1Hospital, and in the later development of a full-time
2Chaplain's office at the hospital; and
 
3    WHEREAS, In July of 1950, with a congregation of 1,600
4members, the First United Methodist Church appointed Carlton C.
5Rogers to serve as minister; after 34 years of service, Carlton
6Rogers became the longest-serving minister in the church's
7history; and
 
8    WHEREAS, First United Methodist Church inaugurated the
9annual Elgin Inter-Faith Service in 1972; the program extends
10the hand of fellowship to clergymen of the Catholic and Jewish
11faiths in symbolic religious service and has been cited by the
12United States Congress; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Today, the First United Methodist Church
14continues its service to the community by opening its doors to
15various groups and organizations as a meeting place; the
16congregation also participates in food pantry events and hosts
17weekly Soup Kettle Evenings; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The scope and divergence of the church's
19activities and a Christian commitment that extends from Elgin
20to the greater community of the world demonstrates that the
21First United Methodist Church has met and exceeded the
22expectations of its 175-year history; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The First United Methodist Church has planned a
2year-long celebration, with several public events to bring the
3congregation together and revisit its early roots; the
4congregation will also have an official 175th anniversary
5service on October 14, 2012; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8we congratulate the congregation of the First United Methodist
9Church on the occasion of the church's 175th anniversary and
10wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be
11it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13presented to the First United Methodist Church as a symbol of
14our esteem and respect.