HR0058 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0058 LRB096 05721 GRL 15789 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Rev. Isaac Singleton on the occasion of his retirement as pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Joliet; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Isaac Singleton has served as pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church since his original sermon on the first Sunday of December 1961; under Rev. Singleton's stewardship, Mount Zion Baptist Church has grown from 100 members to more than 2,000 members; the church building has grown from a small building with outdoor toilets when Rev. Singleton arrived to a 28,000 square foot church and adjoining Family Life Center on Singleton Place, the street named after Rev. Singleton; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Isaac Singleton has preached on five continents; he has traveled to Africa to help build churches and has served as a Baptist minister in Europe, Asia, and South America; and

WHEREAS, Prior to becoming a pastor and community leader, Rev. Isaac Singleton farmed with his father, plowing fields, breaking mules, and doing farm chores in rural Louisiana; he served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II; he was previously employed as a factory welder and had a brief career as a vacuum cleaner salesman; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Isaac Singleton marched with Martin Luther King in Montgomery, Alabama; he also shook hands with President Ronald Reagan at the White House; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Isaac Singleton married his wife Pearlie on September 12, 1947; together, they have six children, Gloria Singleton Hayes, Isaac Singleton, Jr., Charles Edward Singleton, Barbara Ann Singleton-Edwards, Valerie Jean Singleton, and Willie D. Singleton; they also have 17 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Rev. Isaac Singleton on the occasion of his retirement and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Rev. Isaac Singleton as a symbol of our esteem and respect.