HR0346 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0346 LRB098 12070 MST 45797 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Bishop Paul A. Stewart Sr. on the occasion of his retirement as Bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (C.M.E.); and

WHEREAS, Bishop Stewart was elected the 50th bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church on July 1, 1998, in the Thirty-Third Quadrennial Session and the Thirty-Fourth General Conference in Birmingham, Alabama; he was assigned to the Fifth Episcopal District, comprising the states of Alabama and Florida; in the Thirty-Fourth Quadrennial Session and the Thirty-Fifth General Conference of the C.M.E. Church in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 29-July 7, 2002, he was assigned to the Third Episcopal District, covering the southeast Missouri, Illinois & Wisconsin Region, the Michigan-Indiana Region, and the Kansas-Missouri Region, with churches in 9 midwestern states; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Stewart has served faithfully as a local pastor of C.M.E. congregations and has been recognized as a gifted counselor, educator, and administrator at institutions across the U.S.; he has been an active participant in community, ecumenical, civic, social, and civil rights affairs; he has worked with the NAACP and is a life member and has served on the NAACP Executive Board of Durham, North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Stewart has provided superior leadership in the Third Episcopal District which includes Chicago and surrounding communities; he has aided in the erecting or purchasing of 6 modern churches and an Episcopal residence, the renovating of numerous churches, the enabling of 10 ministers to secure Doctor of Ministry Degrees, and the extensive increase of Church Growth and Development Ministries; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Stewart is the Chaplaincy Endorsing Agent for the C.M.E. Church, a member of the board of trustees for Phillips School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia, the chair of the Program Committee of the Annual CME Unity Summit, the chair of the Board of Personal Service of the CME Church, vice-chair of the Conference of National Black Churches, a member of the board of trustees of Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama, and an active leader in many religious and civic organizations; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Stewart is married to Mrs. M Earline Stewart; they are parents of Gloria Jean Stewart-Wicks, Paul Jr., and Shinar LaDonna Stewart-Parnell (Dana Parnell) and grandparents of Kimberly D. Wicks, Dylan Andrew, and Noah Jordan Parnell; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Bishop Stewart on his retirement as Bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and wish him all the best in his future endeavours; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Bishop Stewart as an expression of our esteem and respect.