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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives would like to congratulate the congregation of
4the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Orion on the
5occasion of its 175th anniversary celebration on April 26th,
62020; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Ascension Day in 1870 was marked by the
8organization of the Orion Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church
9by a group of laymen with 30 charter members, mostly from the
10Swedona Church, on May 26th; and
 
11    WHEREAS, A year later, they were accepted into membership
12in the Augusta Synod and completed their church's first
13building; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Eleven years later, their first pipe organ was
15installed at a cost of $800, which served the church for 40
16years; and
 
17    WHEREAS, In 1922, 52 years after its creation, the church's
18membership had grown to 600, and the name of the congregation
19was changed to what it is still known as today, St. Paul
20Evangelical Lutheran Church, in order to be inviting to
21non-Swedish residents; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 1979, an internship program was created, which
2lasted 22 years and had 18 participants; it was also the same
3year that the Orion senior citizens meal site was started by
4the St. Paul social ministry; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 1989, the first parish nurse of the
6congregation was installed; and
 
7    WHEREAS, At the 125th anniversary in 1996, a revised
8mission statement was adopted which included a major component
9entitled Rooted, Nourished, Sent; and
 
10    WHEREAS, On June 18th, 1998, the steeple that topped the
11church since 1902 fell during a tornado-like storm; it was
12originally built of structured steel, measuring 103 feet from
13ground to top of the six foot cast-iron cross; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 1999, St. Paul Church entered the digital age
15by launching their first webpage; and
 
16    WHEREAS, A year later, their hand bell choir joined others
17from across the United States and a variety of foreign nations
18to perform Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace during The
19Columbine Benefit Project, raising funds which promoted
20programs to prevent school violence; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The same year, a new steeple, replacing the former
2one that was destroyed two years prior, was dedicated; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The following year brought about many exciting
4changes, such as the authorization of church expansion and
5renovation, the hiring of the first Director of Youth and
6Family Ministry, and the creation of Fun and Fit, which was an
7outreach program for the children of the Orion community
8designed to improve children's nutrition, health status, and
9spiritual growth; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 2003, two years after the expansion was
11authorized, there was a dedication of a new building, The Ark,
12on March 30th; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Retirement of The Ark mortgage concluded just
14before Ascension Day in 2014, and the church began their
15Backpack Blessings program, which operated through the food
16pantry; and
 
17    WHEREAS, When a blizzard hit the area in 2018, St. Paul
18Church continued its long tradition of caring for the community
19when the church was utilized as a warming center for 37 people;
20and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Celebrating its 150th anniversary entitled
2Growing in God's Grace, St. Paul Church still holds its roots
3in a strong Swedish component but is home to a very large
4number of members from other nationalities; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we congratulate the congregation of the St. Paul Evangelical
8Lutheran Church on the occasion of its 175th anniversary
9celebration, we commend the continued good work of the church
10within and beyond the community of Orion, and we wish them many
11more years of faith and fellowship; and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13presented to the congregation of St. Paul Church as an
14expression of our esteem and respect.