093_HR0319

 
                                     LRB093 11883 RAH 16194 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS,  The  members   of   the   Illinois   House   of
 3    Representatives  are honored to recognize milestone events in
 4    the lives of the citizens of the State of Illinois; and

 5        WHEREAS, The Reverend Issac Singleton will celebrate  his
 6    41st year as a pastor on May 16-18th, 2003; and

 7        WHEREAS,   Dr.   Isaac  Singleton  is  one  of  the  most
 8    influential spiritual leaders of our time; he  has  dedicated
 9    his  entire  life  to making a difference for mankind; during
10    the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Singleton played a major role in the
11    civil rights movement; marching along side Dr. Martin  Luther
12    King Jr., Dr. Singleton shared his dream, his vision, and the
13    struggle  for  equality;  as  a  result of believing right is
14    right and wrong is wrong, Dr. Singleton has  gained  national
15    notoriety for his efforts in the civil rights movement; lives
16    have  been  changed as he helped to enforce laws that enabled
17    people to gain jobs, obtain homes, and re-gain  their  rights
18    in regards to discrimination; and

19        WHEREAS, Dr. Singleton is recognized throughout the world
20    as  a  leader  for all people; he's also recognized as one of
21    the most prolific speaker/teachers of the  gospel;  for  over
22    four  decades, Dr. Singleton has been spreading the good news
23    of Jesus Christ around the world; and

24        WHEREAS, For over 40 years, he has also been  the  pastor
25    of  the Mt. Zion Baptist Church; prior to pastoring Mt. Zion,
26    Dr. Singleton pastored the Russell Street Church in East  St.
27    Louis, and the Colette Street Church in Danville; and

28        WHEREAS,  Under  his  leadership  at the Mt. Zion Baptist
29    Church, membership has grown from 100 to 2,000 members; and

30        WHEREAS, Dr. Singleton presently serves as president  for
31    the Metropolitan Alliance Council (MAC); he's the founder and
 
                            -2-      LRB093 11883 RAH 16194 r
 1    past  president  of  the  Joliet  Affiliate  Rainbow/P.U.S.H.
 2    Coalition   and   he   currently   serves  as  the  religious
 3    coordinator for  the  Illinois  Rainbow/P.U.S.H.  and  is  an
 4    active  National  Board Member; he is also the founder of the
 5    Hill Memorial Center of Joliet; in 1986,  Dr.  Singleton  was
 6    one  of  150  African-American  pastors  invited to the White
 7    House by President Ronald Reagan to consult on  civil  rights
 8    issues; and

 9        WHEREAS,  Dr.  Singleton has served the community, State,
10    and nation in many capacities including serving as  a  former
11    trustee  for  the  Will  County  Regional  Education Board, a
12    member of the Joliet  Township  High  School  Foundation,  an
13    appointee  to  the Illinois Department of Children and Family
14    Services Advisory Council, a member of the Board of Directors
15    of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce, a board  member  on
16    the    Economic    Commission   of   Will   County   Downtown
17    Redevelopment,  President  of  the  Baptist   General   State
18    Congress  of  Christian  Education of Illinois, instructor of
19    the National Baptist  Congress  of  Christian  Education-USA,
20    vice    president   of   the   National   Baptist   Congress,
21    superintendent of Human  Relations  of  the  Baptist  General
22    State  Convention  of Illinois for 25 years, and moderator of
23    Lebanon Baptist District Association; and

24        WHEREAS,  Dr.  Singleton  has  received   many   honorary
25    distinctions  including inductions into Who's Who Among Black
26    Americans and the Joliet/Will County Hall of  Pride;  and  he
27    has  also been awarded the Community Relations Award from the
28    city of Joliet (1970); and

29        WHEREAS, Dr. Isaac Singleton is happily  married  to  the
30    former Pearlie B. Dexter for the past 54 years; together they
31    have     six    children,    17    grandchildren,    and    7
32    great-grandchildren; and
 
                            -3-      LRB093 11883 RAH 16194 r
 1        WHEREAS, In honor of his 41st year  as  a  pastor,  there
 2    will  be a celebration on May 16, 2003, where the Rev. Tyrone
 3    Crider of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Chicago will speak;
 4    on May 18, 2003, the Rev. William Thompson from First  United
 5    Baptist  Church  of  Nassau,  Bahamas,  and  the Rev. Charles
 6    "Chuck" Singleton of Loveland Church in Fontana,  California,
 7    will close out the celebration; therefore, be it

 8        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
 9    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
10    we  congratulate  the  Reverend  Isaac  Singleton of Mt. Zion
11    Baptist Church on the celebration  of  his  41st  year  as  a
12    pastor; and be it further

13        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
14    presented to the Reverend Isaac Singleton as an expression of
15    our esteem.