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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Dr. A. Edward Davis, Jr.
4on the occasion of his 39th anniversary of serving St. John
5Missionary Baptist Church; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Dr. Davis was born on May 2, 1951, the second of 6
7children born to the late Dr. A. Edward, Sr. and Vianna Davis;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, Dr. Davis grew up in Chicago in the Morgan Park
10Community; he attended John D. Shoop Elementary School and
11Morgan Park High School; he received his Bachelor of Arts from
12Trinity College and his masters degree in theology from the
13Trinity School of Divinity in Deerfield; in August of 2001, he
14received his doctorate degree in ministry from the Gospel
15Outreach Theology Institute of Houston, Texas; he received his
16Doctorate of Biblical Studies from the Midwest Theological
17Institute of Indiana in March of 2006; and
 
18    WHEREAS, On November 10, 1969, Dr. Davis accepted his
19calling to the ministry and preached his first sermon; after
20being licensed and ordained, he served as Youth Minister at Mt.
21Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Morgan Park; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, On November 10, 1976, Dr. Davis was called to and
2elected Pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church; with a
3membership of only 15 parishioners at the time, he led the
4church in the paying off and burning of its mortgage; the
5church later embarked upon a $7.8 million building project for
6a new edifice, including an educational facility and a
7full-time day care center; in October of 2005, the St. John
8family moved into their new edifice; he has brought the current
9membership to over 6450; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Dr. Davis also ministers to the community; he is
11currently appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to head a task force
12for nonviolence initiative in the Roseland and Pullman
13Communities; he serves as Administrative First Vice
14President-Logistics of Clergy Speaks Interdenominational,
15President of the Nehemiah Restoration Coalition, and has held
16the position of Chairman of the Zoning Department for the City
17of Chicago under Mayor Richard Daley; he has served as
18Vice-Chairman for the Industrial Area Foundation and is
19Co-Chairman of the African American Baptist Caucus; he is also
20actively involved with the Operation PUSH, National Baptist
21Convention USA, the Baptist Pastor's Developing Communities
22Project, and The NEW Era District; and
 
23    WHEREAS, Dr. Davis has received many accolades, including
24the Spiritual Perspective and the Cornucopia, Men of Valor

 

 

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1Award; the Gospel Supreme, Labor of Love Award; the Shoop 49ers
2Award for Leadership; and the Distinguished God First
3Leadership Award; he was honored with the AARC Clay Evans
4Pastoral Excellence Award and the Fred Hampton Scholarship
5Foundation honored him with the Fred Hampton Image Award; in
61996, he was elected as a Delegate to the National Democratic
7Convention; Mayor Richard Daley and the Chicago City Council
8presented him a Proclamation declaring November 14, 1999 as
9"Reverend A. Edward Davis, Jr. Day"; during the administration
10of the late Mayor Harold Washington, he was honored by the City
11Council; on May 23, 1993, he was awarded with a proclamation
12from the United States Congress, 2nd District of Illinois; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Dr. Davis has been called a unique preacher,
14par-excellence, who has an intellectually sound yet fierce
15approach to the ministry of the Word; he is the husband of E.J.
16Davis and the proud father of Amos E. Davis, III; therefore, be
17it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
19NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
20congratulate Dr. A. Edward Davis, Jr. on his 39th anniversary
21of serving St. John Missionary Baptist Church and we wish him
22many more wonderful years; and be it further
 
23    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to Dr. Davis as an expression of our esteem and
2respect.