HR0437 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0437 LRB095 12151 KXB 36241 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Bishop Cornelius Southern, Pastor of the Grace Apostolic Faith Church in Chicago, who passed away on May 5, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Cornelius Southern was the founder of the Grace Apostolic Faith Church and was its only pastor until last year; a resident of Olympia Fields, he was chaplain for Chicago Vocational High School and Trinity Hospital and was active in the Illinois District Council of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, the South Shore Ministerial Alliance, and the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy program; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Southern was born in Camden, Mississippi in 1928 and grew up on a sharecropper farm; he moved to Chicago in 1950 and worked as a truck driver; he was baptized in 1957 and received the gift of the Holy Ghost in 1958 before feeling a call to the ministry; and

WHEREAS, The church became an active member of the Illinois District Council and continued to grow; today the church has about 300 members from all ages, from seniors in their 80s all the way to young people; one of Bishop Southern's last outings was a trip with some young people to a White Sox baseball game; he made sure the church provided those in need with school supplies, warm clothing, and food baskets on a regular basis; and

WHEREAS, In 1995 Bishop Southern was promoted to the office of Suffragan Bishop; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Southern was preceded in death by his son, Charles; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Cornelius Southern is survived by his wife, Gussie Lee; his daughters, Beverly and Veronica; his sons, Earl, Maurice, Cornelius Jr. and Larry; and 22 grandchildren.; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family, friends, congregation, and people whose lives he touched, the passing of Suffragan Bishop Cornelius Southern; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Suffragan Bishop Cornelius Southern as a symbol of our sincere condolences.