Full Text of HR0963 102nd General Assembly
HR0963 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Bishop | 4 | | Charles W. Gillespie Jr., who passed away on October 2, 2022 at | 5 | | the age of 92; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Bishop Gillespie was born in Sandusky to the | 7 | | union of Bishop Charles W. Gillespie Sr. and Cora Newberry | 8 | | Gillespie on July 4, 1931; his family moved to Carbondale | 9 | | after his birth; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Bishop Gillespie received his education at local | 11 | | schools; he graduated from Attucks High School in 1948 and | 12 | | joined the Armed Services, where he served his country bravely | 13 | | during the Korean War; upon returning to the U.S., he moved to | 14 | | Detroit, Michigan and married the love of his life, Addie Mae | 15 | | Brooks, in 1961; they had a son, Sorrell Eugene Gillespie, in | 16 | | 1963; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, In 1967, Bishop Gillespie and Addie began to | 18 | | attend the New St. Paul Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in | 19 | | Detroit, Michigan; he was ordained as an Elder in 1970, and | 20 | | upon receiving his degree in Pastoral Theology from Charles | 21 | | Harrison Mason Bible College in 1974, he was installed as the | 22 | | First Administrative Assistant; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, In 1976, Bishop Gillespie returned to his home in | 2 | | Carbondale and began serving as his father's Second | 3 | | Administrative Assistant; he was also appointed pastor of the | 4 | | Greater Gillespie Temple Church of God in Christ; as a pastor, | 5 | | he continued to serve as mentor for many at the Greater | 6 | | Gillespie Temple Church and began contemplating establishing | 7 | | churches across the nation; he was ordained as Bishop of the | 8 | | March of Faith Outreach Ministries Fellowship in 1998, which | 9 | | later became the March of Faith International Ministries; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Bishop Gillespie originally conceptualized the | 11 | | March of Faith Outreach Ministry Fellowship in 1982; from | 12 | | this, a yearly convocation was established, which subsequently | 13 | | led to the formation of March of Faith Outreach Ministries | 14 | | Fellowship; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, The dream of a fellowship of churches was | 16 | | realized in 1996 when Bishop Gillespie and Mother Addie M. | 17 | | Gillespie called together former members of the Greater | 18 | | Gillespie Temple Church family who had started their own | 19 | | churches; following this reunion, the first March of Faith | 20 | | Outreach Ministries Fellowship convention was held in July of | 21 | | 1997 in Carbondale; the following year in 1998, he was | 22 | | ordained as Presiding Bishop of the March of Faith Outreach | 23 | | Ministries Fellowship, later known as the March of Faith |
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| 1 | | International Fellowship; the ministry grew to over 200 | 2 | | churches across four different continents; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Bishop Gillespie served as the Presiding Bishop | 4 | | of the March of Faith International Fellowship for almost two | 5 | | decades from 1998 to 2017; he was a man of many talents and was | 6 | | affectionately known to many as "The Dancing Bishop", "The | 7 | | Singing Bishop", and "The Marrying Bishop", given his ability | 8 | | for matchmaking; even more than his talents, he was known as a | 9 | | man of strong character, a natural leader, and a father to | 10 | | many; he delivered messages of hope, healing, and restoration, | 11 | | as well as loving correction; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Bishop Gillespie retired to his home church in | 13 | | Carbondale in 2017, where he continued to serve his faith; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Bishop Gillespie was preceded in death by his | 15 | | parents; his brothers, William and Joshua Gillespie; and his | 16 | | sisters, Ruth Finley, Gloria Dean English, and Ludora | 17 | | Gillespie; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Bishop Gillespie is survived by his beloved wife | 19 | | of 62 years, Mother Addie M. Gillespie; his son, Bishop | 20 | | Sorrell E. (Pamela) Gillespie Sr.; his brothers, Elder | 21 | | Cornelius (Arsteena) Gillespie and Richard Gillespie, his | 22 | | sister, Mother Naomi Mims; his grandchildren, Minister Brandee |
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| 1 | | (William) Gillespie-Davis, Minister Sorrell E. (Dr. Christian) | 2 | | Gillespie II, and Christopher Gillespie; seven | 3 | | great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, relatives, the | 4 | | March Of Faith Community Church Family, the March Of Faith | 5 | | International Fellowship family, and numerous friends around | 6 | | the world; therefore, be it
| 7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 8 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 9 | | we mourn the passing of Bishop Charles W. Gillespie Jr. and | 10 | | extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, | 11 | | community, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
| 12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 13 | | presented to the family of Bishop Gillespie as an expression | 14 | | of our deepest sympathy.
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