[ Search ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
91_HR0493
LRB9109493KBkb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to honor milestones within the
4 State of Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, It has come to our attention that the Greater
6 Bethesda Baptist Church, 109 East 53rd Street, in Chicago,
7 Illinois, is celebrating its 117th anniversary in 1999; and
8 WHEREAS, Greater Bethesda Baptist Church was formed in
9 1882 when ten members of the Olivet Baptist Church in Chicago
10 withdrew their memberships from the church for the purpose of
11 organizing a new Baptist church; as the group expanded to 31
12 members, an application was made to the Council of Baptist
13 Ministers of Chicago and Vicinity for permission to organize
14 the new church; after studying the application, permission
15 was granted and Bethesda Baptist Church was born; and
16 WHEREAS, The church first met in the home of Mrs. Nellie
17 Johnson, and then moved into a frame building; during this
18 time the membership increased to 75 people, and the first
19 pastor of the church, the Reverend J.E. Podd, was called to
20 service in 1883; and
21 WHEREAS, During this time the church purchased property
22 and moved the frame building to a new location; by 1889 the
23 church had grown, with 200 people in the membership; tragedy
24 struck the church in the year 1900 when Pastor Podd passed
25 away, and the church and it's furnishings were destroyed by
26 fire; and
27 WHEREAS, Mrs. James M. Clark took it upon herself to help
28 the church in its time of struggle and opened the doors of
29 her home for a place of worship; the church would also use
30 storefront locations as temporary worship sites until a
31 permanent location could be found; and
-2- LRB9109493KBkb
1 WHEREAS, In 1906 Reverend Eli T. Martin was called to the
2 pulpit of Bethesda Baptist Church; in 1907 the church made
3 the decision to purchase property formerly owned by the
4 Evangelical Lutheran Church; working together the church met
5 its obligations and moved upward; and
6 WHEREAS, In 1925 the church purchased the former home of
7 Temple Isaiah Israel, located at 53rd and Michigan Avenue in
8 Chicago; in 1936 Reverend Martin's time of service came to an
9 end with the Greater Bethesda Baptist Church; in 1937 Dr. A.
10 Alfred Watts was called by the church to serve as their new
11 pastor; and
12 WHEREAS, During the service of Dr. Watts many updates and
13 renovations were made to the church, and financial
14 obligations were met; in 1954 the current pastor, Dr. A.
15 Lincoln James, Sr., was called from Suffolk, Virginia to
16 serve the Greater Bethesda Baptist Church; and
17 WHEREAS, The membership of Greater Bethesda Baptist
18 Church now counts over 1,000 people on the rolls; with the
19 ministry of Dr. James, the determination of the congregation,
20 and the reputation of a church that has survived, Greater
21 Bethesda Baptist Church will continue serving God into the
22 next century; therefore, be it
23 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
24 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
25 we congratulate Greater Bethesda Baptist Church on the
26 occasion of 117 years of ministry to the City of Chicago; and
27 be it further
28 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
29 presented to Dr. James and the congregation of Greater
30 Bethesda Baptist Church, along with our sincere best wishes
31 for the years to come.