HR1417 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1417 LRB095 21792 GRL 52009 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Friendship Missionary Baptist Church of East St. Louis will celebrate its 100th Church Anniversary on July 27, 2008; and

WHEREAS, The Friendship Missionary Baptist Church was organized on March 28, 1908 with approximately 36 people gathered in a small frame structure on 16th and Russell Avenue in East St. Louis in the presence of the Moderator and Ecclesiastical Council of the Woodriver Baptist Association; and

WHEREAS, Benevolent guidance, pastoral leadership, and the dedication of the laity enabled the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church to relocate to its present site at 1648 Tudor Avenue, where it transitioned from a house that leaned on one side in July of 1911 to the construction of a basement edifice (circa 1920) to the construction of a full-service church facility on June 10, 1956; and

WHEREAS, The Friendship Missionary Baptist Church has maintained its calling to serve those in need by growing from a church with three ministries at its founding to a church that operated with a maximum of 32 ministries; and

WHEREAS, The Friendship Missionary Baptist Church stands as a landmark African-American church by being the first African-American church in Metro-East Illinois to broadcast live, recurring services on the radio, starting in 1940 courtesy of the Morton Salt Company; and

WHEREAS, The Friendship Missionary Baptist Church has rendered a variety of ministries and services to the residents of the South-End community, to the City of East St. Louis, and to the Metro-East region; and

WHEREAS, The Friendship Missionary Baptist Church continually strives to meet the changing demands of both its congregation and its community through Christian education, evangelism, and outreach initiatives; and

WHEREAS, The presence of the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church over the past century serves as a testament to the faith believed and upheld by its members through the years; and

WHEREAS, The current members of the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church continue to build upon the foundation laid by countless pioneers under providential direction; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we join the South-End community, the City of East St. Louis, and the Metro-East region in celebrating the centennial church anniversary of the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church of East St. Louis; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church of East St. Louis as a symbol of our esteem and respect.