City Council Meeting - June 12, 2019
20I9JUNII AM I h 21
RESOLUTION
.' ■:: ILL hi "\ \;l CiTY CLi:. r?K
WHEREAS, the members of the Chicago City Council are pleased to honor Reverend David Abrahamson for the many years of dedicated service he has given to his faith community, to senior citizens and the Lake View Community on the occasion of his retirement; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Abrahamson has been a remarkable, humorous, spirited leader; truly an inspiration for all, not only with his sense of commitment, but also his need to share the love of God with others; and
WHEREAS, 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney has informed the body of this momentous occasion; and
WHEREAS, David Abrahamson was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1948 to Milton and Beatrice Abrahamson. He attended Valparaiso University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970; and
WHEREAS, upon graduating in 1970, he followed his call to serve the Lord, and received his Master of Divinity from Christ Seminary - Seminex, in 1974. After completion of post graduate studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Abrahamson acted as Vicar at Saint Luke Church and School. He was installed as Pastor of Saint Luke Church on August 29th, 1982, where he has served as Pastor and President of Saint Luke Ministries for forty-five years; and
WHEREAS, Abrahamson has dedicated much of his life to unselfishly serving and listening to others, evaluating problems, and seeking to find solutions and resolutions to these problems. A man of vision and aspirations, he led Saint Luke Church and School to form Saint Luke Ministries, a ministry serving church, school, cemetery, senior housing and a foundation; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Abrahamson has served the Lake View community for over forty-five years. His outside activities include serving on the Board of Directors for the Lake View Chamber of Commerce and Ravenswood/Lake View Historical Society. He is a member of the Lake View Lions Club, the Lake View Citizen's Council, the Lake View Action Coalition, and chairs the 44th Ward Community Directed Development Council for Alderman Tom Tunney and served as a past chair of the 19th Police District Advisory Council. Reverend Abrahamson has served as past chair of the Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital Governing Council and continues to serve on the Council, its Local Oversight Committee and Charity Care Committee. He has also served as chair of Lutheran Life Communities, a multi-site senior care provider based in Arlington Heights; and
WHEREAS, David Abrahamson served on the board of Central Federal Savings. He is past president of the Alumni Board of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and past president of Renaissance Social Services of Illinois. He was also appointed by Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago to serve as a commissioner for Special Service Area #27 in Lake View. He is a member of the Lake View Clergy Association. Past service includes: Lake View YMCA Board of Directors, the Board Strategic Planning Committee, Catholic Health Partners, the Luther High
School North Board of Trustees and seventeen years as President of the Chicago Bible Society; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Abrahamson spent his career working in Chicago, working in the Lake View Community, and working at Saint Luke Ministries, a calling that, for him, "had to be interesting;" and
WHEREAS, Abrahamson's response to, "all you are is a Pastor" has been, "That's all I have ever wanted to be;" now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this 12th day of June 2019, do hereby honor Reverend David Abrahamson for the many years of faithful service to Chicago on the occasion of his retirement; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Reverend David Abrahamson, as a sign of our respect and admiration for his dedication and the immeasurable impact he has had on the Lakeview community and Saint Luke Ministries.
