RESOLUTION CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND MEMORY OF BISHOP VESTA L. DIXON
WHEREAS, Bishop Vesta L Dixon, Senior Pastor of Evening Star Missionary Baptist Church, cherished husband and father, and Man of God, passed away December 22, 2022; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of Bishop Dixon's passing by the Honorable Stephanie D. Coleman, Alderman ofthe 16th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Dixon was born July 9th, 1946 in Kennedy, Alabama, and committed his life to Christ at the young age of 14 at Mt. Zion Church in Cordova, Alabama, where he would go on to be licensed and ordained by Pastor Erving Thomas; and
WHEREAS, A well-educated man, Bishop Dixon studied at the Tuskegee Institute, the Moody Bible Institute, and the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and later received an honorary Doctorate from Hope Bible Institute and Seminary; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Dixon relocated to Chicago in 1967 and joined the Evening Star M.B. Church under the pastorate of Pastor Woodrow W. Armstrong, serving as Associate Minister for several years before being appointed Assistant Pastor until Pastor Armstrong's retirement in 1979, when Bishop Dixon was elected as the Pastor of Evening Star M.B. Church; in 2005, Bishop Dixon was consecrated by Presiding Bishop William L. Jordan; and
WHEREAS, A true servant of God, Bishop Dixon planted a church in Liberia in 2011 and frequently travelled to teach and preach around the world, including trips to Belize, Israel, and the Bahamas, becoming the first out of state bishop to attend Wycliffe Bible Translators Scripture Celebration, and serving as the overseer of Boots on the Ground International and Collective Conversation with Constance (C3); he also faithfully served in many organizations, including as moderator and Church Planter of the Southern Baptist Association, as a member of the St. Mark Church Covenant Fellowship, as a member of the joint College of African American Pentecostal Bishops, as a teacher at the Urban Ministry at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as "the Vetting and the Illinois State Bishop", and as Vice President ofthe Pastors of Englewood; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Dixon was also deeply involved in his community, hosting the first tent crusade in Lindblom Park, and serving as President of the 57th Street Block Club, President of the Englewood Rebuilder Organization, and Vice President of the GABCO Community Organization; and
WHEREAS, Feeding those in need was particularly important to Bishop Dixon; he was key in the formation of the Pastor's Coalition - an organization of 100 Pastors dedicated to the distribution of food throughout the City - and he started "Hot Meals Monday" in response to the Covid-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, A tremendous gift to the body of-Christ, a dedicated servant of his faith and his community, and a dedicated family man, Bishop Dixon will be missed by all who knew him, but to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord; now and therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members ofthe City Council ofthe City of Chicago, gathered here this eighteenth day of January, 2023, do hereby extend our most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and congregation of Bishop Dixon; and