New Hope Baptist Church Pastor Receives Key to Bolingbrook
New Hope Baptist Church recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in Bolingbrook.
Charles Branch, the 88-year-old pastor emeritus for New Hope Baptist Church in Bolingbrook, recently received a rare honor. Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar, as part of New Hope’s 25th anniversary celebration, presented Branch with a key to the village. Attendees said Claar told the crowd he has presented only five keys in his 25 years as mayor. “Chuck Branch is a longtime supporter of Bolingbrook,” Claar told Patch. “I wanted to give (New Hope) something to commemorate what he, in particular, as well as his church, has done for Bolingbrook and the community. I thought, given their long history and interest in our betterment and what they do for our residents, the key would be representative of such a success story.” Branch served as chaplain…
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Lora
6:47 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013
A true hero - one of Charles Branch's most famous negotiations was the hostage stand off at Stateville Prison September 23rd 1979 - thanks to his bravery the leaders of the protest released the prisoners after he gave himself to them in return. Crises was averted and that fateful day. Thanks for the terrific article and for recognizing Rev. Branch and New Hope. It continues to be a beacon on … more ›