First Church of Deliverance was founded by visionary leader Reverend Clarence Cobbs in 1929 and is affiliated with Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ. As the church congregation grew, it purchased a former hat factory in 1933 and commissioned Walter T. Bailey, the first African American licensed architect in Illinois, to convert the building into a church. Bailey’s redesign makes First Church of Deliverance a rarity as a house of worship in the Art Moderne style. Two front towers were added in 1946, and the interior of the church features a large neon cross on the sanctuary ceiling and murals by local African American artist Fred Jones. Also in 1933, First Church of Deliverance established its radio broadcast ministry, drawing in new members while cementing its role in the popularization of Gospel music. Over the course of the next century, the congregation extended its campus on Wabash Avenue, eventually starting a community center, a senior housing center, and a convalescent home. At the same time, the church continued its broadcast ministry, hosting performances from artists like Sallie Martin, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, and Nat King Cole.

Today, First Church of Deliverance continues to be a strong anchor in the Bronzeville community. The church hosts a weekly food pantry, in partnership with the Chicago Food Depository, and sponsors health forums offering helpful information on topics ranging from Medicare to hypertension and diabetes. First Church of Deliverance provides affordable housing and daycare services and organizes regular back-to-school events to distribute backpacks and other school supplies.

A National Fund grant of $500,000 with equal matching funds raised by the congregation will allow First Church of Deliverance to repair deteriorated stained-glass windows and repoint terra cotta at the front towers.

Photo by Erica Ruggiero, McGuire Igleski and Associates