Reverend Clarence Henry Cobbs was born on February 29, 1908.
In 1928, while riding the bus, at 35th and Grand Boulevard (now known
as Martin Luther King Drive), the Spirit spoke to Reverend Cobbs, and told
him to organize a church and call it the First Church of Deliverance.
After organizing the Church and finding a church building, Reverend Cobbs,
his co-worker, Reverend Mattie B. Thornton and his followers marched into
their small new worship space on May 8, 1929.
In August of the same year, the Church became affiliated with our
mother church, the Metropolitan Spiritual Church of Christ of Kansas City,
Missouri.
The choir of First Church of Deliverance was organized on October 29, 1929. The Church's first Broadcast was aired in 1934 at 6:00 a.m. over radio station WSBC. First Church of Deliverance was the second church of color to air a Radio Broadcast.[1]
The entire city of Chicago raved about the early morning broadcast.
In 1953, First Church of Deliverance became the first church of color to
broadcast televised religious services, which were carried live by Channel 7
for twelve consecutive weeks.
First Church of Deliverance was the first Spiritual Church organized in the
City of Chicago – this was during the 1930s.
At that time, Spiritual was considered a rash divergence from the
accepted forms of worship.
Reverend Cobbs also established the wearing of white clothing during worship
services. This practice was not
indicative of purity, as some may have assumed; it developed instead as a
result of the Great Depression, when some church members were financially
unable to have large wardrobes.
During that time, virtually everyone had something made of cotton, the most
common and reasonably priced fabric of the day.
Most of these garments were white – thus, the wearing of white
clothing to church services.
On June 28, 1979, God called home our beloved Founder and Preacher, Reverend
Clarence H. Cobbs.
On January 9, 1981, Reverend Eugene D. Gray was installed as Pastor of First
Church of Deliverance. Reverend
Gray served until his death on August 3, 1994.
Following the death of Reverend Gray, Reverend Harold D. Porter was
installed as Pastor of First Church of Deliverance on November 20, 1994.
Tragically, Reverend Porter was only pastor for a brief time until
his death on December 12, 1994.
On March 17, 1996, the membership selected Reverend Otto T. Houston as
Pastor.
Our Pastor, Bishop Otto T. Houston, is a man of great vision.
The Lord has given him his greatest vision yet, to build a new Main
Sanctuary that will serve future generations and continue the great legacy
that Preacher began and Bishop Houston has expanded.
To God be the glory. For
more information on Bishop Houston click Pastor.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Proverbs 29:18
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
