Church History

HISTORY OF FIRST PROGRESSIVE CHURCH

First Progressive Church (originally First Progressive Church of Christ) was officially organized on February 22, 1953, with Bishop J.M. Haywood called to be the pastor.
Pastor, Bishop J. M. Haywood and the Church Officers, purchased our current property located at 7257-59 South Wabash and 60 East 73rd Street in February 1954. First Progressive moved successfully and progressively through the early years. The Lord was adding to the Church, such as should be saved. God blessed us through Pastor Haywood’s leadership, to burn the mortgage for the church in 1967. Pastor Haywood continued to serve faithfully, until he was called home to be with the Lord in April 1970.

In October 1973, Rev. Bennett Wolfe was called to Pastor the Church, and served until April 1977. In April 1978, the late Rev. Fred L. Dade became our Pastor. Pastor Dade served faithfully, until he was called home to be with the Lord in July 2002.
In April 2003, God again blessed First Progressive Church of Christ with our present Pastor, Dr. Derrius M. Colvin Sr. On September 21, 2013, after a year of fervent prayer, the church voted to change our name from First Progressive Church of Christ to First Progressive Church. This was done to reflect our true mission and purpose as a non-denominational church.

In 2020, the entire world was affected by the Corona Virus (COVID-19), with most countries, (including the U.S.) being totally shutdown with the exception of essential workers. As a result, our church building was closed from March 22 nd – June 28th 2020, with all worship activities, Bible Class, Sunday School and Ministry Meetings/activities being conducted on-line. On Sunday, July 5, 2020, we
reopened our church building to in-person Sunday Worship.

Our annual thanksgiving Food Giveaway was provided to the community (following COVID19 safety guidelines) and we continue to take in new members (in-person and on-line) to our church. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, God has blessed
us to stay connected to Him, His Word and His people. We thank God for His faithfulness to our church these 70 years, and we also thank Dr. Colvin for his continued commitment to lead First Progressive in the mission and vision of our congregation:

Our Vision

“Our vision is to be a love driven congregation that wins lost souls to Christ through worship, and programs that benefit the congregation and the community.”

Our Mission

“To evangelize lost souls through community outreach programs and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
To equip believers to mature in their faith and grow in their knowledge of the Word of God.”