SALUTE TO FIRST HOUSE OF PRAYER CHURCH
WHEREAS, On Sunday, September 14, 2014, the First House of Prayer Church, a South Side spiritual icon on South Cottage Grove, will celebrate its 70th Anniversary with a morning and afternoon service; and
WHEREAS, First House of Prayer's founder and overseer, the late Reverend Louis K. Johnson, affectionately called Prophet, was the church's leader for more than a half-century. In the mid 1940s, Prophet Johnson conducted his first service on South Giles. Within the first year, he officially opened the First House of Prayer Church in a converted chicken shack on East 37th Street; and
WHEREAS, In just one week from its opening, the membership grew from a handful of worshipers to more than 300 members. Due to the growth in membership, Prophet Johnson decided to secure a larger facility to accommodate his members. By the early 1950s, the church was moved to South Cottage Grove and, in the mid 1950s, the church settled into its current Cottage Grove location; and
WHEREAS, Prophet Johnson's trailblazing vision created one of Chicago's first community food banks as well as the provision of emergency housing and utility assistance. He was the initiator of Gospel Tours with singing legends such as Mahalia Jackson, Albertina Walker, and the Reverend Clay Evans; and
WHEREAS, Prophet Johnson's civic activism led to hosting meals for warring gang leaders that resulted in a truce, providing spiritual guidance to elected officials, and sending members to represent the church at the historical Civil Rights March on Washington more than 50 years ago; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Prophet Johnson would provide home cooked meals to members and other residents of the Woodlawn neighborhood and even provided opportunities to dine at some of the most exquisite restaurants in Chicago. Although Prophet Johnson was granted eternal peace in 2007, his legacy continues to guide the present-day missions of the First House of Prayer Church now shepherded b...
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