Our Story
We are a Chicago-based religious organization that has served the local community for more than four decades. Our church services are held every Sunday, with Sunday School in the early morning and Bible classes every Wednesday. As a faith-based organization, we are committed to spiritual growth, fellowship, and worship.
How We Started
Faith has been the sustaining force of our church, as has been the case with the traditional Black church, where the saving grace of God and the liberation of Christ are emphasized. With God as our leader, we dreamt of a local church that became a reality on June 22, 1978, when the charter was filed with the Secretary of State. Some of the charter members and contributors included our first Pastor, Rev. Adolphus C. Ross. Others were:
- Bro. Lewis Crawford
- Bro. John Daniels
- Bro. Walter Gross
- Bro. Crystal Levy
- Bro. Kirk L. Waters
- Bro. Melvin McCullough, Jr.
- Bro. Clifton Porter
- Sis. Cleo Marshall
The Early Years
Our Saturday services were initially held in the basement of the New Alpha Progressive Church at 113th and King Drive. We then moved to St. Mathias Episcopal Church at 111th Street and Indiana Avenue before transferring to the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Morgan Park at 110th and Vincennes Avenue.
During this period, we considered the following as pillars of the church:
- Sis. Mable Adams
- Sis. Vivian Barnes
- Bro. Porter Davis
- The Freeman Family
- Sis. Beatrice Phillips
- Dea. John Nettles and Family
- Dea. John Newman and Family
- Bro. William Parks and Family
Our Own Church
After moving several times, the grace of God allowed us to purchase a building located at 445 West 111th Street on October 28th, 1982. Our dream had become a reality, and we held our first service in our new home on the first Sunday of November that year.
Former pastors of Christ Cathedral Missionary Baptist Church were:
- Rev. Adolphus C. Ross
- Rev. Clement A. Townsend
- Rev. Alfred Dinwiddie
- Rev. Edward Staples
- Rev. Edward Lindsey
By this time, many of the original church pillars had either passed away, moved on, or united with other churches. Regardless of what happened, we all had one thing in common: a dream.
Rev. Edward Lindsey
In October 2004, our pastor, Rev. Edward Staples, resigned at the bidding of the “Holy Spirit,” and we felt lost. But God already knew what we needed before we even asked. He knew we needed a new pastor and was already sending someone; the solution was already at hand. We trusted God to provide it and soon realized things had already been prepared for us. On November 4th, 2004, God blessed us with a new pastor, our beloved Rev. Edward Lindsey.
Before coming over, Rev. Lindsey was pastoring True Word Missionary Baptist Church, established on February 5, 1995, at Great Hope Baptist Church in Robbins, IL. Rev. Donald Cook was its first pastor but he resigned in March 1998. Our previous pastor, Rev. Staples, learned of the situation in Robbins and recommended Rev. Lindsey as a replacement pastor. During the interim, the True Word assembly prayed, fasted, and interviewed other prospective pastors. God heard their prayers, and on January 17, 1999, Rev. Lindsey was appointed pastor of True Word Missionary Baptist Church.
A Church Union
After Rev. Staples resigned as our pastor, we extended an invitation to Rev. Lindsey to pastor our church alongside True Word and, if possible, to have the two churches combined under his leadership. This miraculously happened, and on November 4, 2004, we held our first service together.
On April 17, 2005, Rev. Edward Lindsey was officially installed as our pastor. About a year later, God blessed us with new members from True Word who decided to join our church. We became, as God willed, “ONE BODY IN CHRIST.”
Rev. Lindsey’s Successor
On August 11, 2011, Rev. Lindsey became seriously ill, and 11 years later, on November 2, 2022, he made the transition to glory. Minister Brandon Turner was our temporary Minister from May 2021 until April 2023. Six months later, we installed our current pastor, Victor D. Pope.
Pastor Victor D. Pope
Our current leader, Pastor Victor D. Pope, was the New Christian Fellowship M. B. Church pastor for eight years. He has been a moderator for the Antioch Baptist District Association since July 2022.
Other church positions he has held include assistant to the pastor at Christ Cathedral M. B. Church under the late Rev. Lindsey, who was his ordaining minister. Pastor Pope also served as associate minister for 20 years at Bethlehem Temple under the late Rev. Dr. J. C. Smith. He also served in many ministries, including Sunday school teacher, brotherhood, outreach, and nursing home.
Personal Life
Pastor Pope is a Lincoln Technical Institute graduate and has studied at the Chicago Baptist Institute and the University of Illinois Chicago Circle campus. His marriage to his beautiful wife Angela Pope has been blessed with two daughters, Valencia (Dion) Lynch and Victoria Pope, and three beautiful grandchildren.
Pastor Pope’s favorite scriptures are Psalms 91 and the whole book of Ephesians, but most importantly, he is a certified child of God!!!
Giving Thanks to God
So here we are, 47 years young, still going strong, and dreaming.
When we dream alone,
it’s only a dream.
But when we dream together,
it’s the beginning of a reality.
Hold fast to your dreams
for if dreams die
Life is a broken winged bird
that cannot fly.
Hold fast to your dreams
for when dreams go,
Life is like a barren field
frozen with snow.
We truly thank God for seeing our need and working it out before we knew what we would need.
God is so good, awesome, and powerful, and He has given us victory.
Let the church say amen,
let the church say hallelujah,
let the church say thank you Jesus.
Sound the trumpets…
Satan has been defeated again.
