Clarence Henry Cobbs was born on February 29, 1904. In 1928, while riding the bus one day at 35thand South Parkway (now known as Martin Luther King Drive), the Spirit of God spoke to Reverend Cobbs, telling him to organize a church and call it First Church of Deliverance. The Lord promised that all those who followed or joined this church would be delivered from any adverse condition they were seeking to overcome.

The first service was held on May 8, 1929 in the home of Reverend Cobbs at 3363 South Indiana Ave. in Chicago, Illinois. Reverend Cobbs, who was known as the Boy Wonder, had not yet been ordained by man, but was anointed and appointed by God to preach and was then chosen to become His prophet. Later that year, Reverend Cobbs and his Assistant Pastor, Reverend Mother Mattie B. Thornton were ordained by Bishop William Frank Taylor, of the Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ, Inc. on September 23, 1929. The first church building was located at 4155 South State Street in Chicago, Illinois.

Because of the love and friendship between Preacher and Brother Charles Kennedy (brother of Julia Mae Kennedy, the church’s First Minister of Music), the church moved again. The site chosen was a former hat factory located at 4315 South Wabash Avenue, purchased for $25,000.

The first service was held at this location on June 8, 1933. On August 13, 1933, also known as “Victory Day,” the cornerstone was laid.

Reverend Cobbs wanted to remodel the newly purchased church building and hired the renowned architect, Walter Thomas Bailey (1882–1941) from Kewanee, Illinois to redesign the outer façade of the building.  Mr. Bailey was the first African American graduate with a bachelor of science degree in architectural engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the first licensed African-American architect in the state of Illinois. He worked at the Tuskegee Institute, and practiced in both Memphis and Chicago.

In 1905 Bailey was appointed as the head of the Mechanical Industries Department at the Tuskegee Institute. While at Tuskegee, Bailey designed several campus buildings including White Hall (1908), and a girl’s dormitory. He remained at Tuskegee until 1916 when he moved to Memphis and opened a practice on Beale Street.

Through his Knights of Pythias connections Bailey was given what would be the largest commission of his career, the National Knights of Pythias Temple in Chicago, Illinois. The site of the temple was on Chicago’s south side in an area known as “Bronzeville” or “Black Metropolis.” The last major project for Bailey was the Chicago Landmark art moderne project for the First Church of Deliverance in 1939.

On Dec. 7, 1945 while cleaning the church Rev. Lillian “Snookie” Lewis found 2 nickels on a desk in the office and wondered why they were left there. Later she saw smoke coming from the choir loft. She used 1 nickel to call the fire department and with the other she called Rev. Thornton. Within minutes Rev. Thornton called Reverend Cobbs, affectionately known as “Preacher,” who was in New York and told him, “First Deliverance is on fire. While the church was still burning Sister Irene Young Mundy gave Preacher her savings and said, “Preacher, I was saving this for a rainy day, today it’s raining.”

After the fire in 1945, Reverend Cobbs and the congregation of the First Church of Deliverance repaired the damage caused by the fire and towards the completion of those efforts commissioned Mr. Fred Jones of Chicago, Illinois, to paint two murals in the church. The mural in the foyer of the church was done in a style associated with the WPA murals of the Great Depression. It depicts the theme of “people coming to Christ”, against a backdrop of the Chicago skyline. The second mural located in the choir stand above the altar represents the church’s relationship to God. Both murals were restored by the artist in 1987and 1992. Mr. Jones also designed and carved the three sets of double doors of the main entrance. Made from a 100-year-old oak tree from Rev. Cobbs’ summer house in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the doors were carved at the South Side Community Arts Center then located at 3831 S. Michigan in Chicago, Illinois.

Incised flat-relief figures depict angels keeping watch over a family arriving at the church for worship services.

On May 25,1950, about 6:30pm one of the worst traffic accidents in the city between a semitrailer oil truck and a Green Hornet Street Car at 63^rd and State Street, inspired Rev. Cobbs to buy a Mobile Canteen to make service available for disaster emergency uses. The fire killed 34 people in the explosion, and 5 buildings were destroyed and several nearby parked cars.

Shortly after the First Visiting Nurses Aid Service on the South side was instituted by Rev. Cobbs. Associate Ministers of the church, Rev. Daisy N. Travis and Reve. Lillian Lewis were among the first to complete the training and carryout the mission of the newly formed relief effort.

First Church of Deliverance almost from the beginning has been a broadcasting church over the radio. Beginning this long-standing broadcast ministry in 1933, it was a critical element of outreach that contributed to the church’s influence among other churches as a model of the broadcast structure and its own growth in membership. As First Church of Deliverance continued to grow in both numbers and influence, the church expanded its broadcast ministry to include 12 weeks of live services being broadcast on live television from the main sanctuary on (WLS) now ABC 7 in 1953. It was the first African American Church to do so, which was a significant accomplishment.

Rev. Cobbs’ increasing concern over the status of the less fortunate parents of the community gave birth to the idea of a Day Nursery and Community Center during the depth of the depression (middle and late 30’s) by this ministry. Feeling our brother’s and sister’s care is the way of life at the First Church of Deliverance. Thus, the formation of the Maggie Drummond Community Center and Day Care was formed.  The mortgage burning for the Center was held on Saturday, August 22, 1953. Construction began in 1954 on the $262,000.00 facility located at 4301 S. Wabash, named in honor of Preacher’s grandmother. On Sunday, September 23, 1956 the ribbon cutting and dedication was held. There was no government financial assistance during this time. Our community center also provided after-school tutoring in math, reading, science and counseling. Seminars in hygiene, job seeking, employment counseling, cultural field trips and appreciation of the arts. This center continues to be used to house programs that make a great impact upon the community the church serves.

The World Renown Television and Recording Choir of the First Church of Deliverance has been an inspiration and great influencer of religious music since the very beginning. Several albums have been recorded and the choir has appeared in concert all over the world. In 1966 Rev. Cobbs accompanied the choir on its 1st European tour, introducing “Coral Gospel Music” in 11 countries, 34 cities and giving 36 concerts. The tour ended at the famous internationally “Rallingsas Conference” sponsored by Kroningsberg Mission of Sweden.