First Congregation Church of Chicago

First Congregation Church of Chicago

About Us

A church @ the intersection of culture, community, hope, justice, & faith.

Welcome to our church! We have been serving the Chicago community for over a century. We are deeply rooted, historically and theologically, in the reciprocal relationship between education and justice. Our worship services, community outreach programs, adult ministries, and youth initiatives reflect this grounding. Our purpose is to help those in need: to spiritually uplift our community, work toward greater good across our city, and to continually develop new leaders for the beyond. We do not require that you belong to any particular religious affiliation, we do not expect you to adopt any particular belief, nor do we expect you to offer financial support when you walk through our doors. We only ask that you welcome and support your fellow brothers and sisters, remain open to mental and spiritual transformation, and always try to return one good deed with another.



Our Services

Sunday
11:00am
Service is delivered in both English and Spanish.

What to Expect

What are services like?
Services are delivered in a mix of Spanish and English. The atmosphere is traditional and warm. All are welcome despite their bilingual proficiency.

What is the community like?
We are a traditional, progressive, congregational church. Our members comprise a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Many of our members come from around or near the Humboldt Park community, but we open our doors to any person, from any background.

What if I'm not a Christian?
As a Christian church the symbolism we adopt will be Christian. But we embrace and welcome people from other faith traditions as well as those with no faith traditions. We believe that all faiths are reflections of one Divine reality, one spiritual Power.


Leadership

Jose Rosa

Jose Rosa

Pastor Rosa has been serving the First Congregational Church of Chicago since 2000. Both Pastor Rosa and his wife Aurelia Rosa are originally from Puerto Rico. There he studied mathematics at the University of Puerto Rico. Later, receiving a call to serve the church, Pastor Rosa studied theology at the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico. Coming to the states Jose Rosa furthered his studies at McCormick Theological Seminary and subsequently developed and refined his talent for preaching at the Academy for Preaching. Modeling his dedication to youth development before joining the church, Jose Rosa spent several years as a high school math teacher. Since taking up his call to ministry, he has served congregations both in Puerto Rico and Illinois. Before coming to the United Church of Christ, he worked as a district superintendent with the Methodist Church in Chicago. In 2000, he began serving FCC. Jose Rosa is married to Aurelia Rosa who together have three children.

What Members Say

Add your voice
  • MB Welch Brainerd shared their experience Nov 2021
    I love the full-voiced singing, the members' passion for God, and the church's commitment to welcome the stranger -- to love each other, because of, not in spite of, our differences -- and I experienced this myself, in November 2016, when the church voted unanimously to become an Open and Affirming Church.
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