101 Years in East Garfield Park - Celebrate with us!
first church is 100 years old
Centennial Celebration - Join Us!
Save the dates for May 9-10, 2026. We will gather to celebrate our 101st year in our building at 425 S. Central Park. We are planning a program from 1-5 pm on Saturday, May 9 and a special worship service on Sunday, May 10. Former pastor Orlando Redekopp will preach for our Sunday worship service at 11:00am. Plan to join us for our celebration!
Zoom will be available for this service. 11 am May 10. Join from anywhere. FCOB Zoom link.
Rev. Orlando Redekopp will preach sunday am
Former pastor Orlando Redekopp will preach for our worship service on May 10 at 11:00am. Plan to join us for our celebration!
Pastor Redekopp served First Church from 1982 to 2011. Much valued leadership over a 29 year span!
View a First Church slide show from our 100 years
We created a slide show to exhibit photos from our past and present. You are invited to view them. Wish we had more pictures from the early years. Click the link below.
See the Play List from our 100 years Celebration
We created a play list of songs from the last 100 years (at least 5 per decade). You are invited to view them. Brett Miller, who loves music & is Amelia Cassel's husband, did the work. Click the link below to see the list.
Watch a video about First Church and our Windows
Our windows, which we installed in 2000, tell the story of First Church. Watch the video to see the windows interpreted, and an abbreviated timeline for the congregation and building. (about 10 seconds for each slide, be patient).
1898 - Seventh Presbyterians built our building
First Church bought it from the Presbyterians in 1925 and renovated it to fit First Church needs. The Presbyterians merged with another Presbyterian congregation and moved to Oak Park.
Faith House, adjoins to the North, the Parsonage adjoins to the East.