City First Church
| City First Church | |
|---|---|
 Worship in 2015 | |
 | |
| 42°17′55″N 89°00′02″W / 42.2986°N 89.0005°W | |
| Location | Rockford, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Pentecostal |
| Associations | Assemblies of God USA |
| Weekly attendance | 5,000 |
| Website | cityfirst |
| History | |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 3,650 |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Jeremy DeWeerdt, since 2007 |
 | |
City First Church (formerly Rockford First) is a Pentecostal megachurch located in Rockford, Illinois. It is affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA. The senior pastor is Jeremy DeWeerdt.
History
[edit]City First Church was originally a small Swedish assembly that began meeting in a storefront hall on 5th Avenue in downtown Rockford in 1929.[1]
In 1934, the name "First Assembly" is adopted during the pastoral ministry of Pastor Carl O'Guin.[citation needed] City First is a part of the Assemblies of God. Their claimed mission is four-fold; to evangelize the lost, worship God, disciple believers and to show compassion for others.
On September 12, 1971 a new location opened for First Assembly with a seating capacity of 1,200, at the corner of Spring Creek and Mulford Rds. First Assembly of God, under Pastor Eugene Whitcomb, opened Christian Life Elementary School in 1973. In the fall of 1974, Pastor Whitcomb and 5 other church-members were flying home from So. Dakota when the twin engine plane crashed over Albert Lea, Minnesota. Pastor Ernest Moen of 1st Assm. of God in Phoenix, AZ was called to officiate at the funeral and he later became the new Pastor with a 99% vote.
In 1975 Christian Life High School opened. Then in 1979, WQFL 100.9FM was purchased from Open Bible Church. (Rev. Don Lyon) In 1981, Christian Life Retirement Center was opened on N. Mulford near the church.
In 1986, the church begin the construction of a new building with a seating capacity of 3,650 persons.[2] In 1993, Pastor Jeannie Mayo and Jeremy DeWeerdt launched the post high school group called Rockford Masters' Commission, which is now called City First Leadership College.
In 2014, the attendance was 4,000 persons.[2]
In December 2010, Rockford First was listed number 51 in the 100 largest Assemblies of God churches in the United States.[3]
In September 2012, Outreach Magazine named Rockford First the 7th fastest growing church in the nation, with a 60% increase in weekly attendance between February 2011 – 2012.[4]
In 2016, the attendance was 5,000 persons.[5]
On January 29, 2017, Rockford First officially changed its name to City First Church because of the multiple locations, including Cape Coral, Florida and "God Behind Bars" at the Dixon Correctional Center in Dixon, IL and a new location at Hononegah High School opening on Easter Sunday, 2019.[6]
Beliefs
[edit]City First Church is part of the Assemblies of God USA.
References
[edit]- ^ Eric A. Johnson, Rockford: 1920 and Beyond, Arcadia Publishing, USA, 2004, p. 91
- ^ a b Chris Green, rrstar.com, Rockford First rebirth linked to Jeremy DeWeerdt, diversity, divinity, USA, February 24, 2014
- ^ ""Top 100 AG Church's in the United States"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
- ^ "The 2012 Outreach 100". OutreachMagazine.com. 5 September 2012.
- ^ Outreach Magazine, Rockford First: No. 9 Fastest-Growing Church, 2016, USA, outreachmagazine.com, September 16, 2016
- ^ "Rockford First Church changing its name". WIFR. Jan 25, 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-13.