CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Two-and-a-half years after a fire destroyed the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, ground has been broken for a new worship center.
“The devil made a mistake when he burned this one down,” said Robert Williams, the president of Progressive Vision Management, the design builders for the Antioch project.
He and hundreds of others gathered at an empty lot on South Stewart Avenue near West Englewood Avenue — where Antioch Missionary Baptist church used to stand.
“I'm looking at the church, looking back at me right now, and I know you guys are more on fire than ever before,” he said.
Church members, city leaders and others donned golden hard hats and dug golden shovels into the earth building blocks of a new worship center.
Marva Dew is the first lady of Antioch.
“Antioch Chicago’s worship center will rise because our dreams aligned with God's desires for us … for our community, for this city and this world,” she said.
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