In 1925 Pastor Arvid Ohrnell left Sweden and came to Chicago on a mission. The mission? To bring people, mainly the new Swedish American immigrants, to Jesus Christ and fellowship in the church. He rented a place on Clark Street and was soon joined by other Swedish church leaders, Erick Peterson, Efraim Fraim and Victor Norlin. In March of the next year with over thirty in their group they called themselves "Filadelfiaforsamlingen". They met in various homes and halls, schools etc. in the area of heavy Swedish immigrant presence, the area now known as Andersonville. In 1927 the growing church incorporated in the State of Illinois. Illinois required a English name, so they became
Philadelphia Swedish Pentacostal Church.
The church services were in Swedish, held tent meetings, held Bible and Sunday school and even sent out a Swedish newsletter welcoming Swedish immigrants to worship.
The Capital Savings Bank was an imposing limestone façade building on the corner of Clark and Balmoral streets. The stock market crash and Great Depression closed the bank. Philadelphia Church bought the building in 1939, dedicated it to the Lord in 1940, and now held services in both Swedish and English. The large "Jesus Saves" sign was the final transformation.
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| At Philadelphia Church my parents met and in 1949 were married. |
By 1956 services were all in English as the Andersonville neighborhood, once Swedish, was changing. Philadelphia translates in English to "brotherly love" and Philadelphia Church is still there today. The "Jesus Saves" sign is an irreplaceable Chicago landmark which marks the Philadelphia Church 5437 N. Clark St. as still ministering to the neighborhood and the world to the glory of God.
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