The History of Stone Temple Baptist Church
Stone Temple Baptist Church, located at 3622 W. Douglas Blvd. in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, is a historic landmark with deep roots in the civil rights movement. Originally constructed in 1926 as a synagogue for Jewish immigrants from Romania, the building was acquired in 1954 by Baptist worshipers led by Rev. James Marcellus Stone. The church gained prominence when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered several speeches there during the late 1950s and early 1960s, using it as a base for his northern civil rights efforts and advocacy for fair housing, which eventually contributed to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act.
During the civil rights era, the church became a hub for strategic planning by leaders such as Jesse Jackson and other activists committed to eradicating social injustices in the United States. The church has preserved the podium and chairs used by Dr. King, symbolizing its ongoing commitment to civil rights.
Today, the church is led by Bishop Derrick M. Fitzpatrick, the grandson of Rev. Stone, who continues to honor the building’s rich history. Stone Temple maintains its original architectural features, a blend of Romanesque and Moorish designs by Joseph W. Cohen & Co., ensuring that its legacy is visible to all who visit. The church also fosters community ties, as seen in events like the 2021 Sukkah Celebration, which brought together members of diverse faiths to celebrate and work in the church’s Community Heritage Peace Garden.
Meet Bishop Derrick M. Fitzpatrick
Bishop Derrick M. Fitzpatrick is the dedicated Senior Pastor of Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church, a historic landmark in Chicago, Illinois, founded by his grandfather, the late Rev. James Marcellus Stone. Bishop Fitzpatrick holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics, a Master’s in Theology, and a Doctorate in Biblical Studies and Theology from North Carolina College of Theology. He has also been awarded several honorary Doctorate Degrees and numerous accolades for his service and contributions to Christian ministry.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Bishop Fitzpatrick has had a successful career at United Chemi-Con for over 35 years, where he has served in Engineering Management and is currently a part of the Senior Sales Management team.
Bishop Fitzpatrick’s ministry extends beyond his local congregation. Alongside his wife, Apostle Reshorna M. Fitzpatrick, he founded Dominion College of Theology, a satellite college of North Carolina Theological Seminary, where he serves as one of the Vice Presidents. In 2011, Bishop Fitzpatrick was designated Apostle and Presiding Prelate of the Eagles Nest Church Ministries – Chicago Diocese under the leadership of Bishop Varnie N. Fullwood. He was later elevated to 1st Vice Presiding Prelate of the Eagles Nest Church Ministries Fellowship in 2017.
Bishop Fitzpatrick and Apostle Reshorna, who is also the Pastor of Proceeding Word Church, form a dynamic ministry team. They are the proud parents of three children, Jasmine, John, and Jyla, and grandparents to Jayce, Harte, Kennedi, and Kyndal. Together, they continue to make a significant impact on their community and beyond.
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CITIZENS: Derrick M. Fitzpatrick
“Bishop Derrick M. Fitzpatrick, pastor of Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church is what you would call a bivocational pastor. He has a Master’s and Doctorate degree in Theology and Biblical studies, but also has an undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics. Bishop Fitzpatrick has worked as an Engineering Manager and now the Manager of Sales and Marketing for United Chemi-Con, Inc., a company he’s been with for more than 29 years. He is married to Reshorna Fitzpatrick who pastors Proceeding Word Church.
The historic Stone Temple Church which sits in the heart of North Lawndale started out in the 1920’s as a Jewish synagogue, but as the African American population in the community grew, it became a church in 1954. The church once provided a pulpit for the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to preach and a forum for King’s vision for equitable housing in Chicago during the civil rights movement.”…
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Meet Apostle Reshorna Fitzpatrick
Reshorna M. Fitzpatrick is the founder and Pastor of Proceeding Word Church and serves as the Executive Pastor of the Historic Stone Temple in Chicago’s North Lawndale community. She established Proceeding Word Church in 1999 and has since been a dedicated leader and advocate for her community.
Reshorna's educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Talladega College (1986), a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University (2010), and both a Master’s Degree in Theology (2010) and a Doctorate in Biblical Studies (2013) from North Carolina College of Theology.
A 2021 Chicago Peace Fellow alumna, Reshorna is also a certified garden designer and floral arranger. In 2019, she designed an award-winning community garden in partnership with Faith in Place, where she now serves as a Board Member and Executive Committee Secretary. Additionally, she is a Board Member of I Am Able and chairs the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council’s Greening, Open Water, and Soil Sustainability Committee.
Reshorna’s leadership and dedication have earned her national recognition. In May 2021, Fortune Magazine ranked her number 9 among the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders for her efforts to ensure that North Lawndale residents had access to fresh produce and hot meals during the height of the pandemic. She and her husband, Bishop Derrick Fitzpatrick, were also acknowledged as 2020 Heroes in Time Magazine for their intensified support of the North Lawndale community during that challenging year. In July 2020, Cook County Board Commissioner Dennis Deer recognized her for Outstanding Community Service in North Lawndale.
With over three decades of experience as a community faith leader and public servant, Reshorna retired as a Hearing Officer from Chicago Public Schools in 2017. She believes that “living is serving, and if you are not serving, you are not living.” In North Lawndale, she leads efforts to beautify vacant lots, transforming them into vibrant green spaces where families can gather and experience a sense of peace. When asked about her vision for North Lawndale, she says, “I see North Lawndale as a vibrant economic corridor where everything anyone might need is within their reach, and where green spaces offer everyone a chance to enjoy the outdoors and find peace.”
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TIMES: The Pastors Who Transformed Their Church to Support Their Community
“Pastor Reshorna Fitzpatrick and her husband, Bishop Derrick Fitzpatrick, are used to public service, having spent the past two decades leading Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago’s West Side. But their efforts intensified this year as the couple transformed their church into a hub of community outreach: a food bank, a distributor of cleaning supplies, a stage for self-expression and more.
In April, with members of their congregation and neighborhood among the millions of Americans out of work, the couple began giving out roughly 300 food boxes a week to those in need. Produce from the church’s community garden also filled the “love fridge,” an outdoor refrigerator near the church stocked with free food. When funds for their food-box initiative”…
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FORTUNE
The World's 50 Greatest Leaders RANK 9 Reshorna Fitzpatrick
“Proceeding Word Church, Chicago
There are those who fill stomachs. There are those who feed souls. Pastor Reshorna Fitzpatrick has been doing both for years, helping to soothe a long-simmering hunger in her Chicago neighborhood with whatever sustenance she can provide. Three years ago, she helped start a community garden in a vacant lot near the North Lawndale church on the city’s West Side where she preaches every Sunday. “We were giving away all the produce to our community members,” she says, “and they’d say that they’d never tasted fresher collard greens or tomatoes.”
But in many cases, she knew, her neighbors hadn’t tasted any greens or fresh produce in a while. “We have a food desert in our community—and in our city, really,” says Fitzpatrick, who counts just one supermarket nearby. And when COVID-19 hit, it got much worse, with long lines for whatever remained on the shelves and with many neighbors suddenly out of work and hungry. The pastor was approached by Urban Growers Collective, a Black-led nonprofit farmers’ group, which began to bring 300 boxes of produce to her church every week for Fitzpatrick, in turn, to give away. “So that started the whole trajectory for us,” she says, “where we kept asking, ‘What else can we do?’”
What soon followed was “Soup for the Soul,” where Fitzpatrick and her flock would prepare hot meals every Monday for anyone who stopped by. “Two hundred meals and they’re gone in 45 minutes because people are coming out for it,” she marvels. A grant from the Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund is helping her turn eight more vacant lots into gardens, as well as build a “community commercial kitchen,” where residents can take classes to become food service managers. “So you can come in, learn to cook, and get a business started,” Fitzpatrick explains.
Her church shares an address with the historic Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. would sometimes come to preach and where today’s pastor is Reshorna Fitzpatrick’s husband, Bishop Derrick M. Fitzpatrick. Across the boulevard is the house where she lived for the first six years of her life. The elementary school she attended is still there, too. “So this whole community, I kind of think, belongs to me,” she says. “I’m responsible for making sure that we are adequately taking care of it—that there’s equity, social and economic justice, and everything else we need.”
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