“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” Mathew 10:34 says the Lord.
The church started in the later part of 1998 and the first recorded minutes was taken on January 17th 1999 by some individuals desirous of worshiping in the Ewe language after having met at the Ghanaian Community Church (GCC) which was predominantly an Akan speaking Church. They left the GCC and formed the Church at YMCA which was a venue for the Ewe Association (Milenorvisi) meetings then located at the 63rd street & Drexel which was also a location used by the larger Ghanaian community for meetings and other events. The newly formed church was called "United Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Chicago". The church at the time had no Pastor and so the members of record of the January 17th, 1999 service were (Lucy Dekayie, Otilia Tetteh, Daniel Ashiagbor, Samuel Adzido, Doris Sika Nkulenu, Yaphet Sampram, Caroline Amexo, Seth, Dr. Mercy Dei, Royce Nkulenu, Maybel Adzimanku and Charles Hodogbe) invited Rev. Quamson who was earlier ordained at the GCC and he became the first Pastor of the Church. After a short while other Fante speaking members of the GCC also joined the "United Evangelical Presbyterian Church" and they were gladly accepted. The Fante group, however, insisted on the change of name to “Unity Church” but was initially resisted. Later in January 2000, at the influence of a Fanti speaking member “Madam Kukua” the Church was moved to the basement of her residence located at 90th & Chappel Street where the church worshiped under the name "Unity Church". Some of the original Ewe speaking members initially staged a seat home after having the 2000 New year service at the YMCA. After a while the Church relocated to the premises of a Lutheran Church located in the same area at the corner of 80th street and Jeffrey Blvd. After two years of worship at the Jeffrey Location, the leadership met one Ghanaian Lutheran Rev. Gyampedu who was a frequent visitor and helped move the Church to the Lutheran Church located at 7621 South Dorchester in 2003 where it continued to worship with the Fante ethnic group. It must be said that the worship was not in the Ewe language. In the later part of the 2004 it was clear that the Rev. Gyampedu had intended to take over the church and hostilities grew with the Ewe ethnic membership on one side and the Fantes on the other. This led the Church to move once more to the Chicago Theological School premises located in Hyde-park Chicago. The first service there saw five adults and four Children. The adults made $50 each contribution to cover the first rent. The Church worshiped here until February 2005 when it moved again to “Christ the King Lutheran Church” premises located at 3701 South Lake Park, Chicago IL. where the Church worshiped under the new name "Ewe Church” of Chicago and more Ewe speaking members namely Paul Kwasi Adessu, Selali Ayeke, Abigail Nettey, Mama Tyiribea Ameyibor IV, Elizabeth Dzikunu, Godhold Nkulenu, John Bansah, Anthony Avudzivi, MacGeoffrey Kutor and others joined.
While at the Lake Park address, after a harvest, in one of the congregational meetings of the church with its board of directors, The Church changed its name permanently to the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church, Chicago. Significantly the Pastor Rev. Dr. Quamson led the leadership and the board of directors to affiliate the Church with the mother church as a branch of the Evangelical Presbyterian (E.P.) Church of Ghana and Togo. It is important to state here that Rev. Dr. (Mrs.) Dorothy BEA Akoto who had come to do a Ph.D. at the Chicago Theological Seminary joined the Church and assisted Rev. Dr. Quamson fully in shepherding the flock of the E.P. Church, Chicago until Rev. Dr. Quamson left for Ghana. Rev. Dr. Dorothy BEA. Akoto (Phd) also had to leave after graduating from her PhD. studies. Due to other circumstances while at the Lake Park location the Church moved and came back to the Dorchester location at the St. Paul Lutheran Church premises located at 7621 S. Dorchester, Chicago, IL 60619 for a second time.
While at 7621 S. Dorchester, the church under Rev. Dr. Quamson continued his work of affiliation to the mother Churches of Ghana and Togo until Sunday, September 18, 2011 when the Church was inaugurated in the presence of the following E.P. Church Pastors:
Rt. Rev. Francis Amenu (Moderator of the E.P. Church, Ghana), The late Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Mawuli Awanyo (Moderator of the E.P. Church, Togo), Rev. Godwin K. Osiakwa (Clerk of the General Assembly), Rev. Mrs. Dr. Vivian Balasu-Addo (Pastor, E.P. Church of America), Rev. Dr. Benjamin Quamson (Pastor, E.P. Church of Chicago) and Rev. Dr. (Mrs.) Dorothy BEA Akoto (Ph.D).
Rev. Dr. Quamson left the Church in the hands of Catechist Paul Adessu who became the Resident Pastor and Elder Julius Attipoe who was also blessed as a Presbyter for their roles and Rev. Dr. Vivian Balasu-Addo (the District Pastor)
After some events, Pastor Kwasi Adessu resigned from the Church and Rev. Dr. Philip Elike from New York was assigned to the Chicago congregation. The Church currently has no challenges and continue to grow with groups as the Youth Ministry, Men Ministry, Women Ministry and the Choir.
Some Charity activities of the Church include money to less privileged widows in Ghana and Togo, support to Women Ministry in Ghana, the sick in both Ghana and Togo.