The Urbana Foursquare Church was started by a family who had experienced the divine power of healing in 1918. Their experience and attitudes toward the Christian charismatic philosophies instigated a desire to affiliate with a movement that held and practiced the same beliefs. They followed the dynamic preaching of Sister Aimee Semple McPherson –who was becoming well-known for her evangelistic revival meetings. It was in those days (c. 1920) that thousands of people across America were witnessing the power of God through understanding that Jesus Christ is the the Savior and that His death and resurrection ushered in the presence of the Holy Spirit here on earth. The message of salvation was widely received as many were experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit, being healed from sickness, and hearing the message that ‘Christ is coming back!’ 

During this time as people experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, like the founding family of this church, they needed a place that affirmed their experience. As a result, new churches were started for the purpose of uniting believers, experiencing the power of God and understanding the Bible. These churches came under the leadership covering that Sister Aimee created, thus the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel was established in 1923. The Urbana Foursquare Church was one of the first churches to be recognized within the Foursquare movement. One of the core values that unifies Foursquare churches is a biblically-based principle that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available for us today and practiced in the same manner as they were in the early Church.

This church was founded on a principle of believing that Jesus Christ saves those who believe in Him; that He is the healer to reveal Himself to humanity; that He gave us the Holy Spirit in order to be a constant witness to God; and that Jesus will return for The Church.