Mission

The mission of the First Friday Club of Chicago is to provide a forum for men and women to make connections between work, faith, values and issues that affect their daily lives.

  • First Friday Club is an Educational Forum, where monthly speaker presentations provide a platform where people of all religious and work backgrounds can gather and make connections … through shared work experience and values, ecumenical faith conversations, along with a focus and discussion on issues of the day presented by our guest speakers.

  • First Friday Club is a Charitable Forum, which allows a monthly speaker to share a personal mission or stories connected to an organizations’ good works. By providing an opportunity for speakers to present at our podium, we allow them to not only educate our audience but present charitable options for our audience to participate in by using both time and treasure .

  • First Friday Club is an Ecumenical Faith Forum where everyone is welcome at our speaker luncheons. Dependent on monthly speaker topics, the audience can be exposed to different religious components which may help in growing one’s spiritual connections while enhancing their overall personal faith.

With the support from all these forums, the First Friday Club of Chicago provides a monthly option for our members to educate themselves, share their gifts through time and treasure and grow their own personal faith at our in-person speaker presentations. In addition, our live-streamed webinars and Podcast have allowed a different format for our members to make connections between work, faith, values and issues that affect their daily lives while staying at home.

Rev. John Cusick founded the First Friday Club of Chicago after he returned from speaking at the First Friday Club of Cleveland.  Father Cusick continues his service as Club Chaplain.  A volunteer Board of Directors from all across the metropolitan area governs the FFCC.  Since 1986, the members and guests meet the first Friday from October to May.  Some of the finest speakers have shared the moral dilemmas and social obligations transcending their work and involvement in religion, business, education, government, media, health care and community life.

 - The First Friday Club began in 1986 with Joseph Cardinal Bernardin as the first speaker.

 - The club gathers 200 - 400 people monthly.

 - Over 50,000 people have attended a First Friday Club speaker presentations.

 - The First Friday Club is not affiliated with any church, religion or any other organization.

 - The First Friday Club is a forum for business and other interested people to engage in issues which affect their daily lives.

 - The past speakers' list resembles a "who's who" of leaders in business, media, religion, government, education, health care, and the arts.

 - The club operates solely on support from dues paying members.  It is through the support of these loyal attendees and supporters that the club continues to thrive.  The amount charged for lunch only covers the cost of the lunch.

- A variety of membership levels exist.