Ghana National Council

Like manna from heaven, money continued to pour into the decimated coffers of Pilgrim Baptist Church on Tuesday, as the Pritzker family rallied behind efforts to help the storied Chicago congregation that lost its 115-year-old landmark building in a fire late last week.

J.B. and M.K. Pritzker, through their Pritzker Family Foundation, have offered Pilgrim Baptist -- the birthplace of gospel music -- a $500,000 "challenge grant," promising to match any private donation, dollar for dollar, up to a half-million, to help the congregation rebuild.

"J.B. and M.K. have been working closely with Pilgrim for several years to restore the church prior to the fire," said Dave Lundy, a spokesman for the Pritzkers. "They have a longstanding commitment to civil rights and recognize the church as an important civil rights institution and community institution . . . and they were working to restore it to its former grandeur."

Built by famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan and his engineering partner Dankmar Adler as a synagogue in 1891, the imposingly beautiful building at 33rd and Indiana that Pilgrim Baptist had occupied since 1922 was destroyed Friday afternoon in a blaze investigators believe was sparked by heating torches used by workers renovating the roof.

State giving $1 million

Robert Vaughn, chairman of Pilgrim Baptist's board of trustees, said he was inspired by the Pritzkers' generosity, as well as that of strangers from across the country who have sent donations to a rebuilding fund set up at a Chicago bank.

"It just gives me goosebumps -- all of the outpouring from concerned people," Vaughn said, adding that the congregation had not been able to salvage anything from the blaze. Among the priceless artifacts lost in the fire were boxes of original sheet music penned by Thomas A. Dorsey, Pilgrim's music director in the late 1930s who is considered the father of gospel music.

On Monday, Gov. Blagojevich announced he planned to give $1 million to Pilgrim Baptist, a move that came under fire from the American Civil Liberties Union about whether it violates church-and-state separation requirements in the U.S. and state constitutions.

Illinois' constitution bars "any appropriation or pay from any public fund in aid of any church or sectarian purpose or to help support or sustain any school, academy, seminary, college university or other literary or scientific institution controlled by an church or sectarian denomination."

Church-state issue rejected

The ACLU sent a letter to Blagojevich asking for a breakdown on what aspects of reconstruction the state money would go toward.

"It raises obvious questions and concerns," ACLU spokesman Ed Yohnka said.

The $1 million comes from borrowed funds controlled by the Capital Development Board and must be used for non-religious purposes, a top gubernatorial aide said. Such grants have been handed out freely to other religious organizations by Blagojevich and a long line of governors before him if the money is being used for non-religious purposes.

"It's no different than any grant the state has given to Misericordia, Maryville, Loyola, DePaul or a grant we gave recently to the Jewish Federation for homeland security to protect against terrorism. Consistently, government has partnered with religious institutions when appropriate to provide for social services," Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk said. "In this case, this church had a school and provided different services to the community."