Pastor Shirley Hughes is a native Chicagoan and is the eighth of eleven children.  From birth she was gifted by God, so it is no surprise that God began using her mightily at age 5 to proclaim His word. This first message was the beginning of a lifetime of dedication, consecration, and commitment to God. Elder Charles Hughes founded the Inspirational Deliverance Center Church of God in Christ in December 1977.

Mother Hughes served devotedly and untiringly with him until his death in March 1991. At that time, the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, the late Bishop Louis Henry Ford, appointed her as the leader of the church to continue the ministry. During her reign as leader of her church, the saints have prospered physically, financially, socially, educationally and most importantly, spiritually. In 1998 Pastor Hughes led the church in a ground-breaking ceremony to build a new church home. During the construction phase, the church encountered many challenges. In fact, after the construction began, the foundation walls were built, and had to be rebuilt. Nonetheless, the Lord sustained the church and gave Pastor Hughes wisdom and guidance to lead the members to victory.

​Under the leadership of the late Bishop Louis Henry Ford, the late Bishop Shepard Little, and Bishop Ocie Booker, Pastor Hughes has served First Jurisdiction-Illinois Church of God in Christ in various capacities. Most notably, she served as an Assistant Supervisor to the late Mother Carrie Cantrell and Mother Charlotte Eades.  In January of 2014, under the auspices of Bishop Ocie Booker, she was appointed as the Jurisdictional Supervisor of First Jurisdiction.​Pastor Shirley Hughes is a leader, a visionary, a pioneer, and a friend to all.