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Christians in Chicago Unite to Pray for Their City

PrayChicago brought Christians from many organizations, churches, and communities in the greater Chicago area together in prayer on September 5, 2014. Many gathered on the Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago over the noon hour. Others attended prayer gatherings in their communities that evening. PrayChicago was organized by Heart for the City, a Chicago-based ministry founded by Dr. John Fuder, a Moody Theological Seminary (MTS) adjunct professor.

The idea for PrayChicago came about while members of the Chicago Leaders Prayer Summit, a diverse gathering of more than 70 Christian ministry leaders, were discussing the city’s violent Fourth of July weekend.

“Our desire through PrayChicago is that the Body of Christ in Chicago will be mobilized to pray as a more unified force for our city, especially the marginalized neighborhoods,” Dr. Fuder explains. “As a result we hope to see God develop hearts of compassion and greater levels of engagement in those communities.”

One participant—Roy Patterson, station manager for Moody Radio in Chicago—has seen violence firsthand in his neighborhood. He agreed to emcee the event, and was joined by Moody Bible Institute’s president, Dr. Paul Nyquist.  Other participants included Mayor Rahm Emanuel and pastors Erwin Lutzer (The Moody Church), Mark Jobe (New Life Community Church), and James Ford (Christ Bible Church). Among those leading the gathering were Arloa Sutter (Breakthrough Urban Ministries) and Donnita Travis (By the Hand), as well as leaders representing Moody Global Ministries, the Mission America Coalition, and Cru. A Chicago Neighborhood Prayer Guide served as a companion guide for the prayer events, offering prayer points and background for all 77 Chicago neighborhoods. Another prayer event is planned for January 28, 2015. For more information, go to h4tc.org/pray-chicago.

(C) 2015 Prayer Connect magazine