Happy Birthday Chicago!

The city of Chicago was incorporated on Saturday, March 4, 1837 making today its 178th birthday! In light of this I though the city as a whole could be our prayer focus this week.  

Chicago started as a city by a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. It has grown to be the third largest city in the United States and ranks seventh in the world in the 2014 Global Cities Index. The city itself has 2.7 million residents with 9.5 million calling the surrounding metropolitan area or Chicagoland home. (wikipedia)

"Chicago is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation, with O'Hare International Airport being the busiest airport in the world."[10] In 2012, Chicago broke an all time record of the number of visitors to the city with 46.37 million international and domestic visitors.

Chicago is a great city with an enormous amount of influence in our world today.  Chicago's influence has not always been positive but certainly has the potential to be especially if we as believers step up to make an impact.  Pray that the believers throughout the Chicagoland area will enter all spheres of influence in our society whether it is education, government, entertainment, business or others. Pray that as they enter these spheres that they would bring about change for the good! We need God fearing individuals to be the ones setting the tone for how our city runs and influences all the people that come through our area and others around the world.  

I have such hope for our city! What an incredible gift God has given us with Chicago and all it has to offer! Please keep praying for her, we have so much work that has to be done in the lives and hearts of people here! Happy Birthday my dear Chicago! Thanks for celebrating with me today and for reading!  Have a great week!

Next week: Washington Park (for sure next week!!)

Near West Side

Thanks for joining me today to intentionally pray for the city of Chicago.  I missed a post last week because of a busy schedule, for that I am sorry.  My goal is to still post every Wednesday.

United Center with Near West Side in the background.

This week the focus is on the Near West Side community. This is the area next to the Loop in downtown, west of the Chicago River.  Some of the areas within this community are Fulton River District, Greektown, Little Italy, Illinois Medical District and University Village. There you will find the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and several hospitals. It is also the home of companies like Boeing and Oprah’s Harpo Studios and the home of the United Center where the Bulls and Blackhawks play.  It also has an interesting history in that the Great Chicago Fire started in this area.

The Near West Side Community has so much within it that we could focus on in prayer.  There is one thing I have felt like we should pray about for this area, the Medical District.  This area is one of the largest medical districts in the US and the largest in Illinois.  Some of the hospitals are John H Stroger Hospital (formerly Cook County Hospital), University of Illinois Medical Center and Rush University Medical Center.  There are also a lot of colleges that train medical professionals.

John H Stroger Hospital

 We all know people that are struggling with health in one way or another, some that I know are literally battling for their lives.  I am marked by the fact that this area in the city must have great influence within the medical community.  I am sure that medical advancements are happening every day.  Pray that God would use the men and women here to meet the needs of many and that he would give them wisdom and creativity to know how to handle the tough cases.  I am also praying that the people in these hospitals and medical centers would know God and see Him as the Great Healer.  Pray that the believers in these places would be able to share about God’s love and compassion with those dealing with all kinds of illnesses and diseases.  I am so encouraged by the people I know that work in the medical field.  Their jobs are not always easy but are so important.  If you know specific people in the medical field, pray for them today too!

Thanks again for joining me.  I am so encouraged knowing that we are unified in praying for this great city.  Blessings on your week!

Next week:  Washington Park

West Town

For this week's prayer focus I wanted to go to a different area of the city since we've been focused on the far North side the last three weeks.  West Town is the community to the Northwest of the Loop in the downtown of Chicago, west of the Chicago river.  It's an area I really didn't know much about but have had fun researching the area and even got to spend yesterday afternoon there praying over this community.

West Town is made up of very distinct neighborhoods.  Some of them are East Village, River West, Noble Square, Ukrainian Village and Wicker Park.  The area used to be known as Polish Downtown with Division Street called Polish Broadway.  Immigrants coming from Poland accelerated during and after World War II, with an estimated 150,000 coming.  Polish Americans now make up 6.7% of Chicago's population.  Polish is the third largest spoken language in Chicago after English and Spanish.  (Wikipedia)

Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church
Built in 1899-2003

There were two things that I prayed for as I walked and traveled around West Town and I'd love for you to focus on them as well. The first is that I was once again reminded that the world is represented here in the city.  I loved seeing all the diversity in this area as well.  I saw a few beautiful old Cathedrals built by Russian, Ukrainian and Polish immigrants.  Just looking at all the Polish immigrants that came you can see what a huge impact they have had on our city. Please join me in thanking God for this wonderful gift of diversity and all the cultures and peoples that it brings.  Pray also that we would utilize it for His good and it would stop being something that divides us.

The second thing I prayed was for the working class in this area. As I drove around I saw many businesses and factories.  I was marked by thinking how the working class has helped make Chicago what it is today.  I also prayed against a sense of hopelessness.  Pray that the hard workers in Chicago would be blessed in their work and by their families and friends around them.  Pray that God would show himself real to them and give them great hope.

Skyline from West Town yesterday!

Thanks again for joining me in praying for our great city.  I am loving praying intentionally like this. I think I love the city even more!

Next week: Near West Side

Uptown

This week I’m focusing on the community of Uptown.  Uptown has a cool history in Chicago as being an entertainment destination.  Early film stars like Charlie Chaplin and others produced films at the Essanay Studios in Uptown and the community itself has been used as a filming location for over 480 films. 

With theaters like the Argon Ballroom, Riviera Theater, and the Green Mill Jazz Club, the community of Uptown has played a significant role in ushering in many musical eras in history. (Wikipedia)  The area started changing around the 50’s when commuter rails were extended.

A YWAM team in Little Vietnam.

While Uptown has a history with the entertainment industry it looks very different now.  Uptown has areas that are very diverse ethnically, with people nicknaming them North Chinatown, New Saigon and Little Vietnam. There is also a cluster of nursing homes that treat mentally ill patients along with quite a few homeless shelters in the Uptown area. 

Uptown is a different community than it was in its prime back in the early 20^th century.  I feel like God has incredible hope for this area and is attuned to the needs of the people there.  As we look to pray for Uptown this week, pray for opportunities to see change happen in the lives of the outcast in this area.  Pray Luke 6:20 over this area, “blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Pray also for God to encourage those that minister to the people there and to send more workers. 

Thanks once again for joining me in praying for Chicago.  Please leave a comment if you have a story about Uptown or an area of prayer you think God might be wanting us to focus on! 

Next Week: West Town

West Ridge

This week we move a little west of Rogers Park to the neighborhood of West Ridge.  West Ridge, like Rogers Park, is very diverse in the ethnicity of it's residents.  It was once known as the Golden Ghetto because of it's thriving Jewish community there from about 1930 to the mid- 70's. It is still the midwests largest Hasidic community. (Wikipedia) West Ridge includes a section of Devon street that has been settled by many immigrant groups and is a popular tourist destination. "Here, one will encounter concentrations of Orthodox Jews, Assyrian Americans, Russian Americans, Indian Americans, Pakistani Americans, Bangladeshi Americans, and others.  Portions of Devon in this area have been renamed in honor of Golda Meir, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, respectively. ^[3][4]"(Wikipedia)

                        

We, as YWAM Chicago, do a lot of ministry in this area, especially what we call "Little India".  We love introducing the teams that come on outreach to this area to teach what it means to interact with a different culture and share Jesus with them. For me, as I've traveled different places and have seen other peoples and cultures it has expanded my view of God and our world.  Chicago is a great place where we can see aspects of the different cultures of our world in one spot.  What a gift God has given us to interact with the nations in our own back yard! 

The need is great to minister to the people of West Ridge and there are quite a few ministries centered there. One praise that we can pray about West Ridge is that there is definite unity among the Christian organizations that are working in the area. Partly because the need is so great there isn't a sense of competition.   With the high number of foreign born people, there is a lot of need for things like English classes and tutoring, help with finding jobs and filling out forms and acclimating into a culture different than what they know.  

This week as you pray, please pray for more people to come and minister to this area.  Pray that the YWAM teams that come will understand how to reach outside of themselves and understand the cultures around them.  Pray for the relationships that we already have there and that we will continue to find people that will take what they learn about Jesus and share it with those in their circle of influence both here and abroad.

Thanks for praying!  Let me know in the comment section what you think or any comments you might have about West Ridge!

Next Week: Uptown

Rogers Park

Thanks again for reading my blog and praying for Chicago. I am planning on writing a new post every Wednesday. Check back each week to see what area of the city we will be focusing on for prayer. I would also love it if you would share the link with anyone you think might be interested in praying for Chicago in this way!

Number 1 on the Communities of Chicago map just happens to be the area in which I live, Rogers Park. I'm excited to start in this area. We as a team at YWAM Chicago along with each outreach team that we work with, have been praying specifically for this area for the last two years. We have seen positive things happen in this part of the city and know God has much more in store. Rogers Park is an incredibly unique and diverse neighborhood. It is 1.8 square miles on the far north side of Chicago, just south of the suburb of Evanston. There is an estimated population of 56,000 people, representing 150 nations. It is considered one of the gateway neighborhoods because of it's immigrant and foreign population. Because of it's foreign population it tends to be a very transient neighborhood as well. New people to Chicago arrive on a daily basis.

There are two areas I wanted to focus on for Rogers Park in our prayers. The first is for the church in and around Rogers Park to utilize the tool God has given us in bringing the nations to our door. We can step out and reach lives right where we live. They in turn can reach out to their family and friends in their home nation. What a blessing! Pray that people coming to Rogers Park from foreign countries will have direct interaction with Christians and be marked by God's love. Pray also for the ministries in the area to be able to reach out effectively to such a transient group.

Rogers Park is also home to Loyola University. This is what I want our second area of prayer focus to be. The University has a huge impact in Rogers Park and takes up quite an area within the community. I have a friend that works at Loyola as a chaplain. I asked him what he would like to us to pray for and here are a few things he shared. First is to pray for students who are mentally ill. There is a lot of mental illness on campus with very little help. Second, the ministry at Loyola to students is short on men. Loyola is a female dominated school and the ministry there has about 90% female attending. Third is that the students would get outside of maintaining their Christian bubble and engage with those who believe differently, essentially evangelism. Last, pray for the leaders, that they would have wisdom to lead their peers.

Thanks so much for lifting up Rogers Park in your prayers this week. I have grown to love this neighborhood as it has become my new home. Have a great week everyone! Expecting great things from God!!

Coming Next Week: West Ridge

A Call to Prayer

Prayer has been one of the most important parts of my life. My relationship with God would not be where it is today, nor would I be where I am today if not for prayer. I have studied it, practiced it, modeled it, taught on it and relied on it. As we start a new year I have felt called to pray in a new way in the hopes of bringing about significant change. I feel called to pray for and mobilize others to pray for Chicago. Five years ago today I was on a plane heading to Australia for a six month adventure. Leaving Chicago and heading to Perth felt like a huge step of faith. I was not sure what God had in store for me during the sixth month Discipleship Training School but even bigger than that was not being sure of what would come after. I imagined that my time in Chicago was probably finished. I left committing that wherever God wanted me I was open to go. While I was in Perth, however, God spoke to me about the city of Chicago like never before. I felt like he was strengthening my heart for the city instead of helping me move on. I also had a chance to work with Perth's ministry called MegaCities. I know that it was not a coincidence that I would work with Megacities. Megacities showed me a way of looking at a city and understanding how to reach out to it, mobilizing the believers already there. With Megacities I did an outreach to Mexico City. The first week we were there all we did was read the bible over the city and pray for it. We prayed a lot and we saw miraculous things happen in our time there. It's when I think about that trip that I get excited for all God could have in store for Chicago. I feel called to pray for the city like never before. I am committing to pray intentionally for the 77 different communities in the city of Chicago throughout 2015. Would you join me? I will be blogging throughout the year about each of the different communities and I would love it if you would join me in lifting up the unique and incredible neighborhoods in this beautiful city. Please feel free to comment on my posts and add any thoughts you might have about the different communities that I am writing about. I would also love to hear about any ways you see God moving in the city. I am expecting God to do great things through our prayers this year. Let's do this!!