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PrayTheLoop needs creative sources which can help create a 'from the bottom up' experience for evangelism during the Chicago Olympics 2016.  Any projects we undertake must be  diverse in approach to unify the multi-cultural heritage we enjoy here.  Language and culture must be respected for the people from the many nations of the world which are found in this city.

We know God is working all the time around us and we are in prayer, seeking His direction on our lives to align ourselves with what he is already doing.  No greater joy can be experienced in the life of His people when they are in the center of His will and when we see lost people make a life-changing decision for Christ.

We will not know what the decision is regarding the Olympics and Chicago until October of 2009 when the announcement is made in Denmark. We have been presented an opportunity to come together as 2000 churches of Chicago in a citywide initiative asking God for this major evangelistic outreach. 

What Will Happen

Some estimates are that the Olympics in Chicago will draw 30-million visitors to the city. Airlines are already applying for new routes to Olympic participants’ countries expecting a swell of business. The 20,000 participants and 16,000 press will begin arriving weeks before the Olympic Games to prepare for events. The city is spending millions to get the bid.

With about 101,000 available hotel rooms, a major outreach is to offer short-term housing in homes and churches for visitors.  What an opportunity to share your faith. 

We are already seeing a rise in the use of public transportation as gas skyrockets, and that usage will only grow as the prospect of an Olympic torch is raised in Chicago.  More trains and faster trains are on the drawing board to cinch the city bid.

Chicago’s infrastructure will increase as to the number of taxicabs, service employees and construction.  All of the many stakeholders who will want to be part of the events will add to the numbers.  The buzz on the street is already growing and will become everyday conversation.

Not A Centralized Campaign 

One thing we learned is that the geography of the city is difficult. Major evangelistic revival meetings with a ‘big name speaker’ will not be the model for the outreach in Chicago. 

DL Moody held many small meetings and initiatives during the 1893 World’s Fair in three zones of the city; north, south and west of the Chicago River. Metro Chicago has now grown to a size greater than 4000 square miles as participation would be expected from Gary to Kankakee to Rockford to Milwaukee.

People from 200 language groups will be coming to Chicago for the games.  Chicago is the only bidder which is representative of these language groups and has the infrastructure in place to accommodate the activities.  Our diversity is singular in the world.

What Does It Look Like

Over the next 12 months, we pray and prepare. Moody Church has been praying since 2007 for ‘ the event of the century.’ Many churches and groups have been meeting for prayer for years, ‘weeping over the city.’ There are already prayer groups praying for the 2016 Olympics in churches and businesses all over Chicago. 

Net Sunday morning attendance in evangelical churches today has flat lined and in many denominations, the growth pattern is negative.  The fact is that if we assume that we will reach all of the additional population in the world through the church, we are sadly mistaken.

Evangelism is not church growth and is not just the work of professionals.  Church growth is an important priority in each congregation but now, can we move out of the building and share the greatest story ever told with those who have never heard. 

How We Evangelize

For some time now I have been asking pastors for stories about evangelism in their communities, and with little response.  The short answer is that we really find it hard to evangelize beyond the internal church activities that have been part of our ministries in the past. One church reports that they allowed the Rotary Club to use their building for  monthly meetings and the church advertised its Christmas program in the newspaper.  May God help us.

July 22 - August 7, 2009

This period is the time when the Olympic Games would take place in Chicago in 2016.  Mobilizing churches and their people for evangelism requires some focus, and the concept of an outreach during July 22 - August 7, 2009 may supply a focus for the Olympic events in 2016.

Prayer and Bible study along with teaching and training will mobilize each church according to their historical pattern.  Partnerships with ministry groups interested in working in the city could be developed from existing relationships and formed anew as part of preparation for 2016.

We are exploring a global web presence, which would attract interest from around the world. The website would focus on the Olympic interest and tell the stories of Christian athletes and would be available in 10-20 languages.   Chicago churches would be linked with other churches, colleges and evangelism websites around the world. 

Technology will be quite different in 2016.  Eight years is like a 100 of the years of the past.  Younger people will largely use texting and ‘always-on’ communication rather than email.  Social networking will be a common thing, and we will no longer be bound to a stationary computer.  All of the wonders of the Internet will be available in our hands and perhaps as part of our peripheral vision as wireless comes of age.  You will be able to use ‘push technology’ by zip code and perhaps even by neighborhood.  You can now look at your house and up and down your street through the use of Google mapping services.

Push technology could be available for prayer requests and instant communications; sites which link those who support evangelism and Christian ministry including on line resources, on-demand video and direct communication.  Print-On-Demand materials will be common as traditional printed matter and media continue to fade.  

We are exploring use of the Chicago logo and traditional applications on t-shirts, hats, etc. which would be points of Contact.  Vanity bank cards and lapel pins all offer opportunity to start a conversation about your faith.  

In order to have wide support of the outreach idea, each participating church will need to make the decision to become involved in the prayer initiative and allow the Holy Spirit to guide the level of effort to which the church is called. 

Flow Chart

The most promising potential benefit of the entire outreach is to reverse the flow of ministry so that it bubbles up from below and does not depend on a flow down from the top.  

If God’s people can capture the vision of what He is already doing in Chicago churches and individual lives, we can be empowered to live lives that are changed.  God is faithful in all that we are willing to give him.  What we hold back and refuse to give to God is what drags us down.  

In spite of the opposition we face today, God is confirming His church and empowering His people to make evangelism their lifestyle.  We should use this opportunity to demonstrate respect for others who serve the Lord and build up each others dignity as we share the truth of the gospel.

I am looking for creative people who connect with this vision.  You may be on of them.  Again, thanks and I look forward to hearing from you further on this as God leads us along.  Use the form on the Get More Information page and become part of PrayTheLoop.