Editor’s note: For decades, the Inner City Ministry of Cru® has served poor and neglected communities by equipping pastors and lay leaders with resources and training to reach their neighborhoods with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this special two-part series, we highlight a sampling of innovative ways our inner-city missionaries have come alongside our ministry partners to meet changing needs. Last week, we looked at projects in Tallahassee, Chicago and Los Angeles. Today, we close this series with stories from Chicago, Minneapolis and Hayward, California.
Since its launch in 1983, the Inner City Ministry of Cru has included evangelistic outreaches, fellowship meals, and summer backpack distributions as resource tools to help urban pastors reach their neighbors with the gospel. Today, we look at three city projects that have adapted those initiatives to meet specific needs within their communities.
Lifting up the Lord
Evangelism is a muscle that needs to be exercised if it’s going to be effective. That’s why the Inner City Ministry of Cru’s Chicago team partnered with several community groups and local churches to bring Team Xtreme power assemblies to nine elementary schools in the Roseland community Cru serves. The 14 school assemblies were followed by a large community event at Palmer Park, about a mile east of the Agape Center, headquarters of Inner City Chicago.
“We have a huge heart to unite all the churches in our neighborhood,” said Marc Henkel, co-team director for Chicago. “We want to be an answer to Jesus’ high priestly prayer to ‘be one.’ We believe if we answer His prayer for unity, He can answer our prayer for revival. Working together with the body of Christ is really what we are all about. We try not to do things all by ourselves.”
The Team Xtreme program is not new to Chicago, having participated twice in previous adult outreaches. This time, though, the coalition decided to use the team’s effective messaging to inspire kids. As a result, more than 2,000 children witnessed the power-oriented Team Xtreme presentation, which focuses its message on anti-bullying, avoiding drugs and gangs, and following dreams.
More than 2,000 children witnessed the power-oriented Team Xtreme presentation, which focuses its message on anti-bullying, avoiding drugs and gangs, and following dreams.
“It was really impactful for them,” Henkel said. “They need lots of positive reinforcement since there is so much negativity in (their) world and community. They need constant reminders to make good choices and that there is hope. The teachers were so interested in having Team Xtreme do their presentations in their schools.”
Because the assemblies were in public schools, Team Xtreme had to avoid any overt Christian messaging. Still, each school allowed the sponsoring partners to distribute fliers promoting the evangelistic outreach in the park to everyone who attended the assemblies.
The Xtreme team specializes in breaking cinder blocks in two, ripping telephone books in half, bending steel bars, and pulling a van with their teeth. At the school, one of the men lifted a metal bar with a student hanging on to each end instead of the traditional disc weights.
“Just about everyone’s attention is drawn to people doing feats of strength,” Henkel said, adding that such feats “open the door for sharing truth with the children.”
More than 400 people attended the park outreach, with 40 individuals coming forward to accept Christ.
In keeping with the collaborative effort between churches, Henkel participated in the annual “Love Your School” challenge, a prayer-walking effort. As a result, all 25 schools in the 60628 ZIP code — also home to the Agape Center — were covered in prayers asking God to open doors for the gospel and for churches to participate with the schools.
“This was a great start,” he said. “We now also have two schools who have Child Evangelism Fellowship’s Good News Clubs, weekly in the school.”
Diversity in Dishes
Twenty women from Lauren Rodriguez’s Minneapolis neighborhood came together in her living room, most in chairs, but several camped out on the carpet. A bright Christmas tree with a shiny star was a beacon in the corner.
The informal gathering was the brainchild of Lauren, who wanted to get to know her neighbors. Lauren and her husband, Rigo, served with Cru in the inner city for years before transferring to its Immigrants, Internationals and Refugees division. In anticipation of the Christmas event, Lauren sent out 60 invitations and was pleasantly surprised when one-third of them arrived.
“Many of them didn’t know one another, and they were so excited to have time together,” she said. “As it turned out, we didn’t need to make so much food, since most of the women brought traditional foods from their home countries.”
The diversity of food was not a surprise because the city has become increasingly diverse. The city is home to one of the largest populations of Somali, Hmong and Ethiopian residents in the United States. Native Americans, particularly among the Dakota and Ojibwe people, also claim a strong presence. Growth among Latino and Hispanic communities is also surging, thanks in part to large representation from Mexico.
During the gathering, the women revealed their backgrounds, with some immigrating from Ukraine, Cambodia, Laos, India, Bulgaria, and Sudan. In addition to English, they spoke Russian, Punjabi, and Hindi.
During the gathering, the women revealed their backgrounds, with some immigrating from Ukraine, Cambodia, Laos, India, Bulgaria, and Sudan.
“As we each shared our names, we also invited them to share their family’s Christmas or holiday traditions,” Lauren said. “Many of the ladies explained their faith backgrounds and which holidays they celebrated.”
Among the 20 guests were women who identified as Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim.
Before closing out the evening, Lauren presented the Christmas story, focusing on the gospel message, using a passage from John.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, New International Version).
“We all have to choose for ourselves whether or not we want to receive this gift of salvation and a relationship with the God of the universe,” Lauren added.
Before leaving, every woman was given a comment card and invited to attend a new Bible study.
“We heard over and over how much the ladies loved the time together and wanted to get together again,” she said. “Six women indicated they would like to do a Bible study. One woman put her trust in Christ for the first time.”
A Slam Dunk
Each year, in the dog days of summer, Pastor Ray Romprey and his House of Faith Bay Area Church host a community outreach in Hayward, California, that generates a lot of hoopla about Jesus.
The dual event includes “Who Got Game?” a three-on-three basketball tournament, and Back 2 School Blessings, a free backpack giveaway, co-sponsored with the Inner City Ministry of Cru. Each backpack, called PowerPacks®, is filled with school supplies, plus age-appropriate gospel literature.
The event is hosted at Weekes Community Center Park, sandwiched between the 880 freeway that links Hayward to Oakland to the north, and the Hayward Hills mountain range to the east.
“We believe that as a church, that we should be the model of change and acceptance,” said Romprey, who also serves as director of the Hayward expansion team for Cru. “We are coming to celebrate unity in our community and also celebrate diversity with different nationalities, different backgrounds. But one thing we have in common is that we are all children of God. Jesus told us to go into all of the world and make disciples of all nations, and that is something that we take to heart.”
In addition to the basketball tournament, the outreach includes a Kids Zone with games, face painting, arts and crafts, haircuts for boys and a barbecue meal.
In addition to the basketball tournament, the outreach includes a Kids Zone with games, face painting, arts and crafts, haircuts for boys and a barbecue meal.
The church hosts the annual back-to-school event to help students return to school feeling confident and prepared.
“We believe every child deserves to start the school year with the tools they need to succeed,” read an event flyer. “We look forward to serving our community and sharing the love of Christ with every family who attends.”
Church member JRay Stephens said he, his wife and children look forward to serving at the annual event.
“We reach out to not just our city,” he said. “We reach out (through) the local news, and we blast it out there, like for the whole Bay Area. We bless other cities as well, and other churches as well.”
Romprey said both events are designed to put the Great Commission to work as church members and leaders use the opportunity as touchpoints for residents who may not be willing to visit a church.
“We are trying our best to bring unity here, to bring love to each and every one of us, regardless of where you’re from or what you’ve been through, because we believe that with God, all things are possible,” Romprey said.
