Pastor Rashon Jordan remembers exactly how the idea came to him — and how unlikely it felt at first.
The senior pastor of The Advancing Church said he was simply following the same pattern of obedience that has guided his ministry for years when God placed a new assignment on his heart. He was led to take worship to the St. Louis Zoo.
“Faith in the Wild,” a worship service happening from 9 a.m. to noon on June 7 at the St. Louis Zoo, is the result.
Jordan said the inspiration came from two places he has always loved — God and animals — and from the way his artwork often reflects the beauty of creation. But the deeper connection came through the story of Noah.
“The zoo is like a living museum of the animals that graced the ark,” he said. “It’s a place where we’re reminded of God’s grace — that He saved creation, and He saved humanity. Without the ark, there would be no zoo.”
Jordan said the service is meant to help people see the zoo as a space where the diversity of life reflects divine artistry and where the legacy of Noah’s obedience still echoes.
But when the idea first came, he admits he had to work through his own hesitation.
“It didn’t make sense at first,” he said. “You’re asking people not to go to their church building on a Sunday morning and meet you at the zoo. I had to get past my own reasoning and what felt comfortable for people.”
Once he moved beyond that, he said, he committed fully.
The message he plans to preach centers on faith that goes beyond experience — the kind Noah had when God told him rain was coming, even though rain had never fallen from the sky before.
“You have to believe God even if it’s something you’ve never seen,” Jordan said. “Noah believed God, and because of that, the first zoo happened inside the ark.”
Jordan said the impact of obedience is something he has witnessed firsthand. A few years ago, he said God instructed his church to build a church in Johannesburg, South Africa. He didn’t know how it would happen, but he delivered the message — and the support came.
The Advancing Church eventually built the church and helped bring water and electricity to a village that had neither.
“When you move because God gave you a word, lives are changed,” he said. “We don’t always understand the long-lasting impact of faith.”
Jordan said “Faith in the Wild” is meant to be a celebration of that same grace — the kind that sustained Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark, and the kind he believes still sustains people today.
“If God has ever saved you from something, healed you from something, delivered you from something — this is a day to remember His grace,” he said. “Even when people talk about judgment, there is always grace.”
He hopes the service will help people see God’s creativity in the world around them, especially at a time when global conflict, rising costs and uncertainty weigh heavily on many.
“Let’s celebrate the fact that God is still good and His grace is still present with us,” Jordan said.
And for those who attend, he believes the experience will offer something they haven’t encountered before.
“It feels amazing to know that obedience can impact families and give people hope,” he said. “I live by faith. I walk by faith, not by sight.”
The Advancing Church’s “Faith in the Wild” at the St. Louis Zoo will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, June 7. For more information, visit www.theadvancingchurch.org