Pastors from churches across St. Louis gathered at Resurrection Temple Church for a weekend citywide Day of Prayer last week, urging residents to come together in response to ongoing violence and support families affected by crime.
The gathering, featuring fellowship and messages of hope, coincided with similar events held at churches across the city through the “Grill to Glory” initiative, which encourages congregations to serve as neighborhood gathering places and community resources.
“We can’t be like this world. The world needs to be like the church,” Pastor Dennis R. Sims Sr. of Greater Progressive Church said at the Saturday event.. “You can get all the money, and it won’t change. All the programs in the world won’t change. Jesus. … That’s the change.”
According to FBI and city crime data, St. Louis continues to report one of the nation’s highest violent crime rates. Researchers have long noted that St. Louis’ status as an independent city, separate from St. Louis County, affects its per-capita crime rankings because the city’s relatively small population can make crime rates appear higher than those of other large metropolitan areas.
For those attending the gathering, the conversation quickly turned from crime statistics to the people and neighborhoods living with the consequences of violence.
Pastors spoke about the emotional toll of conducting funeral services for children and young adults while urging residents to show more compassion for one another.
“We get tired of going to funerals, because I prayed over babies in caskets,” said Resurrection Temple Church Pastor Willie Chapman Jr. “You think, because some of us are pastors out here, that don’t bother us? Who wants to look at a baby in the casket? It hurts my heart. … We need some compassion for one another.”
Sims told the crowd that faith changed the course of his life.
“I know who I used to be. At the time, I walked in darkness,” Sims said. “I didn’t call my mom ’cause she was gone. My dad was gone. But I called on the name of Jesus. I don’t need nobody to tell me about it, because when I was down and going through heartbreaks, setbacks, broken promises and dreams, … there was something about the name of Jesus.”
The speakers repeatedly returned to the example adults set for children.
“We can’t be phony in front of our kids,” Chapman said. “They are the ones gonna call us out. They gonna judge us by what they see, and not by what you say. Hear what we say, and see what we do — and if it lines up, then you give them hope.”
Chapman urged parents to encourage their children with their words.
“When you wake up in the morning, don’t tell them, ‘No, you ain’t gonna be nothing, just like your dad.’ Say, ‘You are great, and there’s greatness in you.’ We got to lift our children up now.”
He also encouraged those attending not to lose hope.
“You say ‘I can’t change.’ That’s a lie. You can change. If you just believe,” Chapman said. “It takes each day. One moment. One step. You didn’t get like this in one day. So let God unravel the defeat that keeps you bound up.”
Larry Rogers, a representative of For Word Christian Ministries, said seeing churches from across St. Louis come together motivated him to attend.
“I woke up this morning and saw that they were praying over my whole neighborhood,” Rogers said. “I had to hop in a ride and come over here and just stand in the gap.”
Rogers said he hopes young people notice churches working together in their neighborhoods.
“The young people need to see this,” Rogers said. “They need to see it when they are driving up and down the street. They just see us over here praying. And it’s where everyone’s welcome.”
For Rogers, the turnout wasn’t the measure of success.
“I wasn’t worried about how many people showed up or not, ’cause I know as long as I showed up, God gonna show up and show out,” Rogers said.