April 20, 2007
I have wanted to record and then share some of the amazing things God has been doing in our neighborhood and at Northgate Community Church since the very tragic murder of Toledo Police detective, Keith Dressel, which took place February 21st directly across from the church.
To begin our story, let me just say that prior to the beginning of the Lenten Season,the Lord laid on my heart to call our church to a very focused and strategic time of prayer and fasting. On the very first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, a 15 year old neighborhood boy shot and killed Detective Dressel. It just so happened that we had a “Community Meal” scheduled for Ash Wednesday so we added a call for prayer at 5:00 and then proceeded with the meal at 6:00 PM. Over 100 people turned out for prayer and a meal together. The time together as neighbors was very healing as many were able to come together to pray and grieve over yet another tragedy in our neighborhood.
But let me tell you “the rest of the story.” The following night we were able to take meals to both the families involved in the shooting and to invite them to Northgate on Sunday. That first Sunday, the boy’s mother and older brother were in church and gave their lives to Christ. On Friday of the following week, I met with the young boy in juvenile jail and he also prayed to receive Christ. Along with the salvation of this family, we have recorded 12 more decisions for Christ in the neighborhood. There has been a combination of people who have made decisions for Christ in our Sunday service and just personal visits to people who have called me and needed someone to talk to about their lives.
On Palm Sunday, 10 people were baptized in our morning worship service and on Easter Sunday, we had over 100 in attendance and 5 more people accepted Christ’s Lordship.I am currently leading a “new believer” Bible study in the home of the boy’s mom and brother and last week we had 10 in attendance! We are also looking at another baptism on the first Sunday in May! God is so good.
Please pray that God will continue to send a spirit of revival to the North End.
Story by Rev. James Mann.
Northgate Community Church is an inner city church plant in Toledo, Ohio. As part of Great Lakes District, Pastor James and his wife, Sunday, have been working with this church plant since 2003.