Christians from throughout Springfield came out in good numbers Saturday, Aug. 24 to participate in “God Belongs in My City,” a prayer walk to unite Christians in their shared beliefs. The crowd of men, women and children, estimated at over 400, met at Comer Cox Park at Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. and Capitol Ave. and walked the 1.3 miles to the Illinois State Capitol.
Bishop Thomas John Paprocki joined local Protestant pastors Stacy Barnett, Mark Johnson and Jerry Doss; Business Men in Christ president Bernie Lutchman; and Illinois Sen. Sam McCann to address the crowd at the prayer walk service held at the base of the Lincoln statue in front of the Capitol.
Chosen Generation, a Christian band, and the Abundant Faith Christian Center Choir led the music at the rally, which had many in the crowd swaying with hands uplifted as they sang praise to the Lord.
“We have come together as the Body of Christ and will bring down the barriers. Let’s do this together to help these people,” said Pastor Barnett, emcee at the prayer walk service.
Bishop Paprocki told the crowd it was a privilege to be with them. Recalling St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Bishop Paprocki reminded the crowd, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it, we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). These words, the bishop said, serve as a reminder to us that, “because of our faith, this world is not all that there is, but that we look forward to something much greater.”
Recalling the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, Bishop Paprocki reminded the crowd what Jesus said to his listeners: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house” (Mt 5:114-15).
“We are called to let the light of our faith shine for others to see,” the bishop said, “not just keep it hidden in our homes and in our congregations on Sunday morning. That light is meant to shine everywhere. Every aspect of our lives should be guided by the light of our faith, not just because it is the path that will lead us to heaven, but because it gives a witness for others to see and hopefully turn their lives around to follow that same path as well.”
Bishop Paprocki told the crowd. “We have come out to witness to the beauty of our faith and to let the light of that faith shine for the entire city of Springfield to see. We want them to see the love that unites us and motivates us to work for a better community that is rooted in the principles behind our faith, principles which seek to promote peace and good among all of the members of this city.”
To bring God into the city, “it is vitally important that all of us from our various Christian demonstrations find common ground to work with our fellow brothers and sisters baptized in Christ.”
“Let us pray that by the witness of our lives, all of the members of this city may be attracted to the source of our life, God himself, and seek to make him a part of their lives so as to walk according to his ways, fostering a community of disciples serving one another and building one another up as we all advance toward the fulfillment of our hope in this city with awaits all of us, the new and heavenly Jerusalem.”