By Bryan Ward (City Director of Rewire and co-leader of MSP)
Every city has its foundational moments and events that shape what the city becomes. The history of St. Paul reads like the histories of many other U.S. cities. Indigenous peoples settled and were displaced, a fort was established, the fur trade developed, and the whiskey trade flourished. The first European settled, land was ceded, and in 1941 a Catholic priest had a chapel built, and renamed the settlement St. Paul.
As the city grew, a railroad magnate was established, brothels flourished, and the city had a reputation for being “tough.” The city became a haven for criminals, and, in an office downtown, a Minnesota senator wrote the Volstead Act, which began Prohibition. There was urban renewal, the vibrant Rondo neighborhood was destroyed, skyscrapers appeared, and by the 1990’s, there was a rich tradition of welcoming refugees.
All of these people and events, and many others, have influenced the city we have come to know and love. Unfortunately, it can sometimes feel like we have little control over the fate of our beloved city. Enter Mission St. Paul.
In 1994, a weekly pastors’ prayer gathering was quietly birthed in St. Paul. For more than 25 years, this gathering blessed St. Paul, and helped buttress the work of God in our city. This faithful group would eventually launch Mission St. Paul, a cooperative kingdom initiative to see city-wide transformation. The heart of this initiative…“the whole church bringing the whole gospel to the whole city.”
I arrived in Minnesota as a transplant in 2011. I grew up in California but spent nearly 20 years in Russia and South Africa working as a vocational missionary. Not long after I arrived, I was introduced to Jim Olson, who invited me to Mission St. Paul. I’ve lived in several cities, San Diego, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Pretoria, South Africa, but I had never seen such a strategic and dedicated city-wide prayer movement.
Beginning in October 2008, Mission St. Paul has gathered local churches to pray through all 17 neighborhoods and all 7 Council Wards of the city. For the last 10 years we have gathered monthly to pray in every precinct of every ward, a task that will take another two years to complete. In addition to this strategic prayer, Mission St. Paul has hosted annual events around the MLK and Easter holidays, where local churches have come together in a spirit of unity across racial and denominational lines.
Over the past two years, there has been another shift taking place. We are currently seeking a leader in each ward who will gather pastors/ministry leaders/churches from their ward to pray and collaborate. For years we have had such groups in Ward 5 (Payne-Phalen) and Ward 4 (Greater Hamline-Midway). As these pastors and ministry leaders grow in their unity and love for one another, our hope is that new kingdom initiatives will be birthed, bringing further transformation to St. Paul.
Mission St. Paul has been a rich blessing in my life. It has led me to pray with other pastors/ministry leaders I may have missed or overlooked in my daily ministry context. And, it has helped me discover the beauty and challenges of the people and neighborhoods of St. Paul.
I have no doubt that Mission St. Paul has been a blessing to the city. It’s not fast-growing and flashy, but rather patient and faithful. It’s like a healing balm that takes time and depth to penetrate the wounds, begin the healing process, and bring new life. As I look to the future, my greatest hope is that Mission St. Paul will continue to influence the spiritual realities and kingdom initiatives that will shape and define our city for decades to come.
Mission St. Paul: City-Wide Prayer
By Bryan Ward (City Director of Rewire and co-leader of MSP)
Every city has its foundational moments and events that shape what the city becomes. The history of St. Paul reads like the histories of many other U.S. cities. Indigenous peoples settled and were displaced, a fort was established, the fur trade developed, and the whiskey trade flourished. The first European settled, land was ceded, and in 1941 a Catholic priest had a chapel built, and renamed the settlement St. Paul.
As the city grew, a railroad magnate was established, brothels flourished, and the city had a reputation for being “tough.” The city became a haven for criminals, and, in an office downtown, a Minnesota senator wrote the Volstead Act, which began Prohibition. There was urban renewal, the vibrant Rondo neighborhood was destroyed, skyscrapers appeared, and by the 1990’s, there was a rich tradition of welcoming refugees.
All of these people and events, and many others, have influenced the city we have come to know and love. Unfortunately, it can sometimes feel like we have little control over the fate of our beloved city. Enter Mission St. Paul.
In 1994, a weekly pastors’ prayer gathering was quietly birthed in St. Paul. For more than 25 years, this gathering blessed St. Paul, and helped buttress the work of God in our city. This faithful group would eventually launch Mission St. Paul, a cooperative kingdom initiative to see city-wide transformation. The heart of this initiative…“the whole church bringing the whole gospel to the whole city.”
I arrived in Minnesota as a transplant in 2011. I grew up in California but spent nearly 20 years in Russia and South Africa working as a vocational missionary. Not long after I arrived, I was introduced to Jim Olson, who invited me to Mission St. Paul. I’ve lived in several cities, San Diego, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Pretoria, South Africa, but I had never seen such a strategic and dedicated city-wide prayer movement.
Beginning in October 2008, Mission St. Paul has gathered local churches to pray through all 17 neighborhoods and all 7 Council Wards of the city. For the last 10 years we have gathered monthly to pray in every precinct of every ward, a task that will take another two years to complete. In addition to this strategic prayer, Mission St. Paul has hosted annual events around the MLK and Easter holidays, where local churches have come together in a spirit of unity across racial and denominational lines.
Over the past two years, there has been another shift taking place. We are currently seeking a leader in each ward who will gather pastors/ministry leaders/churches from their ward to pray and collaborate. For years we have had such groups in Ward 5 (Payne-Phalen) and Ward 4 (Greater Hamline-Midway). As these pastors and ministry leaders grow in their unity and love for one another, our hope is that new kingdom initiatives will be birthed, bringing further transformation to St. Paul.
Mission St. Paul has been a rich blessing in my life. It has led me to pray with other pastors/ministry leaders I may have missed or overlooked in my daily ministry context. And, it has helped me discover the beauty and challenges of the people and neighborhoods of St. Paul.
I have no doubt that Mission St. Paul has been a blessing to the city. It’s not fast-growing and flashy, but rather patient and faithful. It’s like a healing balm that takes time and depth to penetrate the wounds, begin the healing process, and bring new life. As I look to the future, my greatest hope is that Mission St. Paul will continue to influence the spiritual realities and kingdom initiatives that will shape and define our city for decades to come.