Sixth Annual Miracle Draws Hundreds

More than 500 people from 10 congregations came together for a community Thanksgiving celebration as part of the sixth annual Miracle on 127th Street service. The special night of worship brought together the different ministries that line 127th Street from East to West. The nearly two-hour celebration, sponsored by the 127th Street Ministers' Fellowship, featured:

• a parade of nations featuring the children of the 127th Street ministries,
• Scripture reading by Pastor Josh Polanco (Salvation Army Church),
• invocation and hymn (“O For a Thousand Tongues”) led by Living Hope’s Pastor Sam Hamstra, accompanied by the Salvation Army Brass Band,
• praise and worship led by Minister Leslie Ruiz and the Lighthouse Church of All Nations Band, accompanied by the Praise Dance Team of Glorious Life Worship Center,
• a creative arts presentation written by Dan and Michaelle McClowry of Moraine Valley Church,
• spoken word presentations by three young people (Glorious Life Church, True Spirit International Ministries, The Lighthouse Church),
• choir presentation with a mass youth choir, directed by Miss Kristin Cavins (The Lighthouse Church),
• choir presentation with an adult mass choir, directed by Pastor Mary Gaye Steel (Life Church),
• a love offering with all proceeds going to Operation Blessing (Crestwood, IL), and
• a keynote address by Pastor Pagel Williams (Glorious Life Worship Center).

(A complete photo gallery of the evening can be viewed here.)

Pastor Williams, who helped Living Hope Church during its six-month pre-launch, prepared a message titled “God’s Recipe for Restoration.” The message was centered on Chronicles 6, highlighting how, when Solomon dedicated the temple, he took time for intercessory prayer for God’s people. Solomon prayed that God answer his people quickly when they do wrong and ask for forgiveness; that message, Pastor Williams, is for us, too.

“Our land is in trouble,” he said. “Solomon’s word is for us, too. But, God has a recipe for restoration, and that recipe has four ingredients, for God’s people must: humble themselves, pray, seek his face, and turn.” Pastor Williams stressed the recipe must be taken in order; he focused his message on the first ingredient of people humbling themselves.

“When you stop to praise God, now you have God’s attention,” he said. “It's in humility that I’m made ready to pray, seek his face, and turn to him. It is then that I start to bring glory to him.”

The “Miracle on 127th Street” began more than six years ago when Pastor Dan Willis, of the Lighthouse Church of All Nations in Alsip, IL, called Pastor Sam Hamstra, who was, at that time, serving the Palos Heights Christian Reformed Church. Willis told Hamstra that he had traveled 127th Street from beginning to end and discovered that, on that 10-mile road, 10 congregations gather for worship. Then Willis asked, "Do you think God would be glorified if all the churches on 127th Street could gather as followers of Christ for one service?" Hamstra's positive answer to that question led to the first "Miracle on 127th Street," hosted by the Palos Heights Christian Reformed Church on the Sunday night before Thanksgiving Day in 2005. More than 600 people attended to share the "miracle" of a diverse group of Christ-followers, from many tribes and nations, crossing over denominational barriers, for an evening of fellowship and praise in the name of Jesus Christ.

After that first event, the participating pastors settled on the Sunday night before Thanksgiving as the date for an annual multi-congregational celebration of thanksgiving. The second "Miracle" was hosted by the Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, located on the eastern edge of 127th Street in Chicago. The third and fourth services were hosted by Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, with the fifth and sixth (this year) being hosted by Moraine Valley Church.

Each year the pastors select a speaker for the event and do so with the hope of reflecting the diversity of their congregations. The first speaker was Pastor Phil Epperson, retired pastor of Stone Church. In 2006, Rev. Esteban Lugo came to town from Grand Rapids, MI, representing the Christian Reformed Church in North America. In 2007, Senator James Meeks, pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Chicago, offered a stirring message on Psalm 127. In 2008, Dr. Jeanne Porter, founder and president of Transporter Consulting, and Assistant Pastor with the Apostolic Church of God (Chicago), provided the message, while last year, Pastor Dan Willis (The Lighthouse Church) gave the keynote address.

This year's participants were: Christ Spiritual Way of Truth, Glorious Life Worship Center, Grace United Methodist Church, Life Church, Living Hope Church, Moraine Valley Church, Palos Heights Christian Reformed Church, Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, Salvation Army, True Spirit International Ministries, and the Lighthouse Church of All Nations. The event was also covered by local media, including the SouthtownStar, Chicago Tribune, and NBC 5.