Two years ago the Mayor of Maywood called the village together to pray. She instructed the police to block off the street in front of her office, put up a podium with a microphone in the middle of the street and invited clergy and ministry leaders to step to the podium and pray. Ministry leaders and even the local state representative were there. About ten people prayed publicly, and amongst them were our director, Jonathan King, and another of our missionary staff, Ben Jorden.
Maywood’s slogan is the “Village of Eternal Light.” However, the last fifty years have not been good to this near-western suburb of Chicago. It is plagued by violence in the form of shootings, gangs, educational challenges, high taxes, little economic growth, lots of empty lots and buildings, and foreclosures abounding. Do these problems need answers? Absolutely. However, God has called CEF to primarily look after the spiritual needs of children in the midst of these hard things. For these reasons and others, Chicago CEF has decided to locate their new Housing Urban ministry Building (HUB) in the heart of Maywood.
Thank you for your gifts which are making this HUB a reality! Would you join us, Mayor Perkins, and the Christians in Maywood in prayer for this village in need and that the “Village of Eternal Light” would begin to shine forth the true Eternal Light which would bring change not only to Maywood but to the rest of Chicago area as missionaries from the HUB go forth proclaiming the true Light of Life.
