If I asked you, “What’s the one thing most needed for Christian community development?” What would you say? Strategy? Relationships? Funding? These are all essential ingredients, but is there one thing that is most important? The last year and a half have taught me and others in Cleveland, OH, that an essential ingredient for CCD ministry is this: worship.
Worship and Ministry
How are you doing as a worshiper in your ministry work?
In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus is at the house of two disciples, Martha and Mary. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus and Martha is “distracted by her many tasks”. I can’t help but wonder how distracted we are in CCDA by our many important and crucial tasks of ministry and justice work.
I’ll ask again: how are you doing as a worshiper in your ministry work?
That’s a question I had not really considered for years in my ministry. I mostly viewed myself as a doer, an organizer, and a prophet rather than a worshiper. That is until February of 2023, when I saw a video of college students at Asbury University worshiping non-stop for 16 straight days. I had never heard of such a thing except in books about old revivals. After watching those college students for over a week, I broke down. I felt like I had been doing many of the right tasks, but doing them in a way that exhausted me. What did it profit me if I ran the most dynamic neighborhood ministry but lost my soul? What if I gave all I had for the marginalized, but I did not truly love them or God? Am I a noisy gong and a clanging cymbal?
Testimonies of Transformation from Third Sundays
For me, most of these lessons were learned in a monthly worship night hosted by the Cleveland CCDA network that was “coincidentally” also launched in February 2023. Dr. Vatreisha Nyemba, Cleveland CCDA network leader, says, “Sometimes we’re not still enough to recognize the crying of our souls. I must be connected to a posture of surrender and an understanding that I can’t do this on my own. Third Sunday is a place for me to drink deeply, offload at the altar, and breathe in God’s presence. I want to see God build an ecosystem of surrender for the body of Christ here in Cleveland.”
It was in these simple gatherings of worship and prayer that I and others began to drink the spiritual water needed to see God’s work flourish in our own hearts. Lalia Mangione, a local practitioner, says, “There have been multiple moments during these gatherings where I have felt God’s hug – where I have felt held by Him. Even if I was no longer part of planning or leading these events, I crave them now.”
Pastor Juan Roberto came to the gathering for the first time in December. He shared, “At one gathering a participant was sharing a confession about struggling with sin, and I felt a profound connection with them. This moment ignited a desire within me to draw closer to other disciples of Jesus Christ. Consequently, a discipleship relationship began, and I have cherished this new friendship, learning a great deal from it. The Lord definitely works through this prayer gathering. I hope more city leaders will give it a chance.”
Andrea Axsom got connected to the gatherings through word of mouth; she says, “One particular gathering, I was in a tough season of unemployment, trying to transition my career in corporate marketing to nonprofit ministry. With the uncertainty of my situation, feelings of failure and inadequacy were present in my struggle. Someone at the gathering shared from Isaiah 43:19 (NIV). ‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’ I felt an overwhelming wave of God’s presence and Spirit speaking to me, and I began to weep. This encounter reassured me that I was not alone in my journey and that God would do a new thing in my life.”
Worship and Community Restoration
God desires to restore the restorers of the city. If we will come to Him. CCDA, are we so busy serving that we have overlooked the one true place that we belong?
In Luke 10, Martha was convinced that Jesus needed to be served. But Mary believed that Jesus wanted to be adored. Jesus says to Martha in verses 41-42, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (NIV). I believe he is speaking to many non-profit leaders and pastors in CCDA as well.
So, how are you doing as a worshipper? What might happen in our communities if we allow our worship to restore the city?
If you’d like more information on City Impact Prayer and Worship in Cleveland (known on the street as “Third Sunday Prayer”), email me at justin.ross@newcitycle.org or come to one of the prayer and worship sessions at the 2024 CCDA National Conference in Portland, OR.
About Justin Ross
Justin Ross is the co-founder and Director of Discipleship for New City Cleveland. He and his wife Leah and their four kids have been living in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood of Cleveland, OH since 2017. They are often distracted by their many tasks.
