NYC | Kelli

In my mind, I’ve named this picture Communion of the Saints on the Street. Is that name lofty or gritty? Maybe it’s both. Glory meets our brokenness. 

On Saturday morning, we partnered with a West African church in the Bronx for prayer in the streets. We took the subway from our hostel to the Bronx and eventually found our brothers and sisters in Christ, setting up tables on both sides of the street. At the tables, they offered nourishment to passersby: food and drink, Bibles and prayers, a listening ear and human touch. 

Some of our team stayed at the table for their own divine appointments. Some of us donned red aprons that said PRAYER CHANGES THINGS and loaded the pockets with copies of the Gospel of John in English, French, and Spanish. I set off with Wendell to ask people how we could pray for them. Two hours of this, walking the streets of the Bronx, asking strangers how we could pray. You see a lot of things in the Bronx on a Saturday morning. 

“We’re visiting from Pittsburgh, seeing how we can pray for people. Is there anything we can pray about for you?” And the people open up. Not everyone, but almost everyone. They share their lives, their struggles, their hurts, their joys. They cry. We listen. Listening feels like an act of worship. I write down their names because they are people God loves and knows by name, and I want to remember each person. We ask if they know Jesus. We pray aloud in the name of Jesus, either holding hands or placing hands on them. It is hard, and it’s good, and it’s a beautiful privilege to carry the brokenness to the Father. Sometimes while we are praying, other people join our prayer circle. They just step into the circle and grab our hands! What is this? This is a totally new idea to me! Would I be so bold as to join a prayer in progress on the street? To literally jump in where I see God working? Because maybe seeing Him working is my invitation to join Him and not an interruption. May it be so. 

Kelli Whitehead, NYC 2025