New Life UMC at Drexel Hill celebrated its 6th annual Prayer and Praise Celebration on July 13 welcoming all commuters for prayer, praise and worship at SEPTA’s 69th Street Terminal Transportation Center Station in Philadelphia. The celebration was a hands-on outreach event of interfaith efforts that brought together and connected many church ministries to help make a presence of peace, hope, and healing in the community.
The pastor of New Life UMC, Rev. Shayla Johnson, mobilized church members to minister outside of the walls of the church. She advocated for followers of Christ to “do what God called [them] to do,” leading her congregation to walk in their faith.
Music attracted commuters traveling on foot and by car. Rev. Johnson identifies music as “a call to attention” that forced commuters to pause and stop. “Talking just becomes noise. Music does something to one’s spirit…it shifts their attitude. It shifts their mindset. If shifts their posture. It shifts everything because music is that blessing from God that’s just universal for everyone,” Rev. Johnson adds.
Seeing God Move
The language of music struck people’s curiosity to walk over and receive prayer, deliverance, or something more.
“One lady was purging – just [crying] – from being cleansed and delivered from all that she was going through. Another lady was being delivered and…elated to be in God’s presence and have an exchange of love with hugs, smiles, and someone looking directly at her,” Rev. Johnson witnessed. She recalled the purging woman as a praise dancer, and the other woman expressed gratitude for being acknowledged. “Thank you for seeing me.”
Through the deliverance of prayer, people’s lives were changed. Rev. Johnson speaks to the transformative power of the Praise and Prayer Celebration: “You could see spirits being lifted in short moments as people were traveling.”
Love Your Neighbor
New Life UMC’s Love Renegades started in 2019 because church members wanted to actively engage with the community by transforming lives through discipleship. They decided to organize an on-the-ground outreach event called Prayer and Praise Celebration.
“Loving your neighbor” has been a constant pillar to the growth of the Prayer and Praise Celebration. In 2019, a small crowd of Love Renegades with one music speaker ministered through prayer and praise. Over the span of six years, prayer and praise have remained the focus of the celebration, but something new is always added to the mix. Last year’s Prayer and Praise celebration included Blessing Bags and donated articles of clothing. A violinist even performed a short mini concert.
This year, more churches joined Rev. Johnson and New Life UMC in ministering to a much larger crowd, including First Media UMC, Wayne UMC, Havertown UMC and Trinity Lutheran Church.
Connecting Our Cultures in Christ
Many of these churches came to partner with New Life UMC through EPA’s Connecting our Cultures in Christ Initiative. The Economic Justice Council started the Connecting Our Cultures in Christ initiative for suburban and urban churches to develop supportive relationships to help end the sin of racism.
The 6th annual Love Renegades’ Prayer and Praise Celebration was the third event in this new initiative, connecting New Life UMC at Drexel Hill, First Media UMC, Wayne UMC, Havertown UMC and Trinity Lutheran Church together in ministry.
Rev. Johnson notes that the initiative provided an opportunity to serve with all kinds of sisters and brothers in Christ: “It was a show of all of God’s people that were represented: there was Black, there was White, there was West Indian, there was African, there was Asian. Everybody was represented.”
Wayne UMC, under the leadership of Rev. Greg Impink, donated 100 Blessing Bags that contained donated toiletry items, snacks and water, and sent 7 members to help out with the event. In total the churches reached an estimated 100 commuters. Public worship was led by music while pastors at churches prayed for and prayed with members of the community.
Rev. Impink, is glad that Wayne UMC took part, sharing “Wayne UMC was able to assemble 100 hygiene bags from items donated to our food pantry, Wayne Cares, and send 7 people to pray, praise, and support the work of the Love Renegades. But even more importantly, we’re seeking a relationship with a church from a different cultural context than our own.”
True ministry happens when Christians interact with people outside of their church walls. The Love Renegades of New Life UMC at Drexel Hill have another Prayer and Praise Celebration in November to move with the changing season and provide winter clothing to people in need.