When we say revival, we usually mean altar calls and baptism tanks. CBN’s latest from Chicago’s Far South Side is a different picture of the same Spirit: a church that took the Gospel out of its four walls and into the neighborhood, and a community coming back to life because of it.
What’s happening
Pullman, once home to the Pullman sleeping car, spent decades in decline. Now there’s new construction, new businesses and new homes, spilling into nearby Roseland where vacant lots are turning into houses. At the center of it is Salem Baptist Church and its founding pastor, Rev. James Meeks, who stepped down from the pulpit after nearly four decades to focus on the church’s Hope Center Foundation.
- The foundation offers qualifying buyers up to $50,000 in down payment assistance and aims to build 1,000 affordable single-family homes.
- Through a partnership with the Cook County Land Bank, 46 vacant lots are becoming homes for families.
- Partner Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives has helped bring more than $1 billion in investment to the area, including the South Side’s first Chick-fil-A, which created 100+ jobs and free college for its team.
Meeks put it plainly: “Our ministry, largely, has been out of the four walls of the church.” He points to Jesus’ words, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
My take
I love the fire-and-baptism stories, but this is the fruit that proves the fire is real. When the Holy Spirit moves on a church, it doesn’t stay in the building. It shows up as keys to a first home, a job, a block that isn’t forgotten anymore. Revival that changes a zip code is still revival.
