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Looking Back
Metro
Praise started February 2005 in the house of Joe and Nancy Wyrostek with one
new believer. In March of 2005 Metro
Praise rented a Methodist church and had its first service with 10 people. The church continued to meet there on Sunday’s
at 7pm and held Wednesday Bible studies in Joe and Nancy’s house.
Metro
Praise grew with the addition of new disciples over the next 8
months as God poured out His Spirit in the services. Going out every Saturday to the
corner of Belmont and Clark, commonly known as a "party area", Joe and Nancy
witnessed and cared for the poor and homeless.
Because
of the need to have a permanent building Metro Praise joined together with a
local Latino Church and signed a lease for their own building, 5405 W. Diversey, in
October of 2005. Metro Praise then began to do outreaches and events in the community and surrounding parks.
Afterward
Metro
Praise started a youth group called “Elevate” in November of 2005 with
6 students and began to meet on Fridays at 7:30pm. In January 2007
Metro Praise took full possession of the church and began to have
morning services. During the summer of 2007 Metro Praise adopted a
block/park called Ohio Park on the West Side of Chicago and began
reaching out to the community in the surrounding areas.
After
another year in 2008 Metro Praise began to rent the storefront
next to their building for their growing children's ministry. Then in
the spring of 2008 Metro Praise started a ministry for young adults on
Sunday nights called, "Crossover" and a Latino service on Tuesday
nights for Spanish speakers. By the fall of 2008 Metro Praise began to
host the School of Urban Missions (SUM), an accredited Bible college,
in its church for students to be raised up into fulltime ministry.
During
the winter of 2008 and beginning of 2009 Metro Praise began to go
international. First, Metro Praise started in Mexico with one church
and soon afterwards moved into India with 5 churches.
Currently,
as of March 2009, we at Metro Praise have 30+ churches and are aiming for our goal of 100,000
souls in Chicago with 50 churches and 500 churches around the US and world!!
Please pray and join with us, so we can change the world one person at
a time!!
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