MINNEAPOLIS— A month of walking and praying, all with the goal of fighting crime and drugs in north Minneapolis.
The idea started with a pastor and a religious man working in the community. They hope their prayers will bring hope and healing.
People of faith and anti-gun violence groups came together with a common purpose.
“We trust, we believe God in advance that there will be a change here,” said Pastor Doris Allison of Proverbs Christian Fellowship Church.
Allison and Dave Halstengard led the group in prayer, covering 40 square blocks in north Minneapolis, known crime hotspots.
“We’ve buried a lot of gang members who were murdered. We’ve buried a lot of people who used fentanyl. I’ve seen what the youth in this community have been dealing with, and it’s time to make a difference,” Halstengard said .
So week after week they walked on Sundays and shared their faith.
“And I just believe that through prayer, we can put the focus back on where we’re going, how we treat each other, what we’re doing in our community,” Allison said.
The group prayed for the neighborhood and for protection for the people who live there.
“I believe in prayer. I believe in prayer, and prayer is a powerful tool that God has given us. We’ve had people ask for prayer. And when they ask, they hurt,” Allison said.
Along the way, they offered hope and healing. They believe that each walk builds on the prayers lifted the week before.
“We just go out into the streets and stop people and pray with them. And by the time the second week came around, it was very interesting to see that people already recognized us because we were wearing the purple prayer walk shirts and then they were already familiar with us and friendly,” Halstengard said.
“If we don’t leave these four walls, we will never touch them,” Allison said.
They want the message of hope and that someone would like to resonate.
“I feel like we’re really trying to be part of a solution. It may look different to some, but I really feel like everything we’ve done over the last four weeks, I pray this was all necessary for people to understand that the church loves them, and so does God,” Pastor Allison said.
Anecdotally, the group told WCCO that they saw fewer people buying drugs on later walks.
Jennifer Mayerle
