ST. LOUIS — Meeting under a tent near downtown St. Louis, a group of Christians organized by Messenger STL prays for the city around them.
They'll be meeting at the corner of North 13th Street and Cass Avenue -- plus various locations around St. Louis -- every day through Friday, for what they're calling a "city-wide crusade."
"Our heart was to bring as many churches together as possible," Pastor Michael Johnson said of the representatives from more than 30 churches.
At the same time as they were setting up this tent, St. Louis police were called to a triple shooting just five miles north in the Mark Twain neighborhood. One person -- who has not been identified -- was killed. It's the 91st homicide in St. Louis this year.
As police investigated in a field of crisscrossing crime scene tape, the same yellow plastic lays on the sidewalk not far from the group praying for peace, a sign that their work continues.
"I think for too long the church has been inside the four walls," Johnson said. "But on the streets, it gets down to real life. So that's why we come out here... Where real life is, and where the need is."
For more information about the event, contact Pastor Michael Johnson at 314-550-0575 or via email at MDJ459@gmail.com.