I was amazed at the number of young people who raised their hand when the question was asked, “has anyone ever struggled with suicide?” As a sign of love, people were encouraged to lay a hand on the shoulder of anyone who had raised their hand. In the crowd, a young girl – probably 12-13 years old – stuck out to me. Not someone you would pick to be struggling with the s— word. Three to four women had congregated around her. One was giving her an earful of God’s love. She had tears running down her face. The Holy Spirit was on the job.
United Revival is a California-based non-denominational Christian organization that holds Jesus Walks and prayer meetings all over the country. Their Columbus event was held Saturday, May 9 at McFerson Commons downtown.
As God would have it, I arrived at the same time as Dee. We parked next to each other in the Nationwide garage. As I was getting out of my car, I watched Dee pull a seven-foot tall cross out of his car. He had driven up from Cincinnati. We had never met.
His cross bore the words “Let’s put the guns down.” It was signed by anyone who knew someone affected or killed by gun violence. There were probably one hundred signatures.
“It was an amazingly beautiful day filled with love, the Holy Spirit and a bold proclamation of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior right here in the streets of Columbus,” wrote Shelley on United Revival’s Facebook page. “Just seeing all of us come together as one for Jesus was so overwhelmingly beautiful.”
McFerson Commons is a 2.9 acre downtown park named after Dimon McFerson, the former chairman and CEO of Nationwide Insurance (1992-2000). The lawn is commonly used for kickball, flag football and other special events such as Pelotonia and the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Marathon & half marathon.
The Union Station arch – the lone surviving remnant from demolition of the historic Union Station in 1976 – was moved to McFerson Commons in 1999 where it stands today. It represents one of Columbus’ greatest connections to its past.
“What I loved was race/ethnicity did not matter,” wrote AVE on Facebook. “Everyone there was serving, praising and fellowshipping together. All as one body of Christ.”
One of the prayer group leaders / evangelists, Ivan, hit on the fact McFerson Commons sits on the same ground as the old Ohio Penitentiary. This was significant of course not only for the souls who served their time on the very ground where we were standing, but for those of us living in our own prison.
For one hundred fifty years (1834 – 1984) the Ohio Pen took in prisoners from all over the country. It housed: two members of the Dillinger Gang – Charles Makley and Harry Pierpont; Colonel Basil W. Duke – President Jefferson Davis’s bodyguard; Prohibition-era gangster George ‘Bugs’ Moran; Dr. Sam Sheppard (whose story inspired ‘The Fugitive’); and famed writer O’Henry, served time for embezzlement.
After sitting vacant for eleven years, in 1995, a deal was miraculously reached, and Columbus purchased the Ohio Pen property from the state for $1. New mayor Greg Lashutka announced that he wanted to completely clear the 22-acre site for redevelopment. The city listened to preservationists for two years and then, in March 1997, fifteen buildings on the Penitentiary grounds met the wrecking ball.
Ivan gave his own testimonial to Jesus. At 17, alone in his room, he contemplated killing himself. He says he asked for Jesus to show himself if he existed. On a hot day with no air conditioning and the windows closed, Ivan said he felt an unmistakable cool breeze, followed by the words, “Ivan, I showed up.”
Jesus gear, among those who attended, was in full bloom. A couple of the best hoodies and t-shirts were: “Sin is the disease disguised as the cure.” And “In the end, He wins.” And the classic, “Know Jesus, Know Peace. No Jesus. No Peace.”
During a break on our one mile march up Nationwide Blvd, south on Front St and then back west on Spring, a member of United said “this isn’t a protest. We’ve got nothing to protest. Jesus has set us free.”
“Well, for once, it’s good to see people out, walking with signs up that says Jesus Saves instead of the hate that spills out all around us,” Brenda wrote on UR’s Facebook page. “God will never give up. He’s a forgiving, loving God. Our nation needs that more now than ever before. It blesses me to see this.”
United Revival posted on their Instagram page: “Today the glory of God swept through the streets of Columbus. What a powerful day at the Jesus March. We witnessed forty three souls publicly surrender their lives to Jesus through baptism, while many others ran to the altar crying out for freedom, healing and salvation. Chains were broken, hearts were restored, and the presence of God moved throughout the city.”
One line from the day stuck with me. “You are the bridge that others will walk on to the kingdom.” As I was leaving, I noticed a young man walking with flowers down the sidewalk across from McFerson Commons searching for the right address of someone’s home to which he was about to deliver love.
I was feeling the connection.
