PRAY 18
30 Days of Prayer to Discern God’s Leading
The Opportunity:
160,000 Square Foot Center-City Hub to Impact Chicago and the World
Please pray with us.
We believe that the Lord may be providing an unprecedented opportunity for Holy Trinity Church in our long-term impact in the city of Chicago–placing us strategically to win, train and send gospel workers across the world.
Over the last four years Holy Trinity has reached a kind of inflection point. Through an extraordinary adventure of prayer, God brought Holy Trinity to the easternmost edge of the Loop near Adams and Wabash.
That open door placed us atone of the most strategic ministry locations in dense, expansive metropolitan Chicago. Positioned just ten yards from the ‘L’ in the historic heart of the city, HTC became accessible to every neighborhood of Chicago, and saw four years of rapid post-Covid growth. New families, singles, skeptics, professionals, students and people from literally all over the world streamed in to join us. Our church became international.
We are now accessible to tens of thousands of students from DePaul, UIC, U of C, Booth, Northwestern Law, Rush, Northwestern, School of the Art Institute and more. We have outgrown our space.
In the last two weeks a property very near our current location has become available–again after much prayer–and we believe we have an opportunity to buy. Without disclosing the exact location in the center of the city, it is a 16-floor building that could dramatically expand our capacity to welcome others as we have been welcomed by Christ – and do so for the next 150 years if the Lord does not return. We view this not merely as important for Holy Trinity, but actually for our city and beyond.
We have begun occasionally referring to this opportunity as The Sequoia Project. Sequoias are among the largest and longest living organisms on earth. They are planted not merely for one generation but for many generations to come. We believe this property has the potential to become a similar platform for gospel ministry—a place whose greatest fruit may be experienced by people we will never meet over the next 150 years.
Vision for Usage
1. Trinity Commons — A Long Term Home For Holy Trinity Church
Trinity Commons would make this space a genuine public welcome center—open throughout the week for worship, weddings, lectures, training, ministry to the poor, neighborhood events, and the arts–and allowing seating for 600, possibly up to 1,000.
2. Center City Collaborative — A Global-City Training Incubator
Center City Collaborative would occupy approximately 20,000 square feet and provide space for community outreach, theological training and study building on our nearly three decades of collaboration and entrepreneurship in our city.
3. State Street Renaissance Commercial Space— The Economic Engine
Approximately 80,000 square feet will remain devoted to income-producing commercial rental.
We are asking God to raise up a widespread movement of prayer for the next 30 days–and to plant a sequoia of gospel ministry for the long term.
Pray 18 is a prayer initiative asking the Lord if he might supply the funding necessary to secure this extraordinary property without a conventional acquisition mortgage.
We are praying specifically for 18 foundational gifts–as well as hundreds of smaller gifts. Pray with us that the Lord would provide:
We are praying for 18 Foundational Gifts.
At the moment, we are simply asking people to pray. That said, a number of months ago we opened a Donor Advised Fund in case the opportunity arose to purchase a building.
We are working with key Chicago business and ministry leaders on this project to develop sustainable plans and effective long term management and stewardship of the property. The first of the 18 catalytic gifts has now been pledged. 16 to go.
We are asking you to pray–and even to recruit 2 or 3 others to pray with you as well. We envision friends of Chicago, from all over our country and world, praying at this critical moment for 30 days. Please pray:
That the Lord would open this door, if it is his will, as part of a 150-year opportunity
That he would provide an additional 17 foundational gifts–and hundreds of smaller gifts–needed to secure this property
That this property would become a kind of sequoia of lasting blessing for Chicago and the world
A Debt-Free Beginning
A debt-free acquisition fundamentally changes the project’s economics. Existing rental income, combined with Holy Trinity Church’s rental commitment, can support building operations and establish reserves for future leasing, improvements, and long-term care of the property.
This opportunity is beyond the capacity of one local congregation. But we believe that together, a small group of visionary partners and hundreds of other participants can impact Chicago and equip leaders for cities around the world.
We are trusting God to further root us in the city and renew our mission to the world.
Will you join us in prayer?