Shield 616 Presents Gear to Chicago Police Department

Shield 616 Presents Gear to Chicago Police Department

Jake S. founder of Shield 616 in Colorado, is a retired Police Officer and SWAT Team member who felt God’s calling to provide better riffle rated protective gear for Police Officers around the country. His approach is to involve churches and other community based...
What If the CHURCH Was the Solution to Gun Violence in Chicago? [Interview]

What If the CHURCH Was the Solution to Gun Violence in Chicago? [Interview]

Michael Allen is Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Together Chicago—an organization that exists to be a catalyst for lasting change by reducing gun violence and increasing thriving communities in Chicago. In this conversation, we talk all about the issue of gun violence and...
A Christian Response to Gun Violence [Interview]

A Christian Response to Gun Violence [Interview]

How can Christian respond to the epidemic of gun violence sweeping our country? Michael Allen and David Dillon join us to share about their inspiring work with Together Chicago. They are an unlikely pair in a racially divided city torn by violence: Michael is a former...
Ministries Find Ways to Collaborate Despite COVID

Ministries Find Ways to Collaborate Despite COVID

For seven years now, Together Chicago has been working to reduce gun violence and increase community in Chicago by bringing faith groups, businesses and government leaders together.
West Side Leaders Host First Building Blocks of Peace Training of 2023

West Side Leaders Host First Building Blocks of Peace Training of 2023

Building Blocks of Peace is a 3-month training course (Mar, Apr, May) + 3-month mobilization effort (Jun, Jul, Aug) that helps individuals connect with others in their community to get organized, become more equipped, and deploy local faith-rooted mobilization in...
A nonprofit ministers on “both sides of the gun”

A nonprofit ministers on “both sides of the gun”

Together Chicago reduces gun violence with a five-pronged strategy designed to reduce crime on the streets and improve social conditions on Chicago’s West Side.
Chicagoland United in Prayer 2023 Gathers 140+ Churches in Prayer

Chicagoland United in Prayer 2023 Gathers 140+ Churches in Prayer

On the last Sunday of January 2023, our Faith-Community Mobilization efforts united leaders from across Chicagoland in the annual Chicagoland United in Prayer event. This year’s program “Lord, Teach Us to Pray” was led by dozens of faith leaders from...
Next Steps Lunch 2022 Celebrates Faith in Action Across Chicagoland

Next Steps Lunch 2022 Celebrates Faith in Action Across Chicagoland

Next Steps Lunch 2022 was an incredible time of prayer and worship together, showcasing the seasonal rhythms of Chicagoland United in Prayer, hearing from local leaders who are organizing faithful prayer and action in the communities, and deepening relationships over...
One Life at a Time – Missions Today [Interview]

One Life at a Time – Missions Today [Interview]

Toward the end of 2016, as gun violence in Chicago reached its highest levels in 20 years, a group of Chicago area faith, business, community, non-profit, civic and government leaders met to explore the common question they asked themselves: “Is there more that can be...
No More Violence Campaign Launches to Save Lives and Inspire Youth

No More Violence Campaign Launches to Save Lives and Inspire Youth

ABOUT CAMPAIGN-NO MORE VIOLENCE As a subsidiary of the Brilliance and Excellence Movement, the “No More Violence” Campaign is focused on saving the lives of our youth in the beautiful city of Chicago. Our mission is to promote non-violence and inspire youth engagement...
Hands Across Chicago 2022 Unites Churches Across Chicago in Prayer and Action

Hands Across Chicago 2022 Unites Churches Across Chicago in Prayer and Action

Over Memorial Day Weekend 2022, we rallied churches / organizations / individuals to host united prayer and positive community presence all across the city of Chicago. Local pastors and leaders worked together with each other and their police district leaders to...
Faith Leaders Unite for Michigan Avenue Prayer Walk in Stand Against Violence

Faith Leaders Unite for Michigan Avenue Prayer Walk in Stand Against Violence

Leaders and parishioners from many Chicago congregations marched downtown and gathered in Millennium Park to cover the city in prayer at the start of summer this Memorial Day Weekend. Part of the annual Hands Across Chicago initiative, this walk united churches across...
South Side Leaders Host Third Building Blocks of Peace Training of 2022

South Side Leaders Host Third Building Blocks of Peace Training of 2022

Building Blocks of Peace is a 3-month training course (Mar, Apr, May) + 3-month mobilization effort (Jun, Jul, Aug) that helps individuals connect with others in their community to get organized, become more equipped, and deploy local faith-rooted mobilization in...
West Side Leaders Host Second Building Blocks of Peace Training of 2022

West Side Leaders Host Second Building Blocks of Peace Training of 2022

Building Blocks of Peace is a 3-month training course (Mar, Apr, May) + 3-month mobilization effort (Jun, Jul, Aug) that helps individuals connect with others in their community to get organized, become more equipped, and deploy local faith-rooted mobilization in...
Helping Schools Meet Needs—March 2022 TC Education News

Helping Schools Meet Needs—March 2022 TC Education News

Research demonstrates that students from low-income families are more apt to experience adversity, stress associated with financial instability, and trauma, which serve as barriers to learning and development (McLaughlin & Sheridan, 2016; Shonkoff et al., 2012),...
North Side Leaders Host First Building Blocks of Peace Training of 2022

North Side Leaders Host First Building Blocks of Peace Training of 2022

Building Blocks of Peace is a 3-month training course (Mar, Apr, May) + 3-month mobilization effort (Jun, Jul, Aug) that helps individuals connect with others in their community to get organized, become more equipped, and deploy local faith-rooted mobilization in...
Biblica Provides 30,000 Bibles to Chicago

Biblica Provides 30,000 Bibles to Chicago

It is always amazing to prayerfully watch as God continues to bless the work of Together Chicago and Chicagoland United in Prayer! Late summer and early fall of 2021, Christy Davis, Senior Regional Director of Biblica for the USA, and I talked about how to facilitate...
Chicagoland United in Prayer 2022 Connects City and Suburbs in Prayer

Chicagoland United in Prayer 2022 Connects City and Suburbs in Prayer

On the last Sunday of January 2022, our Faith-Community Mobilization efforts united leaders from across Chicagoland in the annual Chicagoland United in Prayer event. While our intentions were to return to a large in-person prayer gathering, we made the decision to...
Love Our Schools Day 2021 Deepens Relationships with Local Schools

Love Our Schools Day 2021 Deepens Relationships with Local Schools

Love Our Schools Day (formally known as Love Your School) was a huge success. We had 17 registrants and hosted meals (or service initiatives) at 5 locations. Our next LOS Day will be May 27, 2022. See the video recap:     Photos from the...
Next Steps Lunch Brings Leaders From Across Chicagoland Together

Next Steps Lunch Brings Leaders From Across Chicagoland Together

Next Steps Lunch is an annual gathering of pastors and leaders from across Chicagoland that celebrates the work of united prayer and collective action. We ‘looked back’ and shared about the rhythms of prayer, training, and engagement that took place so far...
Custom Notifications Program Leaders Receive Honor from City Leadership

Custom Notifications Program Leaders Receive Honor from City Leadership

Members of our Violence Reduction Team received honors from Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown for their work in the custom notifications program. The Custom Notifications Program pairs local community leaders with CPD in a targeted...
Together Chicago Team Members Honored at 2021 GLOW Awards

Together Chicago Team Members Honored at 2021 GLOW Awards

The annual GLOW Awards, hosted by The CityLight International Assembly, celebrates and honors those who through their stories, encourage others to shine as lights based on Heb 10:24 and 1 Thes 5. In this year’s GLOW Awards night, several of our team members were...
Hands Across Chicago 2021 Unites Churches Across Chicago in Prayer and Action

Hands Across Chicago 2021 Unites Churches Across Chicago in Prayer and Action

Over Memorial Day Weekend 2021, we rallied churches / organizations / individuals to host united prayer and positive community presence all across the city of Chicago. Local pastors and leaders worked together with each other and their police district leaders to...
Building Blocks of Peace Collaborative Launches Re-Tooled Mobilization Training

Building Blocks of Peace Collaborative Launches Re-Tooled Mobilization Training

Building Collective Efficacy Towards Peace The Building Blocks of Peace initiative seeks to decrease violence in Chicago neighborhoods by building collective efficacy in local communities. Through training and organizing, the initiative endeavors to enhance “social...
Peace Summit Hosted in Westhaven Park Community by Collaborating Organizations

Peace Summit Hosted in Westhaven Park Community by Collaborating Organizations

Together Chicago in Association with Violence Interrupters and The Orchard Church successfully organized the 1st West Haven/Near West Community Peace Summit on Saturday February 6. 2021. Several tribes were in attendance and everybody agreed to promote peace in the...
Chicagoland Unites in Virtual Prayer from 7 Locations and 98 Prayer Huddles

Chicagoland Unites in Virtual Prayer from 7 Locations and 98 Prayer Huddles

The annual Chicagoland United in Prayer event, hosted on the last Sunday in January, took on a unique hybrid structure this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While we could not gather in large numbers, we hosted “united but de-centralized” prayer...
Together Chicago Joins Communities Partnering 4 Peace City-Wide Effort

Together Chicago Joins Communities Partnering 4 Peace City-Wide Effort

Together Chicago is now an outreach organization partner with Communities Partnering 4 Peace. Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), convened by Metropolitan Family Services, is a framework that provides a comprehensive, long-term approach to reducing violence and...
Cultivate Chicago Initiative Provides Training and Resources to Local Agricultural Businesses

Cultivate Chicago Initiative Provides Training and Resources to Local Agricultural Businesses

Cultivate Chicago is a partnership between the City of Chicago and Together Chicago. Our mission is to better equip production farmers, resident growers, and community stakeholders with the fundamentals of business ownership and financing through technical assistance,...