"I Love My City!"Jim Denison
- Global Prophetic Voice
- May 27
- 2 min read
At "Cultural Commentary" we profile a gospel movement in America. This month we're going to Chicago where we meet LOVE2020. Their mission is both simple and profound:
"Every person, young and old, in America
should have the opportunity
of being authentically loved
by at least one committed follower of Jesus Christ
so that
they know God loves and cares deeply for them."
Nick Pitts, a member of the Denison Forum team, was privileged recently to interview a LOVE2020 leader, Phil Miglioratti. Born and raised in Chicago, Phil has seen the highs and the lows of his city. Transformed by an encounter with the Holy Spirit, he began hearing God's call to organize a group of pastors for community and prayer. As they met to pray for each other, their communities, and their city, the Spirit began drawing more people to join them.
What started as meetings became a movement. Birthed by over three dozen pastors' prayer groups, the city-reaching effort has matured to a variety and diversity of initiatives and ministries that now encourage Christians to know they are deeply loved by their Creator, and challenge them to love authentically every person they encounter. Both locally and now nationally, believers are connecting by affinity, from women's ministries to sports, prison ministry, gospel rescue missions, and the marketplace. Their commonality is a commitment to yield themselves to the leading and empowering of the Spirit.
Phil knew he was in desperate need of the grace only the gospel offers. Now he shares that hope with all he encounters, and encourages them to use their relationships as opportunities to love. Congregations, citywide collaborations, and national ministries and networks are joining their movement.
Their invitation is simple: "LOVE2020 is a call to followers of Jesus everywhere to be loving others by living a simple and powerful lifestyle of praying, caring and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with those around them in deed and word." In essence, LOVE2020 is "a vision to express love."
