Photo by Ryan Gladstone / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo

Miguel Ontiveros, center, leads a prayer in Spanish as he is flanked by Robert Warren, left, and Dave Mason. Pastors and congregations from city churches gathered at Riverside Church on Thursday, May 1 for One Church - an interdenominational event on the National Day of Prayer.

Dark clouds and the threat of damaging storms hung in the sky the evening of May 1 — the day observed across America as the National Day of Prayer.

But the noise rumbling over the parking lot outside St. Joseph’s Riverside Church wasn’t thunder. It was drums and guitars and voices, joining together under worship leaders from seven churches and lifting up words that came to characterize the night.

“Greater things are yet to come,” sang the voices — hundreds of them representing dozens of congregations — “and greater things are still to be done in this city.”

The song kicked off One Church, which has been held in St. Joseph on the National Day of Prayer for eight years. During this event, pastors and other people from several area churches come together to pray for the city and region.

But the night wasn’t only about prayer. It was also about unity: unity between pastors of different churches, unity between people of different denominations. And it’s unity like this — among all people who believe Jesus is the only way to God — that is the purpose of Joseph Resource Group, which organizes One Church and makes efforts to break down barriers between churches.

“Striving for unity isn’t something we do just so we can all hold hands,” says Tim Doyle, who founded Joseph Resource Group with his wife, Krista, in 2000. “It’s something that makes a way for people to come to a relationship with God, because it’s the most attractive thing — seeing people who belong to Jesus getting along with each other.”

People have had plenty of opportunity to see division and hypocrisy, he added, but on May 1, neither was anywhere in sight. People of all ages and many denominations packed Riverside’s auditorium as pastors, students and others stood on stage and, with music constantly present behind their words, prayed for seven specific blessings for the St. Joseph area. Among these were requests for strong government leadership; good jobs and a thriving economy; righteousness; protection for law enforcement and the military; and a vision for all parts of the city — from churches to businesses to schools to homes — that matches the vision God has for it.

“This is a city that has a reputation of being a pioneer,” Riverside’s pastor, the Rev. Tim Woody, said at the beginning of the evening. “It’s time we reclaim that vision and say, ‘That’s not the past. That’s today.’”

One of the best ways to promote the health of the city, Mr. Doyle adds, is to strengthen churches by strengthening pastors — and this is another place where unity comes into play.

Joseph Resource Group facilitates a monthly support group made up of about 20 pastors who, in this environment, can talk about personal issues they might not be able to share anywhere else. The unity between these pastors often extends to their congregations, Mr. Doyle says, and it also helps fight the national trend of pastors leaving the ministry at a rate of 1,500 to 2,000 each month, often due to stress and burnout.

Photo by Ryan Gladstone / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo

“Pastors need to help each other take care of one another,” says the Rev. Dave Mason, who pastors Green Valley Baptist Church in St. Joseph and has been a member of the support group since its beginning. “People need people who understand the context of their work. It keeps them from becoming discouraged, from growing weary, from losing heart.”

Rather than being an attempt to create unity, One Church really was an opportunity to showcase the unity that already exists between these pastors, Mr. Doyle says. Unity — among all area Christian churches — also was first on the list of what they prayed for that night.

“Lord, we know your desire is for us to become one as you are one. When the world sees that we are one, they’ll know there’s something different about the name of Jesus.”

As a microphone spread these words inside the auditorium, a rainbow remained arched across the near-black sky outside — signaling to many God’s blessing on the night.

But for Sally Freudenthal, a member of Riverside Church and a participant in One Church since its beginning, this rainbow wasn’t the only thing that indicated God’s favor.

“Scripture shows God actually commands a blessing when his people come together in unity,” she says. “It’s a real powerful witness, and I believe God will command a blessing on the church in St. Joseph because of it.”

Want to unite?

The support group facilitated by Joseph Resource Group is open to all pastors of Christian churches in St. Joseph and the surrounding area and meets monthly at churches throughout the city. To learn more, call Tim Doyle at 752-0222 or visit www.josephresource group.com.

Lifestyles reporter Erin Wisdom can be reached at ewisdom@npgco.com.