Mural on wall in Fort Worth urges prayer for city

Fort Worth residents gather at a wall behind a popular eatery to pray. Pastor Erik Vance of Southside City Church developed the idea for the mural, and artist Karen Dodson painted it. (Photo courtesy of Erik Vance)

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Patrons who park behind a “Grub & Pub” on South Jennings Avenue in Fort Worth may notice a mural on a wall inviting them to “Pray for Ft. Worth.”

Pastor Erik Vance hopes they not only notice, but also will stop for a moment, respond to that invitation and “whisper a prayer at the wall.”

A prayer revival event initially brought Vance to Southside City Church in Fort Worth. Now, he hopes to see a prayer revival movement grow in the city.

As a student at Georgia State University and the Morehouse School of Religion in Atlanta, Vance launched a prayer ministry about 10 years ago. In the years that followed, he traveled extensively, leading conferences and prayer revival meetings.

So, he wasn’t surprised when he received a call inviting him to lead a prayer revival at Southside City Church in Fort Worth.

He was a little surprised when he received an invitation to preach a second time.

When the church called asking him to preach a third time, he called Darrel Auvenshine, the church’s founding pastor, to ask what it meant.

“He told me, ‘The people in Fort Worth love you,’” Vance said.

Vance said Auvenshine told him he felt it was time for him to step down as pastor at Southside City Church, and the church wanted Vance to consider coming in view of a call.


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Vance later learned Dwight McKissic—pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington—had recommended him to the church. McKissic had never met Vance, but he had followed him online and was impressed with Vance’s emphasis on prayer.

Pray at the wall

Pastor Erik Vance and artist Karen Dodson pose in front of the completed “Pray for Ft. Worth” mural. (Submitted photo)

Southside City Church called Vance as pastor last November. A few months later, he drew inspiration from the Old Testament story about how God honored the prayer of Hezekiah when he “turned his face toward the wall and prayed.” Vance developed the concept of a mural inviting local residents to pray for Fort Worth.

“So, I went around looking for walls,” he said. The owners of High Top Grub & Pub were receptive to the idea of the mural on the back side of their property.

Next, Vance presented his idea to local artist Karen Dodson.

“She told me, ‘I want to be a part of that project,’” he recalled.

Since Dodson completed her work about a month ago, Vance said, he has heard from a growing number of people who found the mural inspiring and encouraging. Some post pictures on social media. A few have sent emails with personal prayer requests.

Pastor Erik Vance ordered stickers to promote the call to pray for Fort Worth. (Submitted Photo)

In recent days, Vance ordered a box of “Pray for Ft. Worth” stickers he has already begun distributing in the community.

“My prayer is that God will bring revival to Fort Worth—a city I have grown to love,” he said.

In particular, Vance hopes to see God pour out his Spirit on Fort Worth’s Southside—a historically underserved area with high rates of crime and poverty—and use Southside Community Church to bring light to the neighborhood.

Through partnerships the church is establishing with other local ministries, he also hopes Southside Community Church can help connect neighbors to available resources.

“I tell people we’re a BMW church—Black, Mexican and white,” he said.

However, he is quick to add the congregation also includes Asian families and recent immigrants, along with African Americans, Hispanics and Anglos.

On any given weekend, the church building hosts multiple worship services contextually designed to make several ethnic groups feel at home.

“The makeup of our church is like the makeup of the kingdom,” he said, reflecting the heavenly vision of Revelation 7:9.


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