St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Every year, a couple hundred thousand people gather in midtown Kansas City for one of the nation’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade celebrations. Each year the International House of Prayer mingles in this sea of people, spreading the truth of the gospel and the love of Christ. The goal is to engage thousands through focused evangelism strategies such as tract distribution, gospel surveys, street preaching, and prophetic evangelism.
This year the parade begins on Wednesday, March 17 at 11:00am. About 1,000 people from IHOP–KC will participate in the parade from 7:00am until the parade ends. Teams led by the Evangelism department will speak to an estimated 10,000 at the parade. By the grace of God, many people will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and we are hopeful that healings, signs, and wonders will break out to accompany the preaching of the gospel.
One of the features of the parade for the last several years has been a float entered by the Forerunner Evangelism department of IHOP–KC. St. Patrick is the focal point of the float. Bearded and in a humble monk’s robe, St. Patrick will stand on a fifteen-foot, green mountain, grasping an eight-foot cross. From high above the parade, he will speak to the crowd, drawing their attention with his Irish brogue and folksy warm-heartedness before thundering out a thirty-second sermonette.
The crowd will be hushed in a moment, unprepared for the Word as Justin Perry, this year’s St. Patrick, preaches. Immediately following this appeal to repent and believe, the unsuspecting parade-goers will encounter the 600–700 musicians, singers, and dancers following the float. These worshipers will sing a Gaelic version of “Grace Like Rain,” a song by Todd Agnew. Like King David of old they will unashamedly sing, shout, dance, and twirl before the Lord in the streets of Kansas City. We pray that many will feel the presence of the Lord and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit as the atmosphere is filled with worship and praise to Jesus.
The final witness to Christ during the parade is a banner declaring, “Come, follow Jesus!” Please come and join us this St. Patrick’s Day, as together we boldly declare the goodness of God to this city!
If you would like to be involved, there will be a quick meeting at the Forerunner School of Ministry (FSM) at 7:00am on the day of the parade. Please be on time. This meeting is important for receiving maps, direction, and instructions. Shuttles will be available for transportation from FSM to our reserved parking at the parade site. We will return to FSM after the parade is over, around 2:00pm. For more information or if you have questions, feel free to email evangelism@ihop.org.
