South Lawndale

      Prayer Points

• South Lawndale is comprised of a large Latino population with deep Catholic roots. South Lawndale has the largest Catholic Church in the Midwest. Pray for a clear understanding of who Jesus is.

• There is strong gang violence that exists in the community, with many retaliation shootings between two defined gangs in the area. Pray for the peace, safety, and protection of the innocent. Pray for the thousands of incarcerated in Cook County Jail and the ministries that are reaching out to them.

• The community is home to the largest youth demographic in the city. However, there are few public parks and programs geared to the youth, so many have turned to involvement in gangs. Pray for new public places to open for the youth to have Christ-centered options and activities to be involved in.

• Extensive undocumented population. Pray for justice and immigration reform for families facing possible deportation.

Neighborhood Background

South Lawndale was originally settled by Germans and Czechs following the Chicago Fire of 1871. Later groups of Poles and Hispanics came in seeking employment opportunities. This working community was hit hard with economic downslides in the late 1960s.

As jobs in the industrial sector disappeared, residents sought work in the service and public sectors. By 2000, eighty-three percent of the population was Hispanic, half of which were foreign-born.

About forty percent of the total population is under twenty years of age; this has led to overcrowded public schools. The community also struggles with gang activity in the area.