May 26, 2026
Amid historic drop in crime, FCA Chicagoland is mobilizing prayer for peace across the metro area
Darryl Stackhouse, FCA Area Director in the Chicago North Suburbs: ‘We believe prayer is playing a vital role in bringing hope, healing and unity to communities across the city’
CHICAGO, Ill. — Chicago is experiencing a remarkable shift in public safety, with violent crime falling by 24 percent from its 2023 peak and total reported crime dropping by 8.6 percent year over year, the lowest levels in more than a decade.
Alongside the work of community leaders, law enforcement and local organizations, Chicago faith leaders believe concerted city-wide prayer has played a crucial role in increasing peace throughout the metro area.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Chicagoland is helping advance this movement by mobilizing coaches, athletes and community members for prayer and worship throughout Chicagoland. Through PrayChicago, a regional prayer initiative connected to FCA Chicagoland, the group is working to foster unity, encourage Gospel impact and extend efforts into schools, teams and local neighborhoods.
The current movement builds on more than a decade of coordinated prayer among Chicago faith leaders. Led by Dr. John “Doc” Fuder, Founder and Director of Heart for the City, PrayChicago began in 2014 as a citywide movement focused on metro neighborhoods and churches. In 2017, several prayer networks, including PrayChicago, formed Chicagoland United in Prayer, expanding that vision into a broader collaborative movement centered on united prayer and collective action among churches and organizations in Chicago.
Darryl Stackhouse, FCA Area Director in the Chicago North Suburbs, shared, “About seven years ago, my local church, Christ Church Lake Forest, was invited to a Chicago United in Prayer North Suburbs meeting. Through this invitation, we were able to further accept God’s call to share the Good News and further impact FCA’s involvement in the Chicago area.”
Since then, Stackhouse and his team have prayed alongside other faith leaders for churches, ministries and communities across Chicagoland, while also helping connect FCA Chicago participants to broader citywide efforts.
“The group meets monthly to pray for the local churches and ministries across the north suburbs of Chicago and for the city itself,” noted Stackhouse. “The larger group from Chicagoland United in Prayer also meets together in the city with churches across the Chicagoland area to unite in prayer and worship. We continue to pray for the walls to come down and for revival and healing in the city, one neighborhood at a time.
They also pray over Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekend because those are traditionally among the most violent weekends in the Chicagoland area, lifting up the people of Chicagoland and the north suburbs in prayer.
For Stackhouse, FCA Chicagoland’s involvement reflects how sports ministry can organically strengthen communities through camaraderie, encouragement and relationships.
“We believe prayer is playing a vital role in bringing hope, healing and unity to communities across the city,” shared Stackhouse. “Through efforts like PrayChicago, we’ve seen churches, coaches, athletes and community members come together to pray for neighborhoods, build relationships and encourage one another. Together, we are working to make a meaningful impact across Chicago.”
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ vision is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. Its mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. FCA’s guiding values are integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence.
Since 1954, FCA has used the powerful medium of sports and building relationships to reach the world for Jesus Christ. FCA is cultivating Christian principles by engaging, equipping and empowering coaches and athletes to know and grow in Christ and lead others to do the same so that lives are changed for current and future generations.
Visit Fellowship of Christian Athletes Chicagoland at chicagolandfca.org.
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To interview a Chicagoland FCA representative, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096 ext. 105, or Jeff Tolson, ext. 108.
