In Kansas City, each year, everyone is Irish for one day!  This year, an estimated 125,000 people, mostly young families, filled Broadway Blvd in Midtown, KC to be Irish and watch the 36th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the largest in the nation.

For the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOP–KC), the day begins at 7AM as hundreds of people gather for prayer and last minute instructions before hitting the streets.  Their goal is to engage the gathering parade crowd with the truth about Jesus Christ.  Varied evangelism strategies include:
•    St. Pat tract distribution teams 
•    Street preacher, musician and heckler teams
•    St. Pat survey teams
•    Prophetic evangelism teams
•    Video interview teams

Before the parade began at 11AM:
•    The pre-parade evangelism teams spoke personally to over 10,000 people
•    They passed out 6,000 St. Pat tracts
•    Numerous people received prophetic words that opened their hearts
•    Healing miracles were reported right on the parade route
•    Over 50 people prayed to receive Christ as savior and Lord

One of the outstanding features of the parade for the last three years has been a float entry by IHOP–KC’s Forerunner Evangelism department.

Saint Patrick, a striking figure, bearded and in humble monk’s robe stands atop a fifteen-foot green mountain, grasping an eight-foot cross draped in red.  From high above the parade route he speaks to the crowd, disarming them with his Irish brogue and folksy warmth before thundering out his 30–45-second sermonette via a hidden miniature mic and P.A. system.  

“Welcome to my parade, Kansas City!  Tis I, Saint Patrick!   I’m so glad you’ve come to celebrate with me today!  And aye, tis a beautiful day the good Lord has given us, isn’t it!

 My friends, do you know Him and do you know how much He loves you?   The Lord doesn’t change.  He loved the people of Ireland in my day and He loves you folks here in Kansas City in the same way.  He is calling you!  Can ye hear His voice?   He is saying: Turn my friends, turn from your sinful ways and come to Me.  Yes, Kansas City, turn to Jesus, turn to Him!”  
The massive crowd is dumbstruck in silence for the most part, caught off guard by the preaching of Justin Perry, this year’s St. Patrick.  Immediately following the homily to repent and believe, the unsuspecting parade-goers are in for a second surprise.

Suddenly the attention of the crowd is drawn to 600–700 musicians, singers and dancers from the prayer room of IHOP–KC, as they begin belting out an upbeat, Gaelic version of Todd Agnew’s worship chorus Grace Like Rain.

“Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away”

 


The worshipers are a sea of Irish green stretching out for almost a hundred yards.  The crescendo of worship arises to God as thousands of streamers are hoisted high and sway rhythmically together in the breeze.   Like King David of old, these worshipers unashamedly sing and shout, dance and twirl before the Lord in the streets of Kansas City.  This cycle is repeated fifteen times as the float works its way slowly down the 1.2-mile parade route.  

People’s faces betray them.  Some parade-goers cannot look or listen without turning away for shame, while others are suddenly radiant in the fact that this story is theirs also.  Some of them break into song and dance as we pass by.
 
The last component is a banner with a final reminder that simply states: “Come, Follow Jesus”.

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