Jesus in My Coat Pocket – A Prayer Walk Story2 min read

On a sunny day in the fall of 2024, several members from Christ Lutheran Church in Milford accompanied Pastor Andrew Johnson on a prayer walk. As they walked through the Milford community, participants stopped at schools, businesses, and other places for Pastor to lead a prayer asking for the safety and spiritual health of our community. One place they stopped at was a fire station. After each prayer we would leave a little Jesus figurine near the location. On this day, the little Jesus was left on a fire hydrant in front of the station.

Fast forward to March 2025. A fireman/EMT from the station was at our church doing AED (defibrillator) training. Elder and church council member Jeff Kleckner was there for the training. During a review of our first aid supplies, the fireman was surprised to see a familiar sight: Perched on the first aid kit was a little Jesus figurine, watching over the narthex. He excitedly questioned, “You’ve got one of these too?” He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled the slightly dirty and grimy Jesus figurine out of his pocket and said he had picked it up from the fire hydrant in front of the station last year. “I’ve kept this in my pocket on every run since I found it!” he exclaimed. “It makes me feel safer and I figured there was a reason why I found it.” Jeff explained that we had left it there and described what our prayer walks were all about, including the prayer that was said in front of the station that day for the firemen’s safety.

There are many ways to express your faith, and this small one made a difference in this person’s life.

Want to learn more about sharing your faith? Visit “How to Share Your Faith” on the District Website!

_{Photo by Elisa Schulz/Michigan District, LCMS}