Returning to the city where he was ordained in ministry twenty years ago, Tom Flaherty looks past the capitol, past the university, past the lakes, and sees a vibrant Christian community that’s eager for more from God. "People are hungry for something to happen that’s bigger than their church," he said. "I think everybody is a little tired of man’s best efforts."
Flaherty was ordained as a youth pastor at Lake City Church 20 years ago this summer. From there he moved on to pastor a church in northwestern Minnesota, and then another in southwestern Minnesota. Last summer he moved back to Madison to become the senior pastor at Mad City Church, when Shane Holden stepped down to join the Madison Police Department.*
Flaherty first wanted to plan a joint event with Lake City Church, to strengthen ties and offer healing between the two east-side congregations with some shared history. But in sharing the plans at pastors meetings he found that others were also very responsive to the idea of joint services. "We now have 21 Christian leaders that are going to be praying during these services," he said.
The services will be held at Lake City Church, 4909 E. Buckeye Road, beginning Wednesday evening July 23rd, at 7pm. (Mad City Church usually meets at LaFollette High School on Sunday mornings.) The meetings are scheduled to continue through Saturday evening May 26th, and also feature morning sessions Thursday through Saturday at 10 o’clock.
"We wanted to have speakers come in that have a heart for Madison but are not pastoring in Madison," Flaherty said. Two of the speakers, Tom Alexander and Brian White, like Flaherty, began following Christ as students living in Madison. The third speaker, Sam Dharam, is affiliated with Youth With A Mission. But the emphasis will be on worship and prayer as much as on the guest speakers.
Flaherty believes that positive changes in the spiritual climate in the Madison region will result from believers praying and worshipping in unity across denominational lines. "We want it to be about God," he said. "We need a breakthrough. We’ll wait on God together."
He is intrigued by the image of Jesus knocking on the door of the Laodicean church in Revelation chapter three. "It’s not First Presbyterian of Laodicea, it’s the whole church of Laodicea," he said. "I think Madison is ripe. I have never seen so much unity among pastors."