By MissionWake News Staff Writer
It began with a question.
What would happen if churches across New York City committed to one unified week of Gospel outreach and prayer?
That simple question sparked something unexpected. From a handful of faithful congregations scattered across the five boroughs, a movement began to grow. What started as a one-week outreach campaign would soon become a full-scale blueprint for urban transformation. Today, that movement is known as Jesus Week, a catalytic model for saturation, city strategy, and long-term transformation.
The Saturation to Transformation Blueprint
At the core of Jesus Week is a tested model called the Saturation to Transformation Strategy. It’s a city engagement framework based on Acts 1:8, where believers are commissioned to reach their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. For the churches of New York City, that blueprint came alive in local neighborhoods.
Saturation begins with presence. Churches coordinate public outreach efforts using resources like book distributions, prayer walks, street events, and school partnerships. But the vision doesn’t stop there. The Transformation Phase builds a structure for follow-up. Churches adopt the closest 1,000 to 2,000 homes within their zip code, forming teams that take ownership of ongoing engagement. These Church and Prayer Coalitions work to make sure every family is reached, supported, and covered in prayer over time.
Together, these two phases form a repeatable system that unites churches, saturates neighborhoods with the love of Christ, and cultivates long-term transformation.
The Birth of Jesus Week
The first official Jesus Week campaign launched in 2017, when a diverse group of leaders came together to unify their citywide efforts. Pastor David Beidel, Pastor Pura Coniglio, Pastor Steve Milazzo, Pastor Dimas Salaberrios, and Mick Richards, a filmmaker and media strategist, met with a shared passion to see evangelism, prayer, and strategic outreach collide in one movement.
Each brought something distinct to the table. Pastor Pura had spent years mobilizing Bronx churches through citywide prayer walks. Pastor David had developed the Saturation framework through his work in Staten Island. Pastor Steve was the founder of Hope Day, a growing outreach event serving multiple regions. Pastor Dimas carried a fire for urban revival rooted in his redemption story from the streets of the Bronx. Mick Richards, already documenting missional stories across the country, entered the picture to help build, scale, and shape the emerging movement into a system that could last.
Together, these leaders didn’t just launch an event. They launched a platform. A new infrastructure. A living demonstration of John 17 unity, city strategy, and Gospel clarity.
A Model Proven in the Streets
That first Jesus Week activated more than 300 churches. Over 300,000 books and Gospel materials were distributed. Volunteers prayer-walked streets, partnered with schools, organized festivals, and served neighborhoods from Coney Island to the South Bronx. The model was working.
But the goal was never about one week. It was about building an engine. Churches began mapping zip codes and forming local teams to adopt neighborhoods year-round. Public housing communities were visited regularly. Schools were served with leadership programs and community festivals. Volunteers began showing up not just in June, but in every season.
Jesus Week was proving that what happened in New York could be replicated in cities around the world.
A Missional Movement
What’s happening in New York is more than a success story. It is a signal. It reveals what can happen when churches stop competing, start collaborating, and take ownership of their mission fields.
Every year, more zip codes are adopted. More leaders are trained. More creative tools are developed. And more partnerships are formed between churches, nonprofits, educators, artists, and community builders. The model doesn’t depend on any one person. It thrives on unity, shared leadership, and collective movement.
New York City may not be easy ground, but it has become the testing ground. It is showing the Church how to move together again.
Looking Ahead
The Saturation to Transformation model that began in New York is already spreading to cities like Philadelphia and Newark, with entire regions exploring zip code adoption, resource sharing, and unified city campaigns.
Mick Richards, now Executive Director of Jesus Week and founder of the MissionWake platform, has continued to document, equip, and build scalable models for other cities to follow. His vision, shaped by media, prayer, and frontline relationships, has helped ensure the movement is both strategic and Spirit-led.
The model is still expanding. The vision is still growing. And the movement is far from over.
Because transformation is not a trend. It is a calling.
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