The Sunday service was held exactly one week after Victor Hale's conviction. Long before sunrise, every road leading toward Chicago's largest football stadium had already become hopelessly congested.
Cars stretched for miles, yet people abandoned their vehicles without hesitation and continued the journey on foot. Entire families carried folding chairs and bottles of water while others arrived wrapped in blankets after spending the night outside the stadium just to secure a seat. Volunteers dressed in pristine white jackets bearing the emblem of the Ministry of Love guided the endless crowds through security checkpoints while police officers struggled to control the relentless tide of humanity pouring into the area.
By eight o'clock, every one of the eighty thousand seats inside the stadium had been occupied.
Thousands more remained outside.
