Since 2008, Marc Bewley has served in the metro Detroit area through the BSCM and NAMB as a Church Planter Catalyst. He blogs at MarcBewley.com.
D town, Motor City, Motown, Hockey town and even Day-twah(French pronunciation) are nicknames of Detroit.
It is also a place I love and a place I share God’s Word. Let me be frank, if you’re interested in church planting, you probably can’t or don’t want to handle Detroit.
Since 2008, Marc Bewley has served in the metro Detroit area through the BSCM and NAMB as a Church Planter Catalyst. He blogs at MarcBewley.com.
Detroit added a new name lately and that name is Bankruptcy. We are the largest city in the US to ever file for chapter 9 bankruptcy. We have enough empty space in Detroit city limits that the entire city of Paris could fit. Abandon buildings and lost jobs are all over the news.
You had me at hello…..
is the line from a popular movie and I know if you are still reading in the third paragraph, you must be wondering why is he being so negative about his city? Why start with the negatives? Tell me nice things about Detroit.
Detroit is a place that is hurting. Jokes have been made at Detroit’s expense like, “The last one out of Detroit, turn off the lights”. Well, they have turned off the lights and the people of Detroit are walking in darkness. Where is light needed most? It is where it is the darkest. Detroit is a city that is hurting and is crying out for the light of the Gospel.
I love playing Monopoly!
You grab property when it is cheap and build your empire and rule the game. The immature player buys Boardwalk and Park place. The best time to move is when you can get property for pennies on the dollar. Recently Dan Gilbert owner of Quicken Loans moved his headquarters to Detroit and bought up amazing buildings for “dirt” cheap. Quicken Story
What can we know about God and the Gospel?
- He loves to make broken people whole. –Detroit
- He sends his Son to a poor carpenter and a poor virgin to be born in a poor animal hospital(stable) –Detroit
- He summarizes his ministry in Matt. 11 this way: “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed.”
What needs to be done in Detroit?
- Pray, NAMB’s 10:2 is a great way to pray to the Lord of the harvest especially for Detroit.
- Partner, We need strong healthy churches to partner with Send Detroit. It is hard and it is up north were Yankees live but now the “clarion call” for Detroit. Click here to learn more.
- Come, Do a vision tour. Send a mission team. Here is a project for homeless vets right now! Meet the Need!
Marc, I appreciate people who are working on our behalf in difficult places like this.
Thank you for your encouragement, Dave! Detroit is an exciting place to work! Come visit us….
” Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in. ”
(from the Book of Isaiah 58)
Love your perspective on your flawed city. Would that we could all both the ways our hometowns are both broken yet filled with promise.
Thank you for your words of encouragement. But here is a story and question.
At the #SBC13 NAMB luncheon where over 2,000 people where challenged to pray, partner or go, Detroit stood next to each of our other 32 “Send” cities with our flag asking for folks to drop their interest sticker in our basket. Out of all the people there, we had one dropped in our basket. (actually, eight others if you count the eight of us from Detroit there who dropped our own in the basket).
What do you do? Short question but hard answers I am sure…..
Marc,
32 cities in need of the Gospel and only one chose Detroit.
It could be that God only called one. Detroit seems like a city under judgment. Keep trusting in the Lord, His will be done.
Y’all in my prayers.
mike
Thank you Parsonmike. Thanks for the prayers…. Why the “city under judgement”? All of us are under the judgement of God. Detroit is just one of those cities that doesn’t have that “Sex” appeal like other cities.
Church planters would rather plant in Atlanta, Birmingham or Nashville than risk coming to Detroit. But the need is where the darkness is the darkest.
Just sayin, now is the time to buy up all the Baltic Avenues and see God’s kingdom increase…… (Monopoly reference, told you that I loved the game)
@Parsonsmike:
What city on this earth is not under judgment? The whole earth will be judged by God and found wanting.
Amen to that! We are only here to share the Good News! Politics aside, this city is looking at the wrong things for answers. Democrats and Republicans, liberals or conservatives and white and black the answer is that God has “Bailed us out” in Jesus. He is still the Answer.
When is the best time to minister to a family in your community? When tragedy strikes is the answer. Will the SBC step up now to help?
Most people are afraid of Detroit. They are hesitant to interact with anyone of color. I am delighted to have moved to within 25 miles of Detroit. Put my name in the “hat.” I would like to help. My credentials include having friends of color, having them stay overnight in our house and staying overnight in their house, apologizing to several for the way they have been, and still are, treated, and being nice when out in public to anyone of color.
YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE D! DETROIT AND BANKRUPTCY
Liberal stupidity is sometimes hard to work with.
Was this supposed to be tongue-in-cheek? If so, I didn’t get the joke.
The city government of Detroit is experiencing great problems because of a variety of reasons and not just one or two particular motives. However, this issue should catch the attention of believers in Christ. It does reflect the spiritual condition of our metropolitan area. This is why we need to present the Gospel not just in the central city but throughout the whole region. We are underevangelized and undiscipled. We need to have long term committment believers to invest their lives, time, finances, prayers and spiritual service to a very spiritually needy area. I grieve because so many fellow believers across the nation and especially within my own state see my city as “Lo-Ruhamah” (Not Loved in Hebrew) and view it as a “Samaria” or “Nineveh”. Yet God called a scared prophet to proclaim repentance to “Nineveh”. He called a small group to go to “Samaria”. Both regions and cities were “Ruhamah” to God. Yes, the city government of Detroit is suffering the consequences of both external forces and internal policy decisions. Instead of lifting stones, I pray that believers lift their hands in long term prayer, work and spiritual investment to reach the metro region God calls “Ruhamah”.