T-minus 5 months and Counting

You may have heard I'm leaving Detroit Hope, but may have heard some rumor about the reasons, frankly no matter how many times I say it, I think people think I am making the decision for reasons that are not valid, or they would rather have me in Detroit forever. Well folks. It is not about me. It never has. It is about God, and what God is doing up here. And what God has blessed and will continue to. I just want to set the record straight.

I have been on the ground, in some way, intern or pastor, for the better part of seven years. I worked in 2004 with John Atkinson, and there were some of the children from that summer camp program. The way I have measured this, I met David McCray when he was 14, and now he is 21. I have had 7 years influence on his life, and the many lives in the community thanks to the Grace of God letting me be apart of it. We have accomplished so much. Helping families, creating a culture of faith, education, confidence, and working through every struggle and every concern. We have also focused on building a body of Christ that has become a spiritual family that bares each others burdens and lifts up the Yo Buddies and the Me toos in good times and in bad to emphasize the fact that we can care and help each other.

Rachel and I knew that when Levi was born, it was the beginning of a countdown clock in our minds, that we were either 1800 miles from Rachels Family, or 1200 miles from our family. We began to think about Levi's relationship with family so far away, his schooling, his family life, and his extra curricular activities as well as family time with his parents. If Residence Life and Urban Church planting continued to run on the same time table, while he would be at school I would have the mornings off, but I would be working until after he is in bed, and so would Rachel. She just got hired in a new job at the University of Western Florida. We thought this job would come more in like the summer, but it came as early as December 1. Her Job has benefits such as spouse tuition benefit, and other perks that made this move to florida, close to her family, a blessing dropped in our lap.

This is just the beginning of the discussion, and I will continue with this discernment decision in the next post. My computer is dying.

Peace and Justice in a harsh neighborhood

On June 9^th we had a familiar bunch from Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri come to our aid at Detroit Hope. Twenty-Six Senior high came prepared, and not so prepared for an experience of their lifetimes. Their youth leader Dee Jones from Lamoni Heartland mission center was one of the youth leaders that raised me up through youth programs at Guthrie, Spec, IYF and other youth activities. Every year she would venture out taking youth to places all over the continental United States, and Canada in the name of mission and work camp, and she graced us with their last trip before her retirement. What a humbling, honoring gesture. Detroit Hope would not know what it was about to experience.

The first day, they traveled 12 hours. On a bus, crammed in there, 26 youth and 8 staff. They rested on Thursday, and we explained what they would face in the neighborhood, and some of our ministry history. Then we led them down to the church, and they worked all afternoon and evening. I had a list of Work projects to do, and in that first day, they accomplished like seventy to eighty percent of them.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we left for Toronto, myself and all of these amazing people from out west. We went up and met J.W. Windland and he led these youth on a religious experience through his research and connections to 4 temples and holy places and talked to us about the respectful way to attend, and how to respond, and how to understand their beliefs more wholistically. It really brings about a peace and a mutual respect in the hearts of those who attended. Going to a Seek Temple, a Hindu Temple, a Buddhist Temple and a Islamic Mosque center for prayer.

When we got back, we made it for Sunday service, and the youth were so excited to attend and help that they worked between when we arrived and when we had church to prepare a barbeque and also be active in our service that night.

I must remark now about the work that they did from Monday through Wednesday Night. However I think a list would be more appropriate:

· They Cleaned the Windows

· Re-Planted our garden

· Weeded the Sidewalks

· Painted the Foyer

· Painted the Bathroom

· Took down a rotting shelf in the kitchen

· Planned and Carried out a Vacation Bible School

· Cleaned and straightened the Shed

· Moved Sports Equipment from the office to the shed.

· Cleaned the Food Pantry

· Cleaned the Clothing Closet

· Organized the Worship Center Shelves

· Cleaned the Boiler Room

· Organized and fixed up Classrooms for Usable Space

· Cleaned the bathrooms

· Painted the Basketball Goal Lines

· Painted a Mural about Joy, Hope, Love, and Peace.

· Painted inspirational sayings on the basketball lane.

· Removed tons of trash

· Deep Cleaned the stairs and hallways.

· Cleaned all windows,

· Transformed the Office into a Nursery / Cry Room.

· Trimmed bushes, cut down trees and overgrowth on the lawn

· Organized the craft closet

· Organized and cleaned the kitchen

· Had the idea to create a bike wrack for youth that come to church.

· Made it their Disciples Generous Response Moment Wednesday night and brought in $402.66 dollars.

Now those last two may sound like simple things, but just think about it. They did all this ministry, all these projects, and brought us all this peace, but then when a little girl from our congregation was crying. They heard her cries, caught her tears, and are making a difference for the future by caring so much and buying a locking bike wrack so no child needs to come to church fearful that they will miss their bike when they come out of the building after worshiping with us. They were creating a little bit of Zion here in our neighborhood. They had become invested in us in one week and had several testimonies of their experiences that I hope to get on our website soon at; http://www.detroithopecofchrist.org very soon. They brought us peace, and faught injustice with peaceful action. Yo Buddy for our Mission Trip group from Lamoni Heartland Missioncenter and Prairie Bluffs Mission center. Thank you to them, and thank you to you for supporting us as we stand to our feet as a congregation.

Mission Trip 2010 Lamoni Heartland/Prairie Bluffs Missioncenter

How They brought us both Peace and Justice.

Okay Folks, It has been a week or more, since the blogger went down, on the monday routine, and I have a lot to tell you about. Yes, it is Friday, not Monday, but I needed a day of rest from our mission trip to be able to get up and think about all the blessings that came into being in the short time that Lamoni Heartland and Prairie Bluffs Mission center Senior High group came to Detroit. I want you all to realize something. In 4 short workdays, with 3 to canada, and 2 to travel, these youth put up some amazing support of Detroit Hope Community of Christ. I must say they have left a lasting impression and will be sorely missed. They evoked a revival type spirit that inspired us, and gathered steam for a great summer to come in 2010. Here are just a few comments about the work projects:

Vacation Bible School - This was put on by every youth participating and Becky from the Council Bluffs Area. They did Studio Go, a resource produced by group or youth specialties, and it focused on Saying yes to God, Obeying, Leading, and Listening, like the bible heroes and heroines tell us. Over all they had great attendance that had to pick up steam, but by wednesday they had two hopping classes that rotated through theme class, crafts class, recreation, snack and a bible/music class. Overall, I thought it was amazing. And it was Detroit Hope's very first Vacation Bible School. Yo Buddy!

Painting The Foyer - I must mention this one first among the work projects. It was an amazing work that was led by Terry, Deb and many full and strong supporting cast Senior High. I wouldn't be suprised one bit to find that everyone in one way shape or form contributed to the job. They painted floor to ceiling, and the trim around every door, window and along the floor and ceiling moulding. Terry and Deb spent tireless time, energy and effort during the days, and during some lunch times working to get the job done. Yo Buddy!

I'll write more later, we are under a severe weather warning, hail hitting my window, I am getting off of the net.

Blogger decided to go down last week? I will write my blog today, just after I sleep and before biblestudy at Detroit Hope tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

Second week of this new Spiritual Practice of Journaling 5-13-10

You guessed it, Im late in this post. I thought better late than never, and I also thought, I will get back onto mondays. I have had some interesting discussions this week, and we may be charted on a new direction here with Detroit Hope.

Some Good news you should know about and pray for.

*David Shelton, one of our youth is graduating from Cody High School this spring. A big YO BUDDY! He is the first in my reconing that we have had that has finished high school outright since we have been here. Not inlcuding GED or Night School. This is a big splash over the damn that is our ignorance and injustice when it comes to our youth in our community in Northwest Detroit becoming educated to be at their greatest potential. Pray for David, his finals, and his continuing future.

*We have two World Service Corps Interns starting this summer, and they will bring a great deal of experience, gifts and talents to the Detroit Hope congregation. We will utilize these skills to provide a greater ministry to those we have not yet met, but it will also allow us to further provide pastoral care wherever our presence may reach to in this Detroit area.

*We have a Senior High Group from my home area being led by Delia Jones, Terry Jones, Julie Elliott from the areas of Lamoni Heartland Missioncenter, and Prarie Bluffs Missioncenter to come to Detroit Hope and help us out with some projects and ministry while experiencing and participating in this awesome ministry. They are also taking a trip to Toronto for a day or so, and taking a tour of the World Religions Ministries Center and then returning to Detroit Hope.

*We have a point system now that will allow our youth to attend Reunions, Camps and Spec. If you would like to contribute money to these hard-working, ministry-inspired youth so that they can go to camp please call Pastor Jacob at (313)515-8955.

*Pray for us, as we endevor to find new energy and spirit of mission, sent and called by God to be a blessing in this specific location. Our Team meets on sunday and we will discuss changing our worship week schedules, changing our times for community support and outreach, and re-powering our pistons for the great work that is about to come forth.

YO BUDDIES
We are praying for these Yo Buddies in which God is truly working in Detroit, and in our lives and our extended family of members and congregants lives, and we would like you to join in prayers of thanksgiving with us for them.
20 Basketballs for DH from Indiana and Claire and Henry
Dean and McCrays got a new stove and fridge with Cluster Support
New Computer - Bill Kline
David saw his Dad
Grandson Visit
Thank You's to a bunch of people
Mother's Day
Internship
Money Donations
Tutoring Program
Sunshine
1st Wedding at Detroit Hope in recent history.
Levi's First Birthday

ME TOOS
Mavis Kinney - Not doing well, possible psneumonia Dr. Not sure about diagnosis
Problems with Mom/Dad
Keisha (Vonnie's Mom) -Heart and Blood Pressure Problems
Jobs-For Roomates and All who are out of work.
Auntie is in the Hospital
Darryl Sick, Dimetrius Sick, Need to go to Doctor.
Mom in Hospital for Surgery
Rick's Family Member in Afghanistan
Teachers
Schools Closing in Detroit
Displaced or Dropped out Students
Saturday the 22nd Block party / Work Day to clean up the neighborhood parks.
Red Wings
Bill Kline Heart Problems
City of Detroit / Detroit School Problems
Mavis Kinney
Relationships in the Church
Teenage Deaths, and abandoned Houses Problems
Teenage Pregnancy
Jobs and Housing
Detroit Hope Internships
More Young People in the church
Mrs Parker, and that the Tutoring program will go better
Ms. Ruth, because we miss her, and her overtime is not paying for the hours she can't be with us.

Things Learned in Church Planting or Ministry to Hard Living People. For other church planters, missionaries, and laborers for God.

1. The Gospel (Good News of Jesus Christ) is not reserved just for us. The street slang would be The Gospel is not just about you. This has called me to a servant ministry. When I get all-celebratory about a victory in the church plant, some people feel that it is time for compliments. Sometimes, I will say, "give that glory to God, for without him we wouldn't have any of this." Well friends, I know that in our humanness, sometimes this wears on us, like we have a greater work to do, first it starts wearing on us, I remember comparing our church plant to others. Comparing myself to pastors of other plants. Sometimes for self-gratification and other times for condemnation. I think this is those times when we need a good 'Ol slice of humble pie. The very worst is when it sneaks up on you. You go on serving, serving, serving, and all of a sudden, smack, God reminds you that you are nothing without God. Maybe I have experienced something in an ironic way. Maybe in just a new direction with some flashy new ideas. I found myself here. I think to myself, well, what was so wrong about the old ideas, they worked? They were providing a good needed ministry. I tell you-"A ministry will come and a ministry will come to pass. It is not about us. And the really good God inspired ministries have successors, plans, A, B, and C, and when those don't work you should have remembered to pray first. Then start over with alpha A, alpha B, and alpha C. And don't get frustrated, God has ultimate patience, and we are just privileged to be included and be given grace into involved service. That reminds me, wasn't I doing a count down?

2. So since I mentioned it "We're just blessed to be a part of things." This is Gods work, not ours. The sooner we get this in our heads, the better off and humbly favored we may be. I think about all of the God inspired callings that must go out, un-answered and still left as raw potential. When we answer the call, God gives us a responsibility to seek God out for instructions. Pray. Pray. Pray. And that is my first tip to discernment. It is the only unifying factor to discernment practices, they all have something to do with petition and listening prayers. Or at least they should.

3. God won’t give us anything we can’t handle. I know this from experience, I have a testimony of losing my father, coming from farm country to Detroit, being offered drugs and inviting the same man to Church. Somehow, our strength, our courage and our patience can get us through anything if we only ask for help. Even through boring meetings because, to all you missionaries out there, you never know where you might find an opportunity to find a supporter to network with amongst you and find a great Ally for Gods mission.

4. A missionary pastor, church planter needs ultimate patience. Jesus needed time away from his flock to refill, so do you. Sometimes, it would be easy to get angry, lose patience, and blow off the handle. I have seen church planters get so upset they just tackled somebody they thought deserved it. We can get stressed out and burned out, and lose patience, but even Jesus needed a Sabbath away from Peter and the disciples constant questions. Many of us don’t know the answers. We need to have a fog of patience, do not be afraid to say, “I don’t know, let me ask a few people.” Or “Could you let me get back to you on this?” It works wonders, and please follows up with this. It will make you a better minister of pastoral care, but also a better disciple because you tended even the most trying congregants.

5. Find Your Sabbath. What is Sabbath? Well a good bible scholar might be able to tell you, but I think the great thing is, we are not defined a day. Some other denominations will say of course it is this certain day; it is the first day in the week. Others will say, the Sabbath day is the seventh day, the last day in the week. Well folks “News flash” God doesn’t work on our time, and the Mayan calendar we follow now was not in print in the Roman culture of Jesus day nor are we sure which day God Created first on. This could be debated forever. Go Jump, anyone that wants to sign up for this go right ahead. I was told by a great mentor that Sabbath is anything and any time that fills you up personally, emotionally, physically and most important spiritually. No I am not talking about one of those feeding house churches although some people attend congregations other than those they are ministering in to be “filled spiritually”. I am talking about a sacred time thing, a sacred activity, or a sacred practice. I know of quite a few people that get caught up in their ministry and all consumed by it until they can’t breathe or until they have re-scheduled their vacation three times. A good missionary leader needs to schedule it out, and have people hold them accountable to it. What kind of activities am I talking about? Those things that are usually associated with God given gifts or really positive childhood experiences. I know a church planter that when he gets burned out, he goes to like three movies one afternoon with popcorn and the works and just vegges until he has fully immersed himself in an alternative world. This may work for you. Another mentor of mine, takes one day out of his week for an easy going day, of getting up, having morning coffee, easy meals all day and a day filled with woodworking in his shop. Others seek nature. Some seek God to refill them in creation. Others fish, baiting worms to catch that big one. To have a great fish tale and to mark that great fishing hole of their list. I paint, draw and do anything artsy. There is something for me, like the woodworker in creating like God. We are after all created in God’s image, so why not rest, mind, body and soul, like God did on the seventh day. We just need to look into what perks our interest, and see if we get re-fueled in the process.

6. Don’t be a hero. Well some of you comic book fans may remember this line from many a zombie movie, or western, maybe a marvel comic or two. I say it applies to church planting and hard living ministries because frankly we need checks and balances. We need teams. We need those people who push back, give us checks, like body-checking in basketball just to see where you are, defend you, and have your back when you need a friend, or a bail out of trouble. In teams you will never hear risk management breathing down your neck because you will always have a witness. Also, we get a big head sometimes and we get into trouble and get burned out or put out from some great ministry God would like us to do. (See all above lessons learned) I just know, like Moses, we could easily miss an opportunity for some God blessings, like “the promised land” if we think we are the deliverer and forget that God is. There is a reason that Jewish people focus on the stories in the Old Testament, because their heroes had been honored, and fell from honor and only by Grace we’re God’s people saved. Mostly I am telling you, the world is cutthroat, you need a friend, or team, realize you are not always or ever the leader, and thank them and give them due deserving pats on the back to save your volunteers.

I know I will have more later, let me just think of them and be re-inspired. Thank you.

God Bless us All.

I must say, I have been trying to keep on keeping on. I think people were a little concerned when I sent the less than 150 character status update up last thursday. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you I am fine, and it was a healing experience. With healing experiences you find yourself in new territory. (Im sure some star trek fans could enter a quote here) But I am not going to do that. I realized today, that sometimes I need to just be still and let God. Sometimes I think God comes just in time and provides helps just enough. Over the course of my ministry, I have seen this along the road, and I feel that some of these times are when I grew the most as a minister, but also, grew the toughest skin and, equal to other times, when I was most vulnerable. I feel that I can not express how humbled I am lately, and it makes me look back at some times when God has taught us a thing or two in church planting here in detroit.

My Goal. To Post blog entries more often. Simply that, to let you know each testimony as it comes, so I will not have to wrack my brain to remember Gods works in our lives and the ministry God is allowing us to participate in here in Detroit.

Today, my entry will be a prayer. For Haiti.

Dearest Lord.

Today I ask, that you help these efforts come together to help Haiti. I know that the church, the community of christ has donated some oblation funds. I hope that our people decide to donate more. We have so many members who deal constantly with tragedy. I remember three years ago towards the last conference they were dealing with mud-slides and death, and I know many of the people live in tin-roof homes and the economy is lacking. Now they have to deal with loss of maybe what they hold most valuable, their families. God let them experience your shalom, your love, and your cleansing spirit as they heal. They could easily blame you for this natural disaster, but let them see the mercy and grace that comes with each bandaid, each worker, each rock moved, and re-settled. I ask that their hearts be bound back together, spare no time looking for each and every piece, and healed, made stronger, and give them hope. Love them let them feel found and loved, known and helped.

For now, I ask these things in your sons most holy name,

Amen.

These are some testimonies we are sharing in our buletins in michigan to draw attention to the dire need of the support from our 4 missioncenters, and the eventual one michigan missioncenter. I hope that on January 17th you can pray with us that the offerings collected may help secure and green our building to be more self sustaining for this congregation to out of its generosity, stand on its two feet. If you are in a congregation in michigan, ask your pastor about collecting a special offering for Detroit Hope on Racial Justice Day.

Help from Tough Places

We have a ministry in-between two rival gangs. Literally one resides and calls their home 7 mile, a mile and a half north, and the other, for which most of our members come from, resides a mile and a half south, the Brightmoor Gang. Our church sits in a kind of neutral territory. You can witness that fact because we do not have tags of either gang on our church or inside of it. The green space around the church is a stark contrast to all of the cement and blight of the rest of the area in northwest Detroit.

Over the years, we have had a number of young men come and take part in our organization. It has become a house of senior high men who grew up in 5 years, and now we see as young adult leaders of our ministry. One such individual was an enforcer in our neighborhood, and he would come around and check on his members and their siblings at our church. He kept his distance, but you could tell he was really getting involved in our program. One night he surprised us.

“Would you like for me to mix the cool-aid?” he asked.

The next week, he added laying out the plates for pizza, next, set up the chairs and wiped down tables, the next following week, he was cleaning up and reminding people they should be cleaning up their own messes. This was eliminating a huge stress to our ministry picking up after 70-80 congregants at our Wednesday night pizza church. Over the journey, in the last 8 months, great mentoring has happened between this young adult and Jeff Stoker. Because of the fostered relationship this young adult is calling our movement his church, and we are asking for his input and help in the formation and direction of this emerging congregation. We look for this man to become a leader not just for today but for some time to come.

Doodles on the Table

I was originally an artist. I went to Graceland University to follow my talents and dreams to be an art teacher. While there I was involved in the campus ministry program led by Blake Smith. His mentoring and direction let me get involved in missionary endeavors including a trip to Chattanooga and a World Service Corps Assignment to Detroit where I found my calling. Interesting how a calling by Jesus Christ will just seem to up and grab a person. I have been church planting at Detroit Hope for over 4 years, and we are currently in our fifth year working in this neighborhood. We have done great ministry, and been in some tough places, and it always is good to re-group and organize with field staff and others dealing with the ministry of the leading the church. One such time, our field staff were gathered at Bluewater Campground for some direction and discerning about our field goals and passions to discern what matters most as Christ has called us all in our most recent revelation. Stassi Cramm knows how sometimes a 4 day discussion and meetings can get long and lengthy, and one way she keeps our minds turning is to have butcher paper out on the table with goodie bags, and crayons. I was drawing on the table, as I like to do, sharing testimonies when they added to the discussion, and then went back to drawing. (The only way I multi-task well.) Anyway, I was drawing our church seal, with the sacraments all eight of them circled around, with our historic sites and the villages the Community of Christ ministers to around the world.

During one of our breaks, Eleanor West came up to me, looked over my shoulder and said “if you bring me a painting of that I will give you some donation to your Mission and your building projects.” Little did she know I would make her a 4 foot painting of it. It resides now in Boyne City congregation and they and this disciple made a great donation with the intent that it would help us and we could in turn share the message and mission of Christ through this artwork, Through other trips. I always have felt good about this friendship and it really is helping to reach our goal in the Give Hope to Detroit Hope campaign. This is where the inspiration came for the Artwork Sale at our mission conference and online at detroithopecofchrist.org.

Baptism Buddies

At Detroit Hope we have two 8 year olds. They have been coming for 2 years, almost three. This last year the first, Isaac Miller, turned 8 in January. Having had just took our pre-baptismal class we call new believers, this young man was excited to be baptized. So excited it was his Yo buddy at church and at school. Before this he began to witness to his school teacher about how Yo Buddies works at church and everyone shares the blessings that people are thankful to God for, and then the concerns that are lifted up in prayer as a part of the whole congregation praying for them. This was accepted by that teacher, and became something that they would share Yo buddies and Me Toos as a part of their “Show and Tell time” every day at school. Isaac is so passionate, that he would share these in the car on the way to church and home on the way to his home. The second one Arrionna turned 8 in June, on the 29^th in fact. She was just as excited, but dreaded the fact that Isaac one of her best friends would be baptized first with out her. But she didn’t tell anyone. Especially Isaac. Isaac, the spiritual person he is knew and wanted to share his baptism with someone else, and he asked me, “Could I wait to have my baptism with Arrionna?” I smiled, because I had been privy to that information Arrionna wasn’t sharing. I said great! And played it off and said, If you think you can wait that long. Then I told him to go tell Arrionna what he had decided to do. When he got there, I was standing back a bit, and could see over his shoulder to the surprised and amazed Arrionna who honestly looked like Christmas had come in late January.

When they were both baptized it was like we all gained a brother and a sister, thicker than blood into the Community of Christ at Detroit Hope. They are great disciples and additions to the body of Christ.

Detroit Hope Starts a Clothing Closet

Pastor Jacob Blakesley Reporting

In my first year at Detroit hope I had a lot of supporters from home. Lamoni was my home congregation, and the first Christmas was the first, and hardest Christmas I had faced as a minister. We had children coming in from off the street that had said their hats and gloves had been stolen at home. I believed them to an extent, but when I checked with the parents, they said yeah, we bought them this character hat, and it was so cool it was sought after. I said if we had a hat gloves and mitten drive this could support the community and its children.

That Christmas there was such an outpouring of hats gloves and mittens from congregations near and far in Michigan that every kid we knew could have had 5 sets of hats, gloves, and mittens. Because of this, we opened our clothing closet ministry. When Lamoni congregation got wind of this they felt called and inspired to fundraise for an over sized washer and dryer units. What A BLESSING!!! They were low energy but also they would continue to help us offer clean clothes out of our closet when sometimes we would receive clothes that have been sitting in a garage for 6 to 8 seasons they got dirty. That was the initial place it provided ministry.

Additionally in the Michigan job crisis we have found that landlords, renters, and evictions have become more swift and fierce, and some of our members have been evicted in cold weather, rain storms, dumping belongings into the mud puddles and pot holes on the curbs. These washers have cleaned what remaining belonging they had, and the clothing closet helped people get back on their feet when they were restored in their living situation.

This is one way Detroit Hope is outreaching and living for the call of God into our community. If you have ever wondered why clothing closets were so much work, or if it was worth the effort, get out and listen to the needs of our dire, desperate communities. They are in needing of the healing, restoring and reconciling nature of the Community of Christ, and we need to care enough or ask God to empower us to do a great task to let others know we are Christians by our love.

Stewardship at it’s Best

Pastor Jacob Reporting

In our campaign towards repairing our building and making it less of a burden on the mission center and the rest of Michigan when we move to one united mission center, it has always been a goal at Detroit Hope to make our ministry more financially responsible. One day Jeff Stoker, a seventy and our financial officer at Detroit Hope, affectionately called by the kids at the church “Pastor Jeff” was looking at the bills we cover locally. One of which is the water bill. He was looking at how much we were spending, at it was over 500 dollars a month, with usage rates under 40 dollars. This did not sit right. He went down town, sat at the DTE offices, and met with one of their representatives. When he got done, the lady he talked to told him that the remainder of 460 dollars a month, it was going down the drain literally. It was accounting for our street drain in our parking lot at they were charging us for the water from the snow and the hard winter we had. I must admit we prayed when we found out the bill was so high. We also informed Dena DeVormer and Deb Crowley of the bill and they prayed for it. One Day we were setting down with Paragon Management Director Margaret Davy and Outreach Services Director Bishop Tom Jeffers, and they both suggested that because they’re renting the parking lot from the church they should cover the water that runs off of the parking lot eliminating that bill from our books. Because it felt like such a blessing, we asked if one of the items on our list, the leaky basement, could be the first project we start. Rick Mac Gregor and our World Service Corps volunteers remove the tile, clean up the basement, painted everything with dry-lock, and made the space useable for ministry again. Without these savings and your generosity this miracle wouldn’t have happened. If this project did not occur the inspectors from the county and the city could have come in and said our basement was moldy, wet and a health hazard, but now, this space is a blessing and our cleanest slate to have ministry restored in our building. Thank You!

Pizza Church Receives back Blessings

Wednesday night is Pizza Church. If you want to go find out more about this please go to http://www.detroithopecofchrist.org and click on videos to find more in depth about this. But anyway, we buy pizza, lots of pizza. We feed our congregation each Wednesday after our seekers service. We flip back and forth on who we buy our pizza from either Prince’s Pizza or Little Cesar’s. The local manager at Prince’s Pizza really likes us because he is a leader in the community and his family owns and operates their business. One year, his brothers got together and decided our church would be the recipient of their local charity project. Jeff and I walked in to order 10 five-dollar pizzas and they said, “hey, come around back and get these turkeys for your ministry.” On the way out, even though they are not Christians they said “may God bless you and your ministry, your doing well for this community.” Upon getting back to the church with the turkeys we didn’t have enough room in our freezers for all of them. Jeff and I looked at our congregation and realized we could think of 10 adults and there families we could give these turkeys to. One of the women told me this would be a struggle for her because her oven wasn’t working. Then two others approached and said the same thing. How would we help these situations? Jeff suggested to myself and the three that we roast them in our turkey roaster right at the church then when they were done cut all the meat up and place it in quart bags and give the cooked meat to them. Each of the three was happy with two quart bags of turkey each and they insisted we give the leftovers to others in the congregation. This blessing really stretched! We are constantly thinking at Detroit Hope about how we can take what we’re given and help God’s people.

We Share becomes Who Me?

Some of you may remember Terrence Hall. He was the short gentleman that got up in front of the large missionary crowd gathered in Mount Pleasant for the weekend in March or April. You would not know it because I was late because of a flat tire, and we spent the night at the church, and then after opening ceremonies on Saturday, and the set up of our display, but Terrence, quiet Terrence answered the call to share his testimony in front of all kinds of people so that I could go provide courtroom ministry for another member of our congregation in another part of the state. From what I hear, from my wife and others, Terrence felt the spirit, faught his fears, and shared courageously what this church has done for him and why he shares the good news of Jesus Christ. We are so proud of him because since this step forward that he took in his faith and confidence, he has decided to do singing solos, and lead the choir at our peacemakers camp during the summer. Terrence is an emerging disciple in the Community of Christ, and with your continued support we can continue to cultivate young adult leaders from our youth programs into being tomorrows oaks of righteousness that will do greater ministry than we are now providing for them.