Loving the Disconnected

I had the pleasure of hooking up with Craig Gross and Jason Harper while they were in Detroit today for a Jesus Loves You tour stop. Today’s event was in the city at Citadel of Faith Covenant Church Pastored by Harvey Carey. It was great worshiping with the people at Citadel and seeing first hand how God is using their congregation to change the landscape of Detroit. Pastor Carey is a powerful leader and Citadel is an amazing place. God is moving there. In fact, during the service we were also blessed to see 33 people make a decision for Christ and another 55 make a decision for church membership.

But this house on Hazelwood is what really brought us to Citadel today. Craig and Jason are in the middle of a multi-city tour to promote their book Jesus Loves You. Instead of signing books at Family Bookstore or speaking at ticketed events they decided to take a gamble on the unconventional and are using their stops to demonstrate the love of Jesus rather than just talk about it. (Do you see why I love these guys!?) Tour stops include Folsom Prison, the Atlanta Gay Pride Parade, and the Las Vegas Strip. Today’s stop in Detroit was all about showing that Jesus loves the disconnected and included giving this house to a deserving family. Here is what was shared on Craig’s website about the winner:

The winner of the house was Thereatha Baker. Here is part of her story:

Due to the lose of her husband, which was the primary income of the house whole, she can not afford the rent where she is now. The landlord is selling the house and she has to move at any giving day with no money for first and last months rent. It’s been a trying time since her husband’s passing and with all the bills that due, there’s no money to live off of nor to put food in the house. If she pays her rent she has no money left to pay bills or buy food with that being all the money she has for the month to live off of. It has been by the grace of god she as made it this far.

While we were taking a tour of the house after the service we were given a little insight on the challenges that are facing the neighborhood. Lisa Johanon, Director of Central Detroit Christian Community Development Association and member of Citadel, explained that her organization is starting to see the effects that extreme desperation is having on the neighborhood as poverty increases and further disconnects the community. She shared stories of drug sales, auto theft, carjacking, and homicide – all happening in a five block radius within the span of a week. Yet, in that desperation these guys from the other side of the country were there to pray for the house, the family, and the community. And in that bleak, dark block of abandoned homes there was hope. My favorite part of the day was when an elderly neighbor excitedly yelled down the street at us, “Are you the winners, are you the winners!” A voice of hope.

So, here’s my question Detroit Church (and yes, I’m referring to the suburban church too): Why does it take two guys from the West Coast to put a woman and her children into a new home? According to Lisa there are 83 vacant homes in the neighborhood surrounding Citadel. 133 Detroiters, each with stories as heartbreaking as Mrs. Baker’s, applied for the Hazelwood home. What do we need to do to meet the need – both the housing need and the need to rid the community of the risks that come with abandoned property? What can we do to love our disconnected neighbors?

Check back tomorrow for a re-post of my Jesus Loves You book review and an interview with Jason Harper.