The Longest Two Hours in the World

Most of the time while living in Grand Rapids, I'm just unemotional towards things. Cities tend to do that to a person. They kill the uptightness that is generally associated with the small farming communities, but they also tend to kill all motivations other than greed/self-gratification. I was looking into housing a while back and the company's website explained a novel concept which placed houses in such a way that they encouraged community. It was quick to point out that such an effort hadn't really been made since the 50's.

One thing that really has gotten me irked since living here is the inability of Grand Rapids, one of the wealthiest and believer-infested places in Christendom, to reach out to its dying neighbor, Detroit. At the risk of sounding like one of the coffeehouse should-ers from my previous posting, I have a great conviction that there should be some outreach down the interstate to the most hurting city in the nation outside of New Orleans(I'm not just saying that - there was a study that confirmed it released this week).

The fact of the matter is that if I wanted to go into any sort of ministry in Detroit for internships or a "real" job, it would have to be as a church planter or in a different denomination. The host of CRC churches/classes in Grand Rapids have not recently initiated a single churchplant or denominational ministry in the city, except for one Christian-Muslim Friendship House, which holds a loose association with the denomiation. The one existing CRC church in Detroit is located where you would expect it: in the suburbs.

I will grant that Michigan is hurting on all levels. No matter who wins the next governor race, this state is screwed until we figure out a way to curb the sense of entitlement which persists at all socio-economic levels in this state. There is, however, at least in Grand Rapids, a concentration of wealth in the churches. Many churches are run corporate-style, with top-down leadership or with projects needing to be approved by certain wealthy members. Yet, the biggest hinderance to the CRC's involvement in Detroit might be that its skill largely lies in planting suburban-style churches with largely caucasian middle class populations. The kind of cities that Detroit is are usually the subjects of world missions type ministries.

Sometimes I need people to keep me accountable (who am I kidding, that would be most times). Think of this as my way of helping to wake up accountability about man-made disaster area. Its time to end the charade. We may be two hours away from Detroit, but it seems like a world away. To walk the downtown area of Detroit is to feel like you are in a recent warzone. Perhaps the need is so great we don't know where to start. I've got an idea. How about the thousands of buildings at ground zero that are falling apart as we speak in the wasteland they call a downtown. What a big problem like this needs is an army. Here is your army.