Tuesday, July 26, 2016

City Highlight: Detroit

When I told people that I was going to be working in Detroit for the summer, I received a lot of mixed emotions; most people were encouraging and excited for me, but also gave me warnings. I was told by many to “stay safe,” “be extremely careful” and “don’t get shot.” It was a little nerve-racking walking into a city that I did not know- a city that has been given such a bad name, with those warnings in the back of my mind. Detroit was not my first choice for a place to spend a summer, but I knew that God had a plan and that I was following His will by coming here.

At first, taking in the sights was a bit rough. It was nothing like I was used to in Kansas. There are many buildings, both big and small, some extravagant, many abandoned. Yet between the perfection and the mess, there is art. Everywhere you go, there are colorful houses, massive murals and graffiti. A fence that we pass on the way back to the CSM housing site from our ministry sites is marked with graffiti that reads, “Obama for America, God for Detroit.”

I see God in this city everyday.


Each of our ministry sites are run by people with the most beautiful souls, full of love for this city. Getting to work with them everyday is a blessing, as I am constantly reminded of what it looks like to serve Christ. These people do not have glamorous jobs, and if anything, their jobs are the least desirable and least financially stable. But they have followed God’s leading. They serve day in and day out, serving their brothers and sisters in the city they all call home. They are in a food bank warehouse, sorting food to be shipped out to those who have none. They are in a hot garden all day, weeding and watering so that there will be food to give a starving community with no access to healthy and nutritious food. They are going out into the community and befriending those who want and need help with addiction. They do it because they believe in this city and are proud to be a part of it. They believe that God has a bright future for the city.

Detroit may not seem attractive to those on the outside looking in, but the people who live here see it as beautiful. They see it as home. This city still has hope. It still has passion. It still believes in a future.

Detroit is here to stay.

-Brandon Lay, 2016 Detroit City Host

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