DETROIT, MI – As we move from summer to fall, we are celebrating a great season of growing partnerships, and the exciting potential of advance in the Kingdom of God. We have experienced an amazing summer of partner investment and participation with church plants in Detroit. Early in the summer, a team from several churches in Arkansas came to work with 3 of our planters. They brought with them a new Block Party trailer, fully equipped for our church plants to use in outreach efforts in their communities. Our planters and mission teams have kept that trailer busy all summer.
I had the opportunity to help with an event that Reaching Out Church sponsored at the Yemen American Cultural Center in Dearborn. The Hope Church of Las Vegas sent a team to help the new church plant share the love of Christ with hundreds of Muslims from the area. It was such a blessing to be able to be part of that effort. But, I am so thankful for partners who help to make these efforts truly reflect the Good News we have in Christ. We should all be thrilled with the fruit that efforts like these produce for the Kingdom. Reaching Out Church officially launched last month with 7 house discipleship groups and a public worship service among the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist peoples of Hamtramck.
Many other teams served with us this summer as well some from Michigan churches and others from around the country. We try to track these connections, but this year it has been hard to keep up. We did record 45 unique partner connections with both teams and support. This marks a significant increase for Detroit plants and is a great encouragement to our planters. Even small teams can make a large impact. Several teams numbered only 5 or 6. Yet, they were able to help pass out flyers for church launches, clean up and paint buildings, assist church plant core-teams, host Block Parties that, in turn, helped them to serve their community and share Christ.
This fall has been a season of advance. In addition to Reaching Out Church's launch on September 2nd, New Found Hope Community Church under the leadership of Pastor Ray Ruffin Jr., launched public worship services. Their sending church is Faith Fellowship Baptist Church in Lansing, and is also supported by Forrest Park Baptist Church who is assisting them with a place to worship. Pray for Pastor Ray as they are seeking to reach people for discipleship in Christ in the community of Redford.
We are also asking you to pray with the Middlebelt Baptist Church as they help to launch Pastor Antonio Wimberly and the One Mission Church on November 4th. The new church has targeted a strategic location at the crossroads of Inkster, Romulus, and Westland. They have been working all summer to get the word out, and get things ready for a Christ-honoring launch of a new Church.
This is what Send Detroit is all about. Praying, supporting, and encouraging new churches to establish Gospel-preaching, disciple-making churches for the 7.4 million people of Metro Detroit. Thank you, Michigan Baptists, for your partnership in what God is doing in the city.
For more information, visit bscm.org/detroit.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wayne Parker grew up in metro Detroit. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in education and received his Master of Divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Parker now serves as the senior pastor for Merriman Road Baptist Church in Garden City, an inner-ring suburb of Detroit. Wayne and his wife Cindy have five children.