1. 20 JUNE 2014 | Presbyterians Today
Reprinted with permission from the June 2014 issue of Presbyterian Today © 2014.
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2. Presbyterians Today | JUNE 2014 21
An (initial)
answer to
the gospel
from Detroit
Compassion, Peace, and Justice
ministries partner with Detroit
communities to put an end to
gun violence and advance the
peace of the city.
BY KRISTENA MORSE
T
o most appearances, Detroit is a
once-booming city that now faces
a set of major crises: the crushing
financial woes that drove Detroit into
the biggest municipal bankruptcy
in US history, rising unemployment
rates, and the nation’s highest rate
of violent crime. For the fifth year in
a row, the Motor City has topped the
list of “Most Dangerous Cities in the
United States.”
That’s only part of the story,
however.
Detroit is full—to borrow a phrase
from Henri Nouwen—of “wounded
healers,” people ministering out of
their own pain and tested hopeful-
ness. The people of Detroit have long
spoken of a need for change, and at
last some are beginning to listen. As
a result, some change, albeit quite
modest, is taking place. The rate of
violent crime has dropped. Detroit’s
downtown has seen an upswing, with
many hotels getting swanky face-
lifts and companies such as Quicken
Loans developing huge business
spaces at the city’s core and employ-
ing thousands of people. Midtown
arguably has become Detroit’s most
successful—and most talked about—
district for new commercial and real
estate ventures, with mixed-use
projects such as the Auburn apart-
ments and Willys Overland Lofts
filling their ground floors with new
Presbytery of Detroit and Sarasota, Florida, youth leave a message of hope in the
form of a stepping stone as part of their community-garden project in New Orleans.
Reprinted with permission from the June 2014 issue of Presbyterian Today © 2014.
All rights reserved. Subscribe by phone at 800-558-1669 or online at pcusa.org/today.

3. 22 JUNE 2014 | Presbyterians Today
ALLPHOTOSCOURTESYOFTHECOMMITTEEONLOCALARRANGEMENTS
retail ventures. But amid this growth
and excitement, Detroit still has a
long road toward recovery. Many still
hold onto the hope that Detroit will
one day be a city of peace.
As Presbyterians, we are called
to respond to the needs of the world’s
most vulnerable and to address injus-
tice in all areas of life. Many in and
around Detroit have heard God’s call
and begun to do just that. Projects
focused on addressing food insecurity
and health problems, self-develop-
ment of area residents, and long-term
growth and recovery have begun
popping up across the city.
Addressing high unemployment
As of August 2013, the US Bureau of
Labor reports a startling 17.7 percent
unemployment rate for Detroit—more
than double the national unemploy-
ment rate. Couple that with high
crime rates, and you find a city where
ex-offenders face seemingly insur-
mountable barriers to securing stable
employment.
“Issues of crime and rising unem-
ployment rates often create a perfect
storm,” says Lisa Leverette of the
Self-Development of People (SDOP)
National Committee. “Here, like
many other cities across the United
States, those with a criminal history
find themselves trying to integrate
back into a society with double-digit
rates of unemployment, an economic
landscape that’s drastically differ-
ent than it was 10 years ago, and
a plethora of other struggles to
overcome.”
SDOP—a community-organizing
and grant-writing ministry of
the Presbyterian Mission Agency
designed to empower the economi-
cally poor and oppressed to change
the structures that perpetuate
poverty and injustice—has set out
to help ex-offenders build a solid
foundation for long-term success.
“Our goal is twofold,” Leverette says.
“We’re educating about and support-
ing alternative systems created by
and for those who have experienced
significant barriers to employment
because of their ex-offender status.”
Carlos is one of the people empow-
ered through Fair Chance. A 64-year-
old who served 22 years in prison on
a drug charge, Carlos was a model
case for a difficult reentry into society.
But that all changed when, prior to
his release, he contacted the SDOP-
funded Fair Chance program at First
Presbyterian Church in Lansing,
Michigan. Fair Chance arranged
housing for Carlos in Lansing, and
he got a job working for a lawn-care
service started by Fair Chance. He
now works 20 hours per week making
ads for the lawn-care business and
developing SDOP flyers. He also
manages a program with Michigan
State University that helps ex-
offenders with resumes and job
training.
As a result, Carlos now pays his
own rent, has bought a car, pays for
his insurance, and is self-sufficient.
“He thanks me profusely all of the
time. He is so grateful,” says First
Chance coordinator Monica Jahner.
“If he hadn’t come here, . . . he said
he probably would be back in prison.”
But of course First Chance just set up
the conditions; it was Carlos who had
to choose a fate different from the
one society prescribed for him (67.8
percent of ex-offenders are rearrested
within three years, according to the
Bureau of Justice Statistics).
Jahner says the Fair Chance
program employs about 52 ex-offend-
ers in its own businesses, and its
employment agency has placed nearly
160 people in jobs since the program
got funding in December 2012.
Feeding the hungry, starting a
conversation
That’s only one of many examples
of Detroit Presbyterians coming
alongside their neighbors to forge
a healthier and more just commu-
nity. In a county where more than
110,000 children live in food-insecure
households, the Presbytery of Detroit,
through the Presbyterian Hunger
Program (PHP), has supported more
than 10 congregations who provide
Detroiters with access to fresh,
affordable food through community
garden projects. PHP and the presby-
tery also have supported more than
80 churches that provide direct food
relief and serve more than 500,000
area residents each year.
Hunger, however, isn’t the only
challenge affecting the lives of the
people of Detroit. Gun violence
has claimed the lives of nearly 500
Detroit children since 2000.
In 2012, Detroit experienced its
most violent year in nearly 20 years.
And gun violence claimed 17 lives
across the city in just 10 days this
past November. As Christians, we
are called to love our brothers and
sisters, and when so many people
have lost respect for life—and for
During a Mission Blast, youth tend a DTE Energy community garden and help with its food bank.
Reprinted with permission from the June 2014 issue of Presbyterians Today. © 2014.
All rights reserved. Subscribe by phone at 800-558-1669 or online at pcusa.org/today.

4. Presbyterians Today | JUNE 2014 23
one another—that call is needed now
more than ever.
Recognizing the need for a
conversation about the importance
of gun-violence prevention and the
ripple effect that a shooting has on
churches, families, and communities,
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance,
in partnership with the Office of
Public Witness and the Presbyterian
Peacemaking Program, created
Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun
Violence. This hour-long documentary
has been shown across the country
and has generated discussion about
the critical need for gun-violence
prevention.
“Tackling an issue that can be as
divisive as gun violence certainly
isn’t easy,” says Laurie Kraus, coor-
dinator of Presbyterian Disaster
Assistance. “As Christians, we are
called to advocate for those in need.
And igniting a conversation about the
far-reaching and long-lasting impact
of gun violence is absolutely neces-
sary—especially in cities like Detroit,
where gun violence is very, very real.”
Screenings of Trigger have
sparked the development of programs
such as Ripples 2 Waves, an Iowa-
based organization created by
members of the peace and justice
committee at First Presbyterian
Church in Iowa City. “In the begin-
ning, I too thought, ‘Let’s just get rid
of assault weapons and high-capacity
magazines,’ ” says Martha Schut, a
founding member of Ripples 2 Waves.
“However, through the committee’s
research and discussions with com-
munity members, it became clear
that responsible gun owners weren’t
the enemy and that we needed to
have responsible gun owners be part
of the process to find a middle ground.
Hosting a screening of Trigger in our
community opened up a platform for
people from both sides of the debate
to come together.”
Gun violence, of course, isn’t
the whole problem. Detroit also is
afflicted by domestic and sexual
violence, with rates of domestic
violence above the national average
in some areas of the city. Last year,
the Presbyterian Ministry at the
United Nations, in partnership
with the Domestic Violence Work
Group and the Social Justice and
Peacemaking Team of the Presbytery
of Detroit, helped create and host a
side event during the United Nations
Commission on the Status of Women
that addressed the importance of
education for all—including men and
boys—in working to end violence
against women.
These and other issues continue
to affect Detroit. They are real, and
they are harsh. But the people of
Detroit—or any other city across the
nation—need not fight them alone.
Whether the focus is on addressing
hunger, violence, or community devel-
opment, we as Christians are called
to come together to help those in
need and tear down the systems that
create those needs in the first place.
Many Presbyterians even now are
responding to God’s call through the
prophet Isaiah to be repairers of the
breach and restorers of the streets
to live in—making God’s community
livable for all. Will you join them?
Kristena Morse is a communication strate-
gist for the Compassion, Peace, and Justice
ministry area of the Presbyterian Mission
Agency.
Live in or around Detroit? The Presbytery of Detroit offers many opportunities
for service and advocacy on issues ranging from domestic violence to hunger to
urban ministry: presbyteryofdetroit.org/about/serving-community.
The Compassion, Peace, and Justice ministry area of the Presbyterian Mission
Agency helps Presbyterians respond to the needs of the world’s most vulnerable
people, address injustice, and advocate for peaceful solutions to conflict. To
learn more about its many ministries: pcusa.org/cpj
»» For more about Self-Development of People: pcusa.org/sdop
»» For more about the documentary Trigger: triggerdoc.com
GET INVOLVED
During a Presbyterian Men service day in Detroit, volunteers do construction work at Park United
Presbyterian Church.
Reprinted with permission from the June 2014 issue of Presbyterians Today. © 2014.
All rights reserved. Subscribe by phone at 800-558-1669 or online at pcusa.org/today.