June 23, 2005

CityVoices readers,

While Grand Rapids, MI (population 195,000) lies only 130 miles northeast of Chicago and 136 miles west of Detroit, it has built an urban reputation quite different from either of its Midwestern sister cities. The Dutch settled Grand Rapids in the mid-19 th century; while Irish, Germans and Eastern Europeans came to both Chicago and Detroit . During the mid-20 th century, both Detroit and Chicago were destinations for America ’s greatest internal migration of African Americans. The factories of Grand Rapids built furniture, Detroit ’s plants produced automobiles, and Chicago ’s blast furnaces made steel.

The Dutch in Grand Rapids and surrounding West Michigan communities quickly established a strong Reformed church presence along with accompanying schools, mission agencies and publishing houses. That legacy lives on today with Calvin College and Theological Seminary; Eerdmans, Zondervan, Kregel and Baker publishing houses. On the surface, Grand Rapids majors in church, tradition, order and wealth.

This edition of CityVoices presents you with a closer, less characterized portrait of the city and its church life. At this point in its history, Grand Rapids is actually a lot more like most cities of a couple hundred thousand people, than it is distinctive. It’s increasingly diverse: more than 20 percent African American, more than 13 percent Hispanic. While median income remains healthy, nearly 16 percent of the city’s people live below the poverty line.

More pressing are the current economic needs of the City of Grand Rapids , and the region at-large. The last couple years’ recession has hurt furniture and auto parts manufacturing. While Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell have teamed to attack urban economic loss in both Michigan cities, the reality is that West Michigan and Detroit remain “thousands” of miles apart. Each city seems to have enough needs to occupy its own attention.

As usual, we’ll focus on the churches and ministries that typify (and exemplify) creative ministry in both the margins and the mainstream of Grand Rapids ’ church life:

•  Father Stephen Dudek offers his perspective on Hispanic ministry at Grand Rapids ’ St. Joseph the Worker Parish

•  Apostle Arthur Bailey makes the case for multicultural ministry in the Southside Garfield Park community

•  Joel Shaffer of Urban Transformation Ministries lays out the foundations for a holistic city youth ministry

•  Dr. Rik Stevenson, pastor of City Hope Ministries , focuses on the vision needed for a multicultural church in an increasingly diverse city

•  Mayor George Heartwell discusses both child poverty and economic opportunity in Grand Rapids

This month CityVoices is features three books:  “Boundary Leaders: Leadership Skills for People of Faith,” by Gary Gunderson, Fortress Press, $15; “Voices From the City: Issues and Images in Urban Preaching,” by John Nunes, Concordia, $12; “Tell Me City Stories: A Journey for Urban Congregations,” by Phil Amerson, Wipf and Stock, $12. To purchase these, and other great city church resources, contact CityVoices at (312) 726-1200 or roger@cityvoices.com

Roger Johnson – CityVoices / SCUPE

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Diversity on the Rise in Grand Rapids

(Excerpted from “ Grand Rapids Faith Communities Growing in Diversity,” by Charles Honey, Grand Rapids Press Religion Editor)

Drive east along Michigan Street out of downtown Grand Rapids , and you’ll pass a fair reflection of West Michigan ’s traditional faith community. On your right, Third Reformed Church, organized in 1875; on the left, Wealthy Park Baptist, founded the same year; and soon after, Congregation Ahavas Israel , a Jewish synagogue born in 1911.

Venture farther, however, and more exotic faith homes dot the landscape. They include the Western Michigan Islamic Center and Mosque on the city’s Southeast Side, the Linh Son Buddhist Temple in Belmont , and the elegant St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Kentwood . Quietly but steadily, the world’s many faiths are coming to West Michigan .

If you’ve heard Grand Rapids is nothing but conservative Christian, listen again. You may hear the sound of a Hindu chant or a Muslim call to prayer. Yes, we are devout here – but increasingly diverse.

To be sure, West Michigan still is overwhelmingly Christian. It is anchored by nearly 163,000 Catholics and many thousands from the Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America , Dutch-derived denominations whose steeples decorate the region’s history. Bastions of the historic Protestant faiths – United Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal – still stand solidly on downtown streets and several varieties of Baptist believers loudly praise God, from urban black churches such as Messiah Missionary Baptist.

The trend toward megachurch worship is also in full force. Mars Hill Bible Church packs 10,000 people each week into a former Grandville shopping mall, while Resurrection Life can’t add on fast enough for its nearly 8,000 faithful. Hispanics fill more Spanish-speaking services, both Catholic and Protestant. Bosnian Muslims have their own mosque, and Sudanese congregations worship in Episcopal and Lutheran churches.

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St. Joseph the Worker Parish: The Spirit Provides Life Along Grandville Avenue

(Father Stephen Dudek serves as pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church on Grand Rapids ’ southwest side. He is a native of Grand Rapids and has ministered among Hispanic peoples in both Grand Rapids and Holland , Michigan for over 20 years.)

Fr. Dudek, how large is St. Joseph the Worker Parish?

We have 450 registered families, and I would say we serve another 500-1,000 new immigrant families who don’t yet comprehend the registration process. Last year we baptized well over 200 infants, and had over 100 First Communicants.

Tell us how has the southwest side of Grand Rapids changed in the past generation?

St. Joseph the Worker Church was originally the one Dutch Catholic parish we had in Grand Rapids . In the 1960s, a Latino presence started concentrating itself in our community’s Grandville Avenue corridor. Grandville Avenue has been a gateway for immigrant groups since the founding of Grand Rapids . Currently, we are the one all-Latino parish in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Three of our four weekend masses are conducted in Spanish.

You are fluent in Spanish?

Yes, I did my graduate studies in Theology at the Jesuit University in Mexico City . I’ve also completed a doctorate in Cross Cultural Ministry at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago .

At this point in history, what are the most important issues facing your parishioners: jobs, education, or spiritual matters?

There are a lot of spiritual issues that arise as a result of migration. The vast majority of our parishioners at St. Joseph the Worker are new immigrants. They’ve been in this country for only a short period of time, coming primarily from Mexico , but increasingly Guatemala . We have a large number of indigenous people who speak Quiche and Mam. Each year, I lead a “reverse” mission experience for about 12 of our lay leaders who go to Oaxaca , Mexico . We find that the indigenous communities, the Miztec and Zapotec peoples, have so much to teach us. It helps us minister more effectively here in Grand Rapids .

Is the confusion that comes with the immigrant experience proving to be a big need that you have to meet with your people?

There are spiritual needs, educational, physical and basic human needs that we end up meeting. Yet the people and their needs bring a real gift and a real life to the church. There’s spirit in their worship, there’s joy in their prayer, there’s a reality in their scriptural interpretation that is very life-giving to the church that’s been for a long time in Grand Rapids – both Protestant and Roman Catholic.

How do you describe St. Joseph the Worker’s people to colleagues from other places?

Our people are joyful. We have some incredibly talented musicians who play by ear and feel their music with a passion. We have four choirs that all bring a life to our worship. Our role is one of accompanying people on the journey of sharing their gifts with the church and coming to know and value a new culture, without sacrificing their own cultural values. We’re helping people integrate into a new world, while at the same time preserving what’s life-giving from their Latin experience.

Father Dudek, dream ahead five or ten years. What would you like to see happen in the larger Grand Rapids community?

I’d like to see us come to realize that we need each other: immigrants and long-term residents. We’re more fully the body of Christ when we respect each other’s gifts. We can promote unity without uniformity. That’s our true understanding of “catholicity” – the universality of the church.

In a city that’s been a traditional Dutch / Protestant bastion, is it difficult for the Catholic diocese and its churches to find the niche they need?

No, I’ve worked with people from both the Reformed and Christian Reformed Churches while in Holland , Michigan . And I’ve found them to be open and willing to partner in all sorts of ministries. I think mainline Protestant churches here are very receptive to working together, partnering in solidarity and working for justice. The Second Vatican Council changed a lot of attitudes on both sides of the Catholic / Protestant divide.

Contact: Fr. Stephen S. Dudek, St. Joseph the Worker Church , 333 Rumsey St. SW , Grand Rapids, MI 49503 , (616) 456-7982, stephendudek@comcast.net

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Abundant Life Ministries: Tearing Down Walls and Fences

(Since 1997, Apostle Arthur Bailey has served Grand Rapids ’ near south Garfield Park community through both Abundant Life International, a Christian Reformed congregation, and Abundant Life Ministries – the church’s Christian community development corporation. Serving on numerous civic and religious boards, Bailey is well known for his passion, activism and love of his city.)

Rev. Bailey, how did Abundant Life get its start?

My calling is to do ministry in context, not a traditional inward-focused ministry. I want to be out where people are, allowing the light to shine. In the mid-90s, we selected a very impoverished area, the Garfield Park / Madison Brown community – probably the city’s worst neighborhood. At the time, I was a bit frustrated with many of the churches that seemed more concerned with having church, rather than being church. I prefer to minister in multi-cultural environments, rather than being immersed in a single culture.

Given the history and nature of Grand Rapids ’ churches, isn’t that a bit difficult to do?

It hasn’t been for us and our ministry. But for many ministries here you’re all white, all black, all Hispanic, or all Asian. The emphasis on multiculturalism is not very strong in many of the churches, and many of Grand Rapids people feel pretty comfortable with that. But, I don’t.

Since the late 90s, what have you seen happen in your community?

We’ve seen a community come back to life. Property values had declined rapidly, and people were moving out of the community. We had a lot of vacant houses. But two years ago we saw property values begin to increase and now we’re seeing significant renovation of older properties.

Has Abundant Life Ministries focused on the economic needs in your community?

Not particularly. Rather, we’ve focused on the types of activities that destroy a community: drugs, gangs and prostitution. We joined up with the neighborhood association, the residents and the police department to confront those kinds of things. We found ourselves at odds with many who had laid claim to the community. One thing we knew was that the light was much greater than the darkness. If God was with us, he’s more than those who are against us.

How do you describe Abundant Life International Ministries to friends from other cities?

Our church ministry has taken on a very messianic flavor. I’m teaching on the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith and trying to help people understand the inheritance we have as Gentile believers in a faith that was birthed through Judaism. If a person wants to come to our services, they would probably be amazingly shocked – even by the terminology we use. God has us in a new place. Ephesians 2 talks about how God has taken the Greek and the Jew to make one new man. Theologically, we are now more in a Reformed, Charismatic, Messianic Worldview.

Give us an idea of what you see as the biggest challenge facing Grand Rapids.

The biggest challenge is racism. In recent years, Grand Rapids has been identified as one of the most racist cities in the United States . Right now, there’s a big movement in Grand Rapids to address that racism. But I believe people feel more comfortable talking about it than really doing anything about it. Racism’s prevalent in the church. It’s manifested in the ethnic divisions that persist in our worship life. There’s got to be a corresponding action to the dialogue that is now taking place.

Rev. Bailey, what dreams do you have for the entire city of Grand Rapids and its churches, five or ten years down the road?

I’d like to see the barriers in our community come down. There are a lot of fences in our city. They’re not only denominational, but there are churches within denominations which have fences around them, so that there is no interaction within churches. I’d like to see our city come together and pray. Our city is in trouble – basically broke, economically. Our schools are broke. The questions are, “Has there been mismanagement of funds? Are costly decisions being made that result in human suffering?”

The church is supposed to be the light in the community. I’d like to see us actually be that light, arise and confront the evils that are in our city. I’d like to see our church pastors stop trying to be politicians, and become spiritual leaders. Now I believe you can be both, but I don’t believe that you can be a good politician without first being a spiritual leader.

Contact: Rev. Arthur Bailey, Abundant Life International Ministries, 107 Burton SE, Office: 532 Cottage Grove SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507, (616) 248-4124, apostle@ablm.org

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Urban Transformation: Reaching Grand Rapids’ Hip-Hop Culture

(Joel Shaffer has made a career out of working with troubled youth in Grand Rapids ’ Belknap community. After a decade of ministry with Servant Center , he now directs Urban Transformation Ministries. A recent graduate of Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Joel also serves as Adjunct Professor of Urban Ministries at Cornerstone University . He, his wife, Sherilyn , and their three children live on the city’s near northeast side.)

What forces have formed your own priorities in city ministry?

One influence has been the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). I went to their annual conference in Detroit (in the early 90s) and it influenced me profoundly. I was already doing inner city work, but I really didn’t know where I was going. The “three R’s” of Christian Community Development (Relocation, Redistribution and Redistribution) became very important to me. Another influence was mentor, Don Tack – head of Servant Center here in Grand Rapids . He was a “ministry father” to me. Students whom we mentored have been another important influence. Mentoring people goes two ways. You minister to people, but they reciprocate that ministry back. I have intentionally brought people into leadership, even before they are quite ready. I see servant leadership happening when I give up power to others.

Tell us about your beginnings in ministry.

During seminary, my roommates and I would take homeless men into our apartment. We had been helping a storefront church and people were becoming Christians, but their lives didn’t change. A lot more was needed. So we decided to provide holistic discipleship. The apartment above us turned out to be a “crack house.” We didn’t know what to do until a shoot-out occurred. Our mentor, Don Tack, helped us through the situation: getting in touch with police and getting to know the neighborhood association. At the same time I became a neighborhood recreational supervisor. That was the foundation for everything that I was to do with Servant Center , and now Urban Transformation Ministries. I’ve gone through seminary slowly, living out what I’ve been taught in practical ministry.

Joel, how do you describe your communities: Belknap and South Creston ?

Our neighborhood is pretty multi-racial: 60 percent Caucasian, the rest African American and Latino. But most of the students and families we reach out to are African American. Belknap is a blend of the urban poor, some “Yuppies,” some blue-collar workers, and lower income people who work at Spectrum Health – our large north side hospital.

We minister intentionally to people within Belknap and South Creston . We’re transformational – ministering with at-risk inner city youth and their families. We also work to see transformation happen within the city of Grand Rapids itself. We do our work through small group Bible studies, a teen discipleship program called “Thursday Night Hype,” tutoring, sports outreaches, and a welfare-to-work program. We’re hoping to start a GED preparation program. We try to follow our students from elementary grades to college, and minister to families at the same time.

On a day-to-day basis, we reach 50-60 kids. But another 75-100 kids are on the fringe of our outreach. We spend a lot of time with our core kids who are pretty much a “hip-hop” type of group within the African American community.

What’s the biggest challenge to a ministry of diversity and inclusion in Grand Rapids ?

There’s a lack of connection to the local church. Lots of churches are entirely African American, or entirely Latino or entirely Caucasian; but you don’t see diversity happening very much. Because the “hip-hop” culture is a lot more diverse, we’re put in a bind. We want to be connected to a diverse church that shares our values, but it’s been tough. Most churches aren’t flexible enough to welcome the street orientation of “hip-hop” culture.

What kind of dreams do you have for Urban Transformation Ministries, and Grand Rapids ?

I want to see Urban Transformation Ministries cross more denominational barriers. UTM comes out a non-denominational background, with some Baptist leanings. We want to discover the ways we can network with Christian Reformed, Lutheran, COGIC and National Baptist churches. I’d like to see urban education at Cornerstone University become available to the whole Grand Rapids community, rather than just a privileged few.

In thinking about economic justice, we’re looking at developing urban-suburban partnerships. There are business owners who are open to hiring people from our community. But we need to find business people who can mentor our people who want to start their own businesses in city communities. So we’re starting to connect to the suburban churches that have those resources.

Contact: Joel Shaffer, Urban Transformation Ministries, 1419 Plainfield Suite #3 NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 , (616) 293-6414, shafferutm@aol.com

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City Hope Ministries : Confronting Racism, Valuing Cultures

(Dr. Rik Stevenson is Senior Pastor of City Hope Ministries in Grand Rapids ’ Garfield Park community. He is also the founder of the William C. Abney Institute for Biblical and Theological Studies. Before arriving in Grand Rapids in 2003, Dr. Stevenson and his wife Pastor Denise were co-founders of the Strait Gate Church of Los Angeles . There, he also directed research for the Los Angeles Black Church History Project, a collaborative effort among UCLA, USC and Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Stevenson was also a former director of African American Studies and an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. ).

How do you develop leadership for a multi-ethnic ministry?

When I was invited to come to City Hope Ministries , the church was primarily Anglo: about 80 percent Anglo, 20 percent African American. Now we’re about 40 percent Anglo, 40 percent African American and 20 percent Hispanic. I discovered that I had to sit down with the families, one-on-one, to find their concerns. We also had to develop an attitude of service into the DNA of the church. We cannot be the people of God if we are not willing to serve each other. Then, we had to deal with the issues of race. I recently preached a series of sermons entitled “One Blood, One Nation: Why Racism is Sin.” It brought a lot of things to light that people didn’t know about, and gave us a platform from which to communicate.

We can complain about race issues, but how do solve them?

I think there are three principles that need to be considered in dealing with people of different cultures. Make time to consider the culture: the food, clothing, the music, family structure. Also consider their history, what makes people tick? And then their epistemology: how do various cultures learn? When you preach to a number of different cultures, you have to learn how they hear what you are saying.

What are you’re frustrations, and joys of your work here in Grand Rapids ?

We’re still on the plantation in some places. The mindset and the paternalism of that era are still very prevalent here in West Michigan . There’s a paternal relationship between blacks and whites. In the body of Christ we’re brothers and sisters. We have to learn more about each other and get over that. Joys include watching our ministry grow – when Anglos and African Americans and Hispanics literally love and hug each other. You can’t walk into our ministry without getting a hug.

What’s your vision for City Hope Ministries ?

I would love to see our community become a place where God is totally in control. We want to put a barbershop and beauty salon in our church for people who can’t get their hair cut. We want to be able to do taxes for the disenfranchised. We want to put a marriage and family counseling center in place. We want to be a holistic kind of ministry.

Contact: Dr. Rik Stevenson, City Hope Ministries , 1975 Jefferson SE, Grand Rapids , MI 49507 , (616) 243-1992, drrik@cityhopeministries.com , www.cityhopeministries.com

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Mayor’s Office Sets Urban Priorities

In a May 3 rd forum at Calvin College , Grand Rapids ’ mayor George Heartwell and state senator Bill Hardiman discussed what they termed the three most important issues facing Grand Rapids . “Twenty three percent of Grand Rapids children live in poverty line households,” said Heartwell. These kids are going off to kindergarten at age five with one hand tied behind their backs.” He pointed out that people will take to the streets over casinos and gay marriage but societal “blood pressure is flat-lined with it comes to poverty…no one is paying attention to poverty.”

Mayor Heartwell is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and served for 14 years as pastor at Heartside Ministry, a program serving the homeless community of Grand Rapids . He also directs the Community Leadership Institute at Aquinas College , teaching in the Community Leadership major.

Heartwell’s next issue was education. “As a mayor of an urban center, you can’t separate education and poverty. Education ought to take a higher priority on our national agenda,” he said. Heartwell’s third concern was “economic vitality.” With Grand Rapids a major manufacturing center and manufacturing on the decline, the Michigan economy has been hurt. The “challenge” to the state’s economy is finding its place with advancing technology. Senator Hardiman added, “I agree with those [three issues]. The economy is incredibly important right now.”

When Heartwell and Hardiman took questions, one student asked, asked what is being done to address the injustice of the gap between city poverty and the affluence of the suburbs. How are multimillion dollar developments in suburbs justified in the face of closing schools in inner cities? Mayor Heartwell responded that “there is a great gulf that exists between urban centers and townships that’s not only geographical; it’s a state of mind difference.” Both the senator and the mayor noted that poor children have higher academic success when learning with affluent kids.

Adapted from “ Politicians Talk Urban Issues,” b y Amanda Whitcomb, Calvin College Chimes, May 6, 2005

Contact: Honorable George Heartwell, Office of the Mayor, Grand Rapids , 300 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids , MI   49503 , (616) 456-3000, mayor@ci.grand-rapids.mi.us

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Thanks for Reading CityVoices!

In July, CityVoices turns its attention to one small, under-resourced church located in Chicago ’s tired (but rebuilding) North Lawndale neighborhood. Ebenezer Lutheran doesn’t have much, but it does have people f faith, a pastor who believes in them, and a community with no way to go but forward.

Once again, let me remind you of our featured books for this month:

“Boundary Leaders: Leadership Skills for People of Faith,” by Gary Gunderson, Fortress Press. Gunderson’s weaves instructive stories of people who lead from the margins. $15

“Voices From the City: Issues and Images in Urban Preaching,” by John Nunes, Concordia. While using classical motifs, the author brings preaching into street-level communication. $12

“Tell Me City Stories: A Journey for Urban Congregations,” by Phil Amerson, Wipf and Stock. Phil Amerson takes provides city church leaders with a practical journal approach to ministry. $12

** To purchase these, and other great city church resources, contact CityVoices at (312) 726-1200 or roger@cityvoices.com . VISA and Master Card accepted.

We look forward to hearing from you and meeting any of your urban ministry needs,

Roger Johnson – CityVoices / SCUPE (Chicago)  (312) 726-1200, roger@cityvoices.com , www.cityvoices.com