Cass Park - Part 2

How do you solve a problem that is 140 square miles big? These questions and more were asked by several of us who traveled to the heart of Detroit to Cass Park - one of the most economically suppressed areas in one of the most the United States. Staring at the trash-strewn park across the street from the majestic Masonic Temple and a nationally renowned high school, it is difficult to ward off the fffeeling of despair and hopelessness about what can be done in the face of such difficult circumstances.

What is call of Jesus and the cross in the face of money and power? What exactly are we supposed to do against such odds? A friend stated that he thought there was "a better chance of ending world hunger than saving Detroit!" Our faith says that the creator of the universe has a preferential option for the people of Cass Park. Our eyes and ears tell us that the rich are getting richer at the expense of the powerless with nothing to stop their advance. Faith states that the people of Cass Park possess the divine imprint of God. And yet the people of Cass Park live, breathe, and die in the obscure shadows of a world that could care less.

And yet amidst these insurmountable odds, there is encouragement. I am encouraged when I hear that a local college plans to purchase a house in an urban area for students to live and engage the community around it with the good news of Jesus. I am encouraged when I hear a young lady passionate for kingdom justice say she would like to move into the Cass Park area. That is encouraging, though so little in the face of so much!

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed...