For the last 2 weeks we have been talking about Influence.  Each of us have some Influence.  It’s a matter of how, and for what, we decide to use it.  People know when something matters to us.  Let me share with you how some people have shown us they want to have an influence.  Maybe you’ll see how even a small amount, added together with others, can make a big INFLUENCE.

Just this month, we hosted our annual Community Christmas Store. Talk about influence! Churches, businesses and individuals provided hundreds of gifts for families in our community. Families were able to provide incredible gifts for their loved ones this season!

 Individuals gave to our Parkway Education Fund to provide scholarships for kids from our community, and now, eight students are soaring in college preparatory academics.

All year-round, individuals, corporate teams, universities, and churches, all donate their time to help us with beautification, home repairs, and blight removal in the community. The results are residents that can take great pride in the community which they call home.

Individuals offer up their time to be with teens and younger children throughout the year as teachers, mentors, or drivers.   

Individuals faithfully give $50, $100 or more each month enabling us to impact our community in many different ways, addressing glaring deficits in the community.  Think of the impact of 500 people giving $100 each per month. That’s $50,000!

There are 2,200 homes in the neighborhood we serve, called Regent Park.  More importantly, 10,000 residents. Consider what YOUR influence might be! Notice how many individuals I noted above? That could be YOU!

Larry Johnson

A dear friend of mine wrote in one of his books that we are often given moments of inspiration, a nudge to do something.  I’ve felt that often, perhaps you have as well.  Most often, at least in my case, those “moments” came and went. 

I often wonder about some of them. Did I miss something, perhaps a great opportunity to make a difference, to have an INFLUENCE on someone or group of people or a place.  One thing I do know I did miss some opportunities.  How about you?

Here’s what happened with us.

1. We could not get the plight of the people of Detroit who were living in under-resourced neighborhoods off of our minds.  

2. We believed in our heart that there just had to be something we could do, a way we could help in some meaningful manner.  We had lots of ideas, saw lots of needs.  

3. We decided to not be paralyzed by over analyzing the situation. We had done plenty of that in our life and done nothing!!

4. We thought, at a minimum,  we could be a source of encouragement in the midst of the despair and hopelessness by showing up, jumping in, making ourselves available to do whatever needed to be done.  And that we did.  

5. This was our opportunity to INFLUENCE.  Where many had been so discouraged and had given up we stepped in fresh and began doing a lot of advocating and just helping and encouraging.  It’s amazing how just being present can have such an INFLUENCE on people.  Just doing what they had grown weary doing.  Advocating for justice and fairness and then digging in and helping where we could.

6. The INFLUENCE quickly extended to others who saw the difference we were making and they decided to join us.  We were surprised that so many people followed!!  Those partnerships are what made the real difference, eventually the real INFLUENCE.

And now look at what God did with a step of faith, with saying just saying “I’m going to do something”. Not sure of the outcome, I’m just going to lend a hand where there is great need and see what God does.  HE likes those places you know!!

In fact, take a look at this community map, and see how much INFLUENCE we are seeing in Regent Park!

We have been asked this question for years and can answer it more from your perspective than you might think.  We had to ask ourselves that very question years ago.  We might have been in the very place then that you are today.  Here is our conclusion and it has proven true, at least for us. 

1. We didn’t initially consider how we could “influence” Detroit.  That would have been a very prideful, naïve thought.  We were simply burdened by the plight of the people of Detroit.  Remember the situation in Detroit 15 years ago.  Unprecedented in its devastation in most every way.  

2. We had to get our eyes off of what others were doing, and focus on what we might be able to do – where attention was needed.  We were not Dan Gilbert, by any stretch of the imagination.  Our attention was turned to deteriorating Detroit neighborhoods where hopelessness and despair existed.  We had to listen to our own hearts, as God spoke to us, and tune out the voices that would say, “don’t bother”, “you can’t do anything meaningful”, “give your money overseas”, and so on.  

3. We have believed in our heart for years that everybody can do something and that’s exactly what we did.  Something. Influence? Never occurred to us. What we decided was that we were no longer going to sit in the comfort of our suburban home and watch what was happening.  We took a step of faith and left the outcome to God. 

In my next blog I will share with you how it actually turned out that our step of faith did have an influence in ways we never anticipated.  So be encouraged. You CAN have an influence in Detroit.  You can have it with us or other organizations working in Detroit neighborhoods.

If your interest has been “perked” come back next week and I’ll share with you what happened.   Stay tuned.  Get ready.  You can #InfluenceDetroit by just saying “YES!”.