Michigan

Joe Rivera first walked into the Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church in Plymouth, Michigan, in Fall 2004. Dennis Sawyer, a Metropolitan Church member, began to develop a friendship with Joe while he was visiting his neighbor in Westland, Michigan. When Joe showed an interest in spiritual things, Dennis invited him to attend the Hope for Our Day evangelistic series already underway.

Joe wanted to attend, but indicated he had no way to get there. Dennis was happy to provide transportation for Joe, even though it meant a one-hour commute each night after a hard day’s work. It was nearly midnight by the time Dennis got home.

Dennis had overlooked the external signs that are often barriers for many church goers. To Dennis, Joe had value as one for whom Christ died. He saw Joe through God's eyes. It was Christ's compassion that moved him to care for this young man whose father died when he was only one year old, whose baby sister died in her crib, whose older sister was raped and murdered by an acquaintance, and whose mother suffered from HIV.

Because he was the primary care-giver for his mother, Joe’s attendance at school was sporadic. Circumstances led him to homeless shelters and foster homes. To get away from his nightmare in Detroit, Joe even considered moving to Los Angeles to join his older brother, who was involved in the occult. Yet, with all his grief, misery, and temptations, by God's grace Joe remained out of trouble and spiritually open.

As Joe attended the meetings, his heart was drawn to accept Christ through the invitations given by Robert Stewart, Metropolitan Church pastor. Each time an invitation was given, Joe responded. Robert was sensitive to Joe's sincerity, realizing that he had much to learn. And God provided a loving community of friends to help him in the process.

Within a very short time, Joe became endeared to the Sawyer family, the pastor and his wife Sandi, and several other members of the Metropolitan Church. They knew something had to be done about Joe’s living arrangement; moving to Los Angeles was not an option. It quickly became a matter of prayer.

One Sabbath afternoon, during a meeting of Metropolitan's spiritual guardianship group, Sandi shared Joe’s situation. She hoped someone would take Joe into their home, but one member had an even better idea. Why not send Joe to Great Lakes Adventist Academy (GLAA)? Someone volunteered to sponsor him and in a short time Joe was enrolled and living at GLAA. The transformation Christ had made in Joe's life helped him feel perfectly at home with the other students and staff.

Joe’s love for Jesus deepened during his time at GLAA and he looked forward to being baptized at his Metropolitan Church home at the end of the school year. It became a welcome reality for Joe and his new church family on June 4, 2005.

Joe still faces many struggles and uncertainties, but he now has a relationship with Jesus, walking by faith and trusting in his Savior each step of the way. One way Jesus has been leading Joe has been through the Magabook program. Joe was busy knocking on doors this past summer, selling Spirit-filled literature and cheerfully telling others how Jesus transformed his life.

Joy Hyde, Metropolitan Church communication secretary