There are those in the Brightmoor community, located in inner city Detroit, who believe no good will come to them since they are constantly surrounded by crime and death. This is where The Lazarus Project comes into play. Just as Jesus was on His way to raise Lazarus, so has The Lazarus Project come at "such a time as this" to bring life to the Brightmoor community, known as the second most at-risk precinct in Detroit.

The Lazarus Project began as a thought when the men of the Detroit Northwest Church were having a "Men's Night Out." They wanted to do more than just eat out socially, so they began to think of the challenges facing the males in the Brightmoor community. Although Brightmoor receives the highest rate of assistance from the State of Michigan, the men decided that they wanted to personally do something about the situation. Approximately two out of three males do not graduate from high school, three out of four children are born out of wedlock, nearly half of the children live in poverty, two-thirds of the homes are headed by females, half of the population are children under 18 years of age, and Brightmoor has the highest unemployment rate. The men of Detroit Northwest Church felt a burning desire to create an avenue of relief for this community, and they knew Jesus was the only solution to its problems.

The men began to meet on a regular basis, and the Lord gave them the name The Lazarus Project. The mothers of the community (Mary and Martha) are crying over the young males (Lazarus), and the only One who can raise them back to life is Jesus. The Lazarus Project targets "at risk" males ages ten to 17 and has three levels. The first level is education, which includes life skills, mentoring, group and one-on-one Bible studies, rites of passage, Pathfinders, carpentry, and a young dad's program. The second level is social recreation, which includes taking the young men hiking, camping, bike riding, and on other special trips. The third level is Project ROCK (Restoring Our Community with Kids), which includes a lawn program with a community garden.

The men of The Lazarus Project met with Michigan Conference officials and the Executive Committee. As a result of their overwhelming support, a request was made to Michigan Advance Partners (MAP) for special projects. An allotment of $5,000 was voted for the community garden. Praise the Lord!

There are a lot of people who believe The Lazarus Project in Brightmoor will live, and it is our prayer that others will support this initiative with their prayers, time, and donations.

The kids in Brightmoor had no hope. This is the first ray of hope they have seen in a long time. We want to let the youth know life is worth living. We value our children, and we want these "at risk" youth to know we value them, too.

Cory Jackson is the pastor of the Detroit Northwest and Farmington Churches.