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Where We’ve Been • In the Fall of 2006 Tony Tice and Mike Schmitt parted ways with Woodside Bible Church and Lighthouse and launched Elevate Ministries. The goal was to create a ministry that would enable young adults to work out their faith in a way that was meaningful for them while connecting and equipping local churches and leaders. Tony and Mike were partners with Tony leading. Eight months later (May 2007), Tony and Mike were at a cross roads. Time constraints were such that Tony could no longer continue as leader of Elevate Ministries. And so Tony handed leadership of Elevate Ministries over to Mike.
Where We’ve Been • The next month (June 16th, 2007), several friends (Mike included) decided to take a grill to a vacant lot in Detroit along the Woodward Corridor (northeast corner of Woodward Ave. & Willis St.) with the idea of having a friendly barbeque with a handful of homeless people. That handful ended up being around 40 people. It was there that Mike felt God showing him a new direction for Elevate Ministries. And it was then that the name was changed from Elevate Ministries to elevate Detroit. That new direction was to create a community that connected people to Christ.
Where We’ve Been • Elevate Detroit began organizing a monthly CommuniD barbeque where everyone was valued as a beautiful image of our Creator God. Word quickly spread and local churches from around metro-Detroit started to partner up with elevate. After a few short months at Woodward & Willis, the barbeques were moved to Redmond Plaza at Second Ave. & Selden St. Six months after that inaugural June day (January 2008), a second monthly barbeque was started at Second & Selden. The spring of 2008 brought with it the launch of a third monthly barbeque event. The following spring (2009) a fourth monthly barbeque event was launched so that CommuniD barbeques were now every Saturday at Second & Selden.
Where We’ve Been • In the summer of 2009, elevate launched a pilot CommuniD barbeque at Shady Side Park in Mt. Clemens. In 2010 the Mt. Clemens CommuniD barbeque happened on the last Saturday of the month through the summer. In summer of 2011 the monthly Mt. Clemens CommuniD barbeques were re-launched, moved to Martin Luther King’s Academy and now run year round. • In the fall of 2010 (September), the Flint Community Cookout was launched on the last Saturday of the month at Riverbank Park. In November 2011 Pontiac CommuniD BBQs were launched on the third Saturday of the month at Baldwin Park. In March 2012 the Hazel Park CommuniD BBQs were launched on the second Saturday of the month at Green Acres Park. In May 2012 Pontiac CommuniD BBQs will begin happening on the first and third Saturdays of the month. In early summer 2012 CommuniD BBQs are scheduled to launch in Richmond and Macomb Twp.
Where We’ve Been • Holidays and special events organized by elevate Detroit have become some of the highlights of these communities over the past few years. Christmas 2010 was the first Christmas where elevate brought in chairs and tables to set up a sit-down family-style meal at Second and Selden. We did it again for Thanksgiving and Christmas 2011. June 2011 was our first mobile medical/dental fair partnering with Covenant Community Care. We plan to do this again in 2012 in Detroit and Pontiac. In June 2011 we celebrated 4 years of CommuniD barbeques in Detroit with a luau and pig roast. In June 2012 we will do it again. Easter 2012 was another landmark: an Easter worship service in Redmond Plaza complete with music, communion and a reading of the Easter story. • Other possible locations that are currently in development are Ann Arbor, Brighton and Southfield.
Where We Were(March 2011) Detroit – 2nd Ave. and Selden St. In AttendanceFrequency 150 Every Weekend Mount Clemens – Shady Side Park In AttendanceFrequency 0 Summers only Flint – Riverside Park – Amphitheater Block In AttendanceFrequency 70 Last Saturday of the month TOTALS for March 2011 In AttendanceEventsPartners 670 5 25
Where We Are Today(March 2012) Detroit – 2nd Ave. and Selden St. In AttendanceFrequency 180 Every Weekend Mount Clemens – MLK Academy In AttendanceFrequency 50 Last Saturday of the month Flint – Riverside Park – Amphitheater Block In AttendanceFrequency 150 Last Saturday of the month
Where We Are Today(March 2012) Pontiac – Baldwin Park In AttendanceFrequency 200 3rdSaturday of the month Hazel Park – Green Acres Park In AttendanceFrequency 125 2ndSaturday of the month TOTALS for March 2012 In AttendanceEventsPartners 1,245 9 72
Where We’re Going • Constantly Elevate is being approached by church and community leaders in other Southeast Michigan cities asking to partner with us or asking us to start additional community barbecues or community events in another city. Though we are blessed with a plethora of various resources, volunteers and partners, our time and finances are becoming a limiting factor for further development. Nevertheless, we are looking at expanding in several ways in the coming months.
Where We’re Going • Current Locations We are confident in the participation and momentum surrounding the Pontiac barbecues to begin two barbecues per month in May (1st & 3rd Saturdays). The Hazel Park location (2nd Saturday) is going very well also and may soon grow to two barbeques per month as well. This has been facilitated with the recent donation of a newly renovated trailer thanks to Kensington’s Field and Stream Team. We have now seen every one of our locations maintain a regular attendance of volunteers and community people to justify them all being year-round events.
Where We’re Going • New Locations/New models Beginning this summer, we plan to add two new locations for community barbecues: Richmond and Macomb Twp. These locations mark new opportunities. We have the chance to help create community in these cities, but these are the first locations where we will not need to import outside resources. These community barbeques will be led by people within these communities for these communities. Rather than mobilizing leaders to an area, we are empowering leaders within their own neighborhoods. There are also three more locations that are probably not far behind: Ann Arbor, Brighton and Southfield. Each of these locations creates new opportunities for innovation and creative community models.
Where We’re Going • Monetize Up to this point, Elevate Detroit has been entirely volunteer based. Its workers have maintained employment elsewhere while building the ministry from the ground up. However, as Elevate has grown this has become increasingly difficult. We don’t want to see the work of God limited by the size of our budgets or our time limitations. That being the case, we plan to begin a fundraising and capital campaign to enable Elevate to hire a minimal staff. This will enable us to spend more time reaching out to new partners, developing new relationships and leaders, writing grants and be more attentive to the day-to-day needs of an organization that will serve more than 20,000 people and drive well over 3500 miles next year.
How You Can Help • First, keep doing what you’re doing. Elevate Detroit is run on the blood, sweat and prayers of great people like yourselves who care about being the body that Jesus told us to be. Without you, there is no Elevate Detroit. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. If there are other areas where you see a need or would like to help, PLEASE tell us and let’s work together. • Second, contact your church leadership and encourage them to support us financially in addition to what they are already doing.
How You Can Help • Third, keep talking about the things that you’re seeing happen at our CommuniD barbecues. Keep telling us stories. Keep telling others stories. The more people know about what God is doing through this ministry, the better. This leads to more volunteers, partners, friends and community builders. • Finally, pray. Several things this year are big moves for Elevate Detroit. We are experiencing the growing pains of any church or organization as we are coming up on the hurdles of change and expansion. Thank you for praying us to this point, continue to pray as we move forward.
Feedback You’re at this vision dinner because you are an important part of this community. That being the case, we want your feedback more than anything. Please write your ideas, critiques or suggestions on the feedback page and give them to us before you leave. Thank you for your partnership!