DETROIT (FOX 2) - A brainstorming session in the parking lot of Church of the Messiah - the Episcopal church in the city's east side Islandview neighborhood with the maverick pastor - Barry Randolph.
"Poverty is the root causes of a lot of this stuff," he said.
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Business incubator inside Detroit’s Church of the Messiah gets worldwide attention
In December, FOX 2 featured Pastor Barry and their Affordable Housing Initiative - their business incubator in the basement of the church, and their successful efforts to find and create meaningful employment to lift people out of poverty. That story - went viral.
In December, FOX 2 featured Pastor Barry and their Affordable Housing Initiative - their business incubator in the basement of the church, and their successful efforts to find and create meaningful employment to lift people out of poverty. That story - went viral.
"The story came from FOX 2 - it got to Duke University - they called me," he said. "They said The Lilly Foundation contacted them and said do a story on this church."
They ended up with a national award and a $10,000 grant - but that's not all. The story kept spreading and churches all over the city, the state, and across the country started calling.
"Chicago, San Francisco, Toledo and Cleveland wanted to be a part," he said.
All of this was done in this neighborhood in Detroit - now being shared with so many throughout the country. But they've actually had to team up with a global strategist - because the interest is worldwide.
"How do we place a strategy around that whole thing - how do we create a model - that can now be utilized in other cities and other neighborhoods and across the world," said Everand Findlay, global strategist.
Because countries in Europe and Africa want to replicate this work and partner with Church of the Messiah. One of their latest projects - is Gorilla Highlands coffee from Uganda.
"It's coffee to sustain the homes, the hearts and the habitats," Fiona Tanner said. "It's all about conservation - it's not really about coffee and it's about livelihood."
Tanner says bringing the coffee to Detroit will help lift the farmers there out of poverty, as well as protect gorillas and the environment.
"It's unbelievable how little connections just lead you everywhere - and coffee is a connector," Tanner said.
A connector - kind of like Pastor Barry - who says as the nation battles two pandemics - racism and COVID-19 - the work continues here to create a just and equitable world.
"You know it's one thing to pray about it, and it's great to pray," said Paul Gilbert, a youth mentor. "It's another thing to be a do-er of the word - and so we're just walking out the bible instead of just talking about it.
MORE COVERAGE: Detroit pastor makes a difference with business incubator inside church
"The best thing that I can say - what we're doing in Islandview and Church of the Messiah - this is being done by Black people - this is Black people getting together," said Pastor Barry. "We'll build our community, we will employ our people, we will create our jobs and we will galvanize everybody to show the rest of the world how to do it - and it's coming out of Detroit."
For more information: http://churchofthemessiahdetroit.org/