Trailer Park Church - How It All Began

My buddy Dan Sadlier asked me to share the cool story of how the trailer park ministry began.

After you've read it, check out Dan's blog here, and make sure to bookmark it, because God's doing some crazy-awesome stuff with that guy and his family. 

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It’s not every day that God gives you a free house.

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About two years ago, an idea sparked in my heart, and I couldn’t douse it.

I wondered what it would look like to move into a rough community, a place with a bad reputation, and tackle the darkness head on.

I remember being mesmerized as a child by a book called The Cross and the Switchblade, which centered on the true story of a young Christian minister who moved into NYC and tackled the gang and drug scene, impacting the lives of countless people. I was fascinated by the concept of taking Jesus to the places no one else wanted to.

I’m sure much of this desire was spurred by the story of my own hometown. As a child and teen, I sadly watched the city of Flint crumble while “the Church” responded by hiking up its skirt and rushing to the pseudo safety of the suburbs.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when this spark, this nudge to impact a low-hope neighborhood ignited into a flame last spring. After some prayer and consideration, I felt like God was behind the tug on my heart, and I started looking for such a place.

I spent the summer praying checking out trailer parks in the Pontiac area. Along the way, my buddy DJ volunteered to help me search.

Eventually, we heard about a little park that was tucked away behind the new church building, so we went to check it out. We walked the length of the park on our first visit, praying as we went. With every step, both of us felt an undeniable peace. We knew this was the place.

When we asked our friends about the park, we were bombarded with reasons why I shouldn’t move in:

Pontiac schools.

Highest crime rate in Orion.

Weekly appearance in the police blotter.

Drugs. Poverty. Theft. Invasions. Murders. Convicts. Illegal immigrants. Domestic Violence. Child neglect. Joblessness.

But every reason they offered to convince me that I shouldn’t go only served to solidify my belief that I was needed there.

Because JESUS was needed there.

There was only one tiny problem. 

I couldn’t afford a house.

I could cover the lot rent, and could just scrape by with the utilities, but I didn’t make enough to purchase one. I also didn’t think it would be wise to go into more debt for this adventure. So one night, after one of my many visits to the park, I laid my head on my pillow and did something I’d never done before. I asked God to move a mountain.

“God, open the door for me, and I’ll go.”

I spoke it out loud. I meant it, but I’ll admit, I wasn’t convinced He would answer this one. I wanted Him to, but believing God for BIG things was NOT commonplace in the church circles I grew up in, and was often met with high amounts of skepticism. Nevertheless I prayed it anyway. Couldn’t hurt, right?

Two weeks later, an elderly lady from my church approached me between services and asked me to tell her more about my interest in the trailer park behind the new building. I thought that was interesting, because I didn’t really know her well, and had only told a handful of people about my recent request to God. Word sure travels fast.

She informed me that her and a group of others in our community had been praying for months that God would send someone from Kensington into that community.

They felt like God had assured them that someone would eventually go, so they continued praying and waiting. Also interesting.

I told her all the things I would love to see happen there, things like tutoring, bible studies, community BBQs, rides to church, etc. Then I explained to her how I would love to go but couldn’t afford it yet.

With a knowing smile, she stopped me mid-sentence by grabbing my arm. Then she said something that changed my life, and my faith in the power of prayer.

“We know, because God told us to buy one for you.”

I needed a crane to pull my jaw off the floor.

That stuff only happens in cheesy Christian books.

Or for equally cheesy televangelists who want people to give them money.

This former Baptist boy didn’t quite know what to do with that sort of thing.

So, backed by a group of people I didn’t know (and still don’t know…they wanted to remain anonymous), I returned to the park the next week to find a place to live.

The weeks that followed can best be described as whirlwind of God’s grace, as He dropped the biggest trailer and biggest lot in the park (which hadn’t been up for sale since the day it was placed on the lot in the 60’s) in our lap for $10,000 less than the asking price.

But God didn’t stop there. He provided a slew of volunteers who knocked down walls, painted, and made a large space for tutoring since there is no clubhouse. Then he brought donors to provide appliances, furniture, and flooring.

As a bonus, people gave bags and bags of clothes, toiletries, winter coats, and boots so we could hand them out as a welcome gift to the neighborhood.

I was amazed, and in near disbelief that God not only gave me a house, but added all this extra stuff too. Apparently, I had forgotten how big my God is.

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I’m coming up on my one-year mark of being blown away by God answering prayers in a way I can hardly believe.

Although I’m living here alone, I’m not in this alone.  God has brought a cadre of cohorts alongside me, from preschoolers to octogenarians. And in the last 10 months, together, we have…

…handed out Thanksgiving baskets

…given a truckload of gently-used clothes

…prayed with strangers on my porch and in my streets

…called out the enemy and watched him flee

…hosted an Easter Egg hunt and shared the gospel with 50+ kids and their parents

…provided food, furniture, and funds to families in need

…helped those very families begin to start serving others back

…changed tires for the disabled

…tutored over 20 kids on a weekly basis

…taught students to read, create stories, and do triple-digit multiplication

…had tough conversations that college Bible courses never prepared us for

…shown love to people, some who are just seeing it for the first time in their life

And if that’s just year one,

I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Blast From The Past

Dear 16-year-old Michael,

Over the course of a decade, some people change a little, some people change a lot. You, my friend, became a completely different person. I remember that you were pretty worried about the future, so I wanted to ease your mind a tad and let you in on a couple of things. Just to assure you it’s gonna be fine.

IRONY:
• Everyone knows you can’t draw. You blow chow when it comes to art. Funny thing is… you’re going to have to paint and draw on an almost weekly basis… for a job.
• You’re scared of preschoolers right now, so naturally you’re going to teach them at a day care. Don’t worry, none of them will eat their own poop. THAT will happen with a school-ager.
• Mom will one day be a fan of some of the same Christian rock groups she condemns right now. When that happens, feel free to rub it in.
• You currently hate coffee. 10 years later, you hate life when you can’t have coffee.


ADVICE:
• Stop wearing all those stupid bright orange shirts. You look like a dweeb. Seriously. And lay off the hostess cakes. You won’t miss them, I promise.
• When Caleb tells you to quit twisting his arm… quit twisting his arm. Or he’ll lock you out of the house.
• Invest in deer repellent for your vehicles.
• Pay attention in Spanish. It will come in handy. Chemistry, however, will not.
• Getting your cartilage pierced at the mall isn’t wise. The worker will get the gun stuck in your ear and make you hold the gun while she takes it apart… with the needle extended through your ear the entire time.


GIRLS:
• You think you’re ready to get married right out of high school. I’m still laughing over that one.
• Long distance… never works.
• Taking a girl to see Hostel is a bad, bad idea. That movie is nothing it looks like in the previews.
• When going on a blind date, bowling doesn’t work. When you’re bowling, she’s sitting. When she’s bowling, you’re sitting. Unless she’s ugly, then it’s totally ideal.


CHURCH:
• Believe it or not, you’ll eventually work at a church that isn’t Baptist (you heretic, you).
• I know you really want to be a choir teacher, and you definitely never want to work in church. However, God has different plans. One day you're actually gonna get paid to both teach kids, and teach others how to teach kids.

SURPRISE:
• I know it's weird, but in 2 years, your hair will be curly. I swear. Strangest thing ever.
• One day you and Tammie will be best friends. No, I'm not lying. And no, she's not forcing me to say this.
• You don’t like singing alone to a crowd of 30. However, you’ll find out you enjoy teaching alone to a crowd of 3,000. Who knew?
• You write for the school newspaper merely for kicks and giggles, but writing will eventually be an integral part of your career.

FYI
• When you get to college, you’re going to randomly volunteer for the first church you get an email from. The name of that church will be Far Hills. The direction of your life will totally hinge on that decision. The foundation of who you are and where you’re going to go will be laid at that place.
• One day, you’ll think you hear God’s voice telling you to go to Israel. You’ll immediately question whether or not it is His voice. It is.
• Your little boycott of Facebook will be short lived.
• Muslims scare you right now, because you listen to the news too much. But one day God will ask you to put down the picket signs and trade in that fear for love. You’ll find a new passion in bringing Christ to them by loving and befriending them.

COMFORT
• You won’t drive the family suburban forever.
• Mom quits asking to see your report card when you hit your senior year.
• You’ll still be in contact with your two favorite HS teachers, even after college is over!
• Cooking isn’t really that hard. Just don’t leave the burner on. And remember… when you burn the chicken… there’s always Subway.

I’d share more, but I don’t want to ruin any surprises for you. Enjoy the next few years. They’re going to fly by. Seriously. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!

Blessings!
26-year-old Michael