Maybe you have been following Camp Restore Detroit for years or maybe just a few weeks. Either way, we thought we would take the month of September to introduce Camp Restore Detroit and what our ministry looks like. During September we will be highlighting the different aspects of ministry happening here at Camp Restore Detroit. First, let us introduce ourselves!
Camp Restore was originally started in New Orleans in response to Hurricane Katrina. In 2016, Camp Restore began looking at options for expanding to Detroit. They found Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, and Camp Restore Detroit welcomed their first camper group in 2017. Since then, we have been hosting camper groups of all ages, year-round!
The work accomplished at Camp Restore Detroit is divided into three categories: human care, environmental, and construction. Over the month of September we will describe these aspects of our ministry in further detail. Something super important to us at Camp Restore Detroit in all our work and ministry is operating from an asset-based ministry approach. After a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, the appropriate response is often needs-based because the people need food, clothing, and shelter to survive. However, the devastation that occurred in Detroit didn’t happen overnight and doesn’t have a simple solution. Providing our community with things will not truly “fix” the problem. Instead, we strive to build relationships with our community and partner with community leaders to address underlying problems and create a long-lasting difference. We want to expand on and encourage the good already happening in our community and take our lead from our amazing community leaders and partners. This is the model we strive to use for all our projects and outreach. We will explain how that works in the different aspects of our ministry over the next few weeks!
Most importantly, we seek to restore hope through all our work projects. Not just hope that our community can be restored and flourish again, but also the saving hope we have in our Savior Jesus. It is this hope that inspires all our work and is the main focus of our ministry at Camp Restore Detroit.
