Detroit: Gateway City Focus

Gateway City Focus: Detroit

Narrator: “Is God using the Motor City to move the gospel to the ends of the earth? Let’s find out in this gateway city focus on Detroit.”

Global Gates Missionary: “One of the things that drew us to Detroit was the amazing access to share the good news of Jesus Christ directly with people from some of the most gospel deprived regions of the world.”

“One day our team met Ameera, a young mom from the country of Yemen. Because of its strict Islamic laws and current civil war, Yemen is not a place many believers are able to visit. And yet, with just a simple knock on her door, we were introduced to Ameera, and she began a journey towards becoming a follower of Jesus.”

“The Detroit Metro Area is home to many unreached people groups, who remain connected with their homelands, making Detroit a truly global gateway city. At the top of the list would be Arab people groups from a variety of places. In fact, Michigan is home to the largest population of Arabs in all of North America.”

“There are over 25,000 Yemeni Arab Muslims, like Ameera, mostly settling in the city of Hamtramck. 19,000 Bangladeshi Muslims also call this city home. Together, they make Hamtramck America’s only Muslim majority city. In nearby East Dearborn, another 63,000 Iraqi Arabs alongside 31,000 Arabs from Lebanon, making East Dearborn the greatest concentration of Arab Muslims in the U.S.”

“8,000 Muslims from Pakistan also make Metro Detroit their home, but it’s not just Muslims. There are more than 45,000 Hindus, including Gujarati and Hindi speakers in the region. These numbers represent men and women created by God for relationship with him.”

“People like Ameera, who are asking questions, but need someone to share with them the answer. After Ameera became a believer, I will never forget her words to me. She said, “I knew when these Christians showed up at my door, and told me about Jesus for the first time that God had sent them to teach me what I’d always wanted to know.”

Narrator: “You can play a role in reaching the global gateway city of Detroit through prayer, partnership, and perhaps joining us in person either short-term or long-term. Visit us at globalgates.info to learn more.”