Michigan

A Detroit minister has launched the "I AM 6-S Tour" in an effort to reach young people seeking to navigate the potential snares of life without compromising their Christianity. The "6-S" tour – which refers to being saved, single, satisfied, sexy, silly, and successful – also hopes to provide answers to everyday questions minus the judgmental or highbrow tones.

The effort is spearheaded by Minister Matthew E. Jones, a youth pastor at The Fountain of Truth Church in Detroit, Mich., whose ministry is simply called "The Righteous Youth." The ministry, founded last summer, is described as an "explosive" extension of the main church ministry that operates as "a full service community and church designed specifically for youth."

Between late September and early October, Jones felt called by God to start organizing a local tour in an effort to reach young Christians and let them know that being saved does not have to equal a "boring" life. The 25-year-old minister told The Christian Post that he also hopes to help equip young people to face the troublesome issues and concerns of life "while challenging them to uphold a standard of righteousness," which is what the "6-S" of the tour name speaks to.  more >>

A nationwide pizza chain and a local church in Detroit are partnering together this winter to give away 4,000 free brand-new winter coats for low-income youth.

Since 2009, Happy’s Pizza and Greater Grace Temple have joined forces to assist struggling families who have been hit hard by the economy.

“It is always a great feeling to assist people with some basic needs in life and we are excited to provide thousands of kids this winter with a brand new coat,” Greater Grace’s Senior pastor Bishop Charles H. Ellis III said in a statement. more >>

President Barack Obama, commenting publicly for the first time on the child sex abuse scandal that has rocked Penn State University, says people's "number one priority has to be protecting our kids" and that the allegations leveled against Jerry Sandusky should move the nation as a whole to do "some soul-searching."

Obama, speaking Friday with Westwood One Radio reporter Jim Gray during halftime at the 2011 Carrier Classic, was asked for his reaction to Joe Paterno's firing.

Paterno, Penn State's veteran football coach, President Graham Spanier, and several other school officials, were dismissed from their posts because trustees believe they could have done more to make law enforcement officials aware of the alleged rape of a young boy by Sandusky in 2002, according to The Associated Press. more >>

Thousands of people who joined TheCall Detroit spent 24 hours praying and calling out to God for healing in the city. Though the event was met with some protest, participants came out of it convinced that God was already moving.

"It was an awesome 24 hour time of prayer & worship. We are tired. The Lord is moving in Motown," Pam Olsen tweeted Saturday.

The event kicked off Friday night with participants fasting, praying and singing at Ford Field. With no big name bands or speakers, the event was touted as a solemn assembly, rather than a festival, where worshippers seek God. more >>

Pastors in Detroit are trying to calm Muslim communities that are cautiously upping security at Islamic mosques and schools on Friday as the 24-hour prayer event TheCall kicks off. The group of clergy are proclaiming messages of brotherly love for Muslims and renewal for the Motor City.

“We LOVE MUSLIMS!! But I know someone who loves them even more than we do! Jesus,” Jubilee City Church Pastor Marcellis Smith tweeted Friday morning. He followed up two hours later simply proclaiming, “We love Muslims!!”

The emphasis on love comes after the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations held a Wednesday press conference warning Muslims about TheCall. more >>

Outspoken atheist scientist Richard Dawkins accused a country club outside of Detroit of cancelling his planned speaking event at a fundraising dinner due to his view of religion.

The $95-a-plate dinner event at Wyndgate Country Club on Wednesday was organized by the Center for Inquiry, an advocacy group for secularism and science, along with the Richard Dawkins Foundation.

But Dawkins accuses the country club of cancelling his appearance last week because of his Oct. 5 interview on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor,” where he discussed his new book, The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True. more >>