Covenant News

Citadel of Faith (MI) Opening Worship Draws 900 People

DETROIT, MI (July 30, 2004) - Nearly 900 people attended a Sunday afternoon worship service last Sunday as Citadel of Faith Covenant Church began a series of grand opening services at Lighthouse Cathedral.

Bill Hybels, noted Christian author and pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, was the guest preacher, focusing his remarks on the need for Acts 2 churches to be planted around the world and offering a special blessing for Pastor Harvey Carey and his congregation.

Carey and Hybels have had a long-standing relationship and Carey has traveled extensively with the Willow Creek Association, including recent trips to South Africa and Europe. Guests included many members from Faith Covenant Church in Farmington Hills and others from two notable churches in the area, Kensington Community Church in Troy and Genesis-the-Church in Royal Oak. At the close of the service several people made first-time commitments to Christ and 40 others stepped forward to pledge their support for the ministry of Citadel.

Citadel of Faith began about a year ago after Carey, former assistant pastor of the 17,000-member Salem Baptist Church of Chicago, felt a call to plant an Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) congregation in Detroit. He had been convinced of God's calling to the city since 1987 and made connections to the Covenant through North Park University and other entities in recent years.

More than 100 leaders and their families have joined the congregation since last fall when meetings began in the Central Detroit area. The congregation is comprised of a diverse mix of members from various social, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

Carey's former senior pastor at Salem Baptist, James Meeks, will be preaching at Citadel of Faith during the coming weeks, along with Bishop Larry Trotter and gospel recording artist/pastor Marvin Sapp. At 4 p.m. on Sunday (August 1), Carey will preach and be installed as pastor as Great Lakes Conference Supt. Dick Lucco and Associate Supt. Larry Sherman will officiate. Nationally known choir, New Direction, will bring special music.

For more information about Sunday's afternoon worship service and the grand opening series of events, visit Citadel's website at www.citadeloffaith.org or call 313-871-FORT.

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