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    My Town: Motown!: Only God Can Transform Detroit and Us Too!
    My Town: Motown!: Only God Can Transform Detroit and Us Too!
    My Town: Motown!: Only God Can Transform Detroit and Us Too!
    Ebook150 pages1 hour

    My Town: Motown!: Only God Can Transform Detroit and Us Too!

    By Bob Chancia

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    This is the story of one mans burden for the city he lived in and loved. Detroit, once Americas leading industrial city, falls with political corruption, racial intolerance, and its auto industrys refusal to change. Bob spearheads the partnering of his New York City church with an inner-city Detroit church, trusting Gods power to take one small step in revitalizing Detroit. This book may challenge you to trust God to raise you from your own struggles. Bob Chancia has accurately and passionately communicated the issues facing Detroit as well as the hope for Detroitthe Gospel of Jesus Christ because Jesus is the only hope for Detroit and all men. Bob, a native New Yorker, loves Detroit as much as we native Detroiters. I couldnt put this book down! A must read! Diane Denaro Frank, founder and executive director, AngelHouse.org Here is the account of a miracle touching two great cities. New Yorks Calvary Baptist Church, by joining with Detroits Citadel of Faith Covenant Church, has displayed the power and presence of Christ in helping bring a once great city back to vibrant life. Bob Chancia has beautifully and forcefully recounted this miracle that touches two cities. Rev. James O. Rose, pastor emeritus, Calvary Baptist Church, New York City; Dallas Theological Seminary board of directors for nineteen years.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWestBow Press
    Release dateNov 8, 2013
    ISBN9781490812830
    My Town: Motown!: Only God Can Transform Detroit and Us Too!
    Author

    Bob Chancia

    Bob Chancia grew up in Utica, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University. His career took him to Detroit, Miami, and New York City. The nine years spent in Detroit impressed him the most. Watching Detroit fall from its acme burdened him to start a mission trusting God to raise it again.

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      Book preview

      My Town - Bob Chancia

      Copyright © 2013 Bob Chancia.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      All scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

      WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

      WestBow Press

      A Division of Thomas Nelson

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.westbowpress.com

      1 (866) 928-1240

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      ISBN: 978-1-4908-1282-3 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4908-1284-7 (hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4908-1283-0 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2013918688

      WestBow Press rev. date: 11/05/2013

      Table of Contents

      Foreword: Rev Up!

      Preface: Product Information

      Acknowledgments: Accessories

      Tune Up! (Introduction)

      1.   Hold That Tiger

      2.   It’s Delightful, It’s De-Lovely, It’s Detroit

      3.   There’s a Ford in Our Future

      4.   The Motown Sound

      5.   Detroit’s Comin’

      6.   Follow the Yellow Brick Road

      7.   Dream No Small Dreams

      8.   Tiger Rags to Riches

      9.   Motor City Madness

      10.   I Say a Little Prayer for You

      11.   Imported from Detroit

      12.   Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet

      13.   Keep On Vrooomin’

      14.   Good Night, Irene; Good Night, Irene

      15.   Jailhouse Rock

      16.   Ambassadors: Imported from New York

      17.   Getting There Is Half the Fun

      18.   Blue Skies, Nothing but Blue Skies

      19.   Henry Who’s Town?

      20.   Our Big Fat Greek Outreach

      21.   Ring around the Willow Tree

      22.   He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed

      23.   From Model T’s to T-Birds

      24.   Mission Detroit—Mission Possible

      Final Thoughts: Eternal Lifetime Warranty

      Author’s Note

      To the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who loves cities and spent much of his earthly ministry caring for them.

      To the people of Detroit, who have the stick-to-itiveness to hang in and never give up, no matter what. They display the God-given fiber of fortitude and hope to wait on him for a better day coming.

      To my wife, Marian, who tolerates all my projects with love, even when I should be helping with the house chores.

      Foreword: Rev Up!

      When you’re well into your seventies, it’s not rare for people to ask, What did you do and where have you been? The answer isn’t difficult. I was a journeyman advertising guy in Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, and New York City. Wow, that must have been fun! What was your favorite place? Now here’s the kicker—Detroit! Usually in dismay, they ask, Why? Again, the answer is easily explained.

      Detroit folks were as solid as their motor vehicles—warm, friendly, stable, hardworking, and family-oriented. There was nothing transitory about Detroiters.

      I came of age there and more than occasionally think about Detroit with very fond memories. It’s still my favorite town. I love its cars and its baseball. I love God’s word much more! Can it be my first choice because I found the Lord there?

      Now read why my twin brother’s passion for Motown continues to rev up. Enjoy the cars, the baseball, and especially God’s truth!

      Dick Chancia

      Preface: Product Information

      My Town Motown is my diary about God, Detroit, cars and baseball intricately intertwined to pronounce the amazin’ future God offers us. I wrote this story because I love Detroit with a passion! When I say I love Detroit, I mean I love its people. A city is defined by who inhabits it. I saw an Internet ranking recently of the Ten Most Miserable Cities in which to live in the United States, with the ranking of one indicating the most miserable. As I went through the list, I thought, Detroit is gonna be number one. Lo and behold, I was right. But that’s also why I love Detroit so much—I’ve always been attracted to underdogs. Detroit’s people have grappled with the most adverse circumstances, and they still hang with their town!

      To me, it’s like witnessing someone who is broken, or an injured animal, or a hurt little bird. The Christ in me wants to help restore what’s hurting. As a kid, when I found a grounded little bird, I tried to revive it. When I was unsuccessful, I would bury it, clinging to the hope that God would somehow resurrect it. That’s what this story’s all about. Only the one true God can redeem Detroit, as well as you and me! I believe he wants to do that!

      Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. John 5: 28 and 29

      Acknowledgments: Accessories

      I wish to personally thank the following people for their contributions in helping to create this book: Peter Anselmini, a fellow elder and brother at my New York City church, who suggested that I write a book about our Mission Detroit.

      To the congregation of Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, who caught God’s vision for a city most wrote off. They embraced it and partook in the mission with devoted love, prayers, and compassion.

      To my twin brother, Dick, who laboriously typed and edited this manuscript, and to his wife, Ellen, who graciously relieved him when his back was aching. His love for God and cars added lots of vroom to this story! He also titled this book.

      To Tom Baumes, my computer expert, who so diligently prepared this manuscript according to the requirements of the publisher.

      Tune Up! (Introduction)

      Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

      —Isaiah 58:12

      When all is said and done, this book, if just observed on a bookshelf or coffee table, is just one of millions of books in the world—a stack of paper pages filled with printer’s ink, neatly bound and wrapped in a glossy cover with—hopefully—a catchy title. I vowed I’d never write a second book, especially after stumbling across the words of Solomon, whom I said in my first book was the wisest man who ever lived, apart from Jesus. Here’s what the wisest of prophets had to say in Ecclesiastes 12:11–12: The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end and much study wearies the body. And then in verse 13: Now all has been heard.

      If a book isn’t the words of the wise, given by the one true shepherd, our Lord Jesus, then who needs it? It’s just more humanistic, intellectual jibber-jabber that can never spur us on, like those painful, prickly goads that were used to drive the oxen forward to serve mankind for God’s purposes. God tells us to be warned of anything in addition to his Word! I strongly recommend that we all digest the Bible—God’s Word, his inspired truth about the Savior who was sent to redeem mankind. He breathed those words into the hearts of human penmen, who recorded what his Holy Spirit instructed them to record.

      This isn’t just a story about a distressed city that once was great and now has lost its way, a

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