NorthRidge Church Raises $112K For Flint Water Crisis

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, MI — NorthRidge Church delivered on its recent Easter pledge by giving more than $112,000 to a Flint-area non-profit agency helping to respond to that city’s water-quality crisis. The donation reflects a combination of the church’s promised $1 contribution per person who attended an Easter service at NorthRidge along with matching-funds pledged by church members.

The church conducted a vigorous “You come/We Give” campaign emphasizing compassion in the weeks leading up to Easter when NorthRidge’s four campuses in Plymouth, Brighton, Saline and Grosse Ile hosted 18 services April 14-16. In-person attendance was 26,563 people, and more than 1,100 watched online.

The church earlier this year decided to direct proceeds from the Easter promotion to Flint-area families who have been suffering the effects of consuming water from the Flint River, the primary source of drinking water for the city until contamination was confirmed in 2016. During the weekend services and on social media, NorthRidge Senior Pastor Brad Powell encouraged church members and visitors to help the cause.

“At NorthRidge, a big part of what we are trying to accomplish is to show the compassion that Jesus showed in our world,” he said. “Many people see the size of our church and they don’t understand that the size of our heart is even bigger. When we see a need, a burden, we want to invest Jesus’ compassion against it.”

On May 3, Powell presented a check to Isaiah Oliver, incoming President of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, who visited the metro Detroit-area congregation’s Plymouth campus. Oliver said the funds will be put to good use to address current and future health problems caused by residents’ using contaminated water.

“The child development fund's commitment is to help the children of Flint for the next 20 years because of the inherently latent and damaging nature of lead poisoning,” he said. “Research is showing that exposure to lead for
one month can lead to 20 years of problems for children.

“Your contribution will support interventions at work to address the needs of over 10,000 Flint children that were exposed to toxins in our drinking water,” Oliver said. “On behalf of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, I would like to thank you for your donation.”

The Easter campaign continued NorthRidge Church’s practice to donate resources collected from members and visitors to local, regional and global humanitarian efforts, beyond the four church home communities.

Photo courtesy of NorthRidge Church