Detroit, MI

Pastor draws strength from Detroit church’s proud history to lead

Published

2 months ago

December 28, 2025

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Pastor draws strength from Detroit church’s proud history to lead

In 2025, Lawrence Rodgers celebrated his fifth anniversary as pastor of Second Baptist Church of Detroit. But when he serves his community, he draws strength from a nearly 190-year-old church history.

It is true that Detroit is the only American city where four major sports franchises play home games in the downtown core area.

However, it is also true that within walking distance of Little Caesars Arena, Ford Field and Comerica Park — the homes of the Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers respectively — sits a Detroit institution that has been intimately engaged in a type of service where success is not measured by championship banners, but instead by the number of lives that are saved and transformed.

And this nearly 190-year-old institution has often performed its best work during some of the most challenging historical periods known to mankind.

That institution, founded in 1836 by 13 formerly enslaved people, is historic Second Baptist Church of Detroit, which, since 1857, has occupied a stately space at 441 Monroe St. within the cultural, commercial and entertainment district known today as Greektown.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘this church is why I am free’ because our church served as one of the last stations on the Underground Railroad. That’s heavy stuff and very humbling,” Second Baptist Church of Detroit Senior Pastor Lawrence Rodgers said about the oldest religious institution owned by Black people in the Midwest, which “claimed a mission” in 1836 “to free the enslaved and have them enjoy the full privileges of American citizenship.”

On Dec. 22, the 41-year-old Rodgers, who celebrated his fifth anniversary as the senior pastor at Second Baptist in 2025, provided some insight about how he finds inspiration to serve his congregation and the greater Detroit community.

Just as the players and coaches who participate in games played at the bustling sports venues near Second Baptist spend many hours studying past performances to get better, Rodgers says he finds strength by looking at photographs displayed within the church that reflect the significant history made by a host of special people. A tiny sampling includes: William C. Monroe, Second Baptist’s first pastor, who spearheaded the church’s involvement in the formation of two abolitionist societies — the Amherstburg Baptist Association and the Canadian Anti-Slavery Baptist Association. Second Baptist member and Sunday schoolteacher Fannie Richards, who became the first Black schoolteacher in a Detroit public school in 1868 and later taught an integrated class at Everett Elementary School beginning in 1871, the year the Michigan Supreme Court ordered Detroit to abolish segregated schools; and Robert Bradby, Second Baptist’s pastor from 1910 to 1946, who leveraged his relationship with Henry Ford to link hundreds of Black people to jobs at the Ford Motor Co. during the Great Migration.

The passionate tone in Rodgers’ voice when he provided an impromptu history lesson about Second Baptist provides a glimpse of the energy his congregation experiences when Rodgers delivers a sermon. But Rodgers says the history that he loves to share means little if it is not acted upon today.

“I never want people to think that this church is only a museum,” stated Rodgers, a native of eastern North Carolina, who says he did not dive into Second Baptist’s history until he responded to a “call from the Lord” while serving as a pastor in Baltimore and searched the internet for national pastor openings, which led to him being selected by Second Baptist out of 200 applicants. “This history is not just about what we have done, it’s also about who we are right now. My predecessors improved the conditions of our people during the institution of slavery, the Great Depression, World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, the Detroit Rebellion of 1967 and other challenging periods in our history. They offered us a way to survive and even thrive. And that is a tradition that we need to apply today.”

After immersing himself in Second Baptist’s history, Rodgers came to Detroit in 2020 full of enthusiasm and a desire to continue the church’s tradition of serving humanity as the 24th senior pastor to lead Second Baptist Church of Detroit. Nonetheless, despite having the best intentions, Rodgers faced a challenge that no other Second Baptist pastor before him had to navigate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visits to the homes of church members and other extended in-person interactions were not possible when “everything was on lockdown” and “everyone was afraid.” But as time went on, with help from connections Rodgers made through the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity, and his own exploration across the city for basic essentials, Rodgers says he witnessed and felt a spirit that allowed him to appreciate Detroit in a different way.

“I can’t tell you exactly when it happened, but, at some point around the middle of my second year here, I called my mother and I said, ‘Detroit is like down home, up North,’ ” recalled Rodgers, who earned a master’s degree in divinity in 2017 from Howard University, where he graduated at the top of his class, while receiving numerous awards in the process. “Around the same time, I found a Detroit barber and a Detroit tailor and bought a pair of Detroit-style glasses. One of our members saw me afterwards and he said: ‘Now you look like one of us.’ But more than the member’s words, there was a sense of community and warmth that I felt — like Southern hospitality — that you don’t see or feel in a lot of places that have these temperatures.”

Powered by the “spirit of Detroit” that Rodgers described, he and the Second Baptist congregation have aggressively addressed challenges that continue to plague Detroit and our nation, including the opioid crisis; food insecurity connected to families and the unhoused, and human trafficking. And while helping Detroiters “survive,” Second Baptist is also committed to providing resources that enable Detroiters to “thrive,” such as resources and programs focused on financial and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education.

Rodgers says that with each historical tour, training session and seminar provided at his church, along with direct outreach into the community performed by Second Baptist members, including providing food and other necessities to unhoused Detroiters, a message is sent that is felt well beyond the city.

“There was a time when the world looked to Detroit because of the automotive industry, but today the world is looking to Detroit to see how we are responding to challenges faced by our entire nation,” said Rodgers, who also has shared his concerns and ideas for helping Detroiters with the nonprofit Greektown Neighborhoods Partnership, which is leading the ongoing initiative to transform the Greektown district into a pedestrian-friendly destination. “The world wants to know how we are going to ensure that all people are served. Going into 2026, I’m so excited to be in Detroit at this time and I look forward to building on the relationships and partnerships that we have established at Second Baptist such as our partnership with the DTE Energy Foundation, which will allow us to expand our youth STEAM program and continue our mission to empower the next generation.

“I’m also extremely excited to be living in a time when Detroit’s first woman mayor is about to take office and I’m praying for Mayor Sheffield and all of our new leaders. I believe all Detroiters need to look back and be inspired and gain hope from the challenges that we have overcome in the past. Ancestral memory is important, but we don’t want to just look back at the history, we want to live it, and in that way we can continue to repair and turn around our city for the benefit of all Detroiters.”

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott’s stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.

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Detroit, MI

Michigan State Police sends message to drivers after trooper involved in hit and run:

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Michigan State Police sends message to drivers after trooper involved in hit and run:

“Slow down and move over” is the message that Michigan State Police is sending to drivers after one of its troopers in a parked patrol car was struck while investigating a crash this weekend. The driver of that vehicle fled the scene.

Michigan State Police tells CBS News Detroit that we’re two months into the year, and it has had six incidents across the state where patrol cars were struck by oncoming vehicles. One of those incidents occurred on Sunday evening.

“Could have been much more tragic,” said MSP Lieutenant Rene Gonzalez, First District public information officer.

Michigan State Police

Gonzalez says on Sunday, an MSP trooper was near M-10 and Schaefer Highway in Detroit, simply doing his job, when his patrol car was hit from behind.

“Trooper was out there, and he was investigating a crash when, at the time, a Jeep SUV drove into the rear of the parked vehicle,” Gonzalez said.

The impact slid the trooper’s car into a concrete wall. The 29-year-old Detroit woman driving the Jeep SUV struck the center median, got out of the vehicle, and ran away.

“Not sure why they did it. Maybe not paying attention if they were distracted. They’re attempting to locate her at this time,” said Lt. Gonzalez.

The trooper walked away with minor injuries. Gonzalez says this incident is an example of why Michigan’s Move Over Law was put in place many years ago. The law, which went into effect in 2019, requires drivers to move over into the next lane and reduce their speed by at least 10 mph when emergency or service vehicles — police, fire, rescue, ambulance and road service — have their lights activated.

Drivers who are not able to move over are still required to reduce their speed.

“Trying to do our jobs, however, people are not paying attention. The law is easy. It’s simple. You see us, you see our lights activated, you have to slow down ten miles below the posted speed limit, and then if able, move over to the next occupied available lane,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez says crashes like this can be deadly and often avoided.

“One life lost over something that was a totally preventable crash, it’s way too much. We’re asking that you slow down and move over when you see our lights. It’s a simple message that we’ve been pushing out for years,” he said.

Sunday’s crash remains under investigation. Michigan State Police detectives are still working to track down the 29-year-old suspect.

In the meantime, police are out enforcing the Move Over Law.

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Detroit, MI

Rex Satterfield’s 1956 Bel Air takes 2026 Ridler Award in Detroit

Published

20 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Rex Satterfield’s 1956 Bel Air takes 2026 Ridler Award in Detroit

Rex Satterfield hoped to see his 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible snag one of the BASF Great 8 finalist spots at this year’s Detroit Autorama. But winning the Ridler Award — one of the highest honors in the custom car business — was something he didn’t foresee.

“It’s just overwhelming right now,” said the man from Russellville, Tennessee, as he left a ballroom at downtown’s Huntington Place and made his way back to the show floor on Sunday, March 1. “We weren’t expecting this.”

Getting a car recognized as one of the BASF Great 8 vehicles is a win in and of itself as they are considered the “absolute pinnacle of custom automotive craftsmanship worldwide,” according to the show. The cars undergo an intensive judging process.

And this effort had an unexpected and emotional complication with the passing in December 2024 of the original builder, Jeff Wolfenbarger, who was battling cancer even as he continued working on the car named “Elegant Lady.”

Kevin Riffey of Kevin Riffey’s Hot Rods and Restorations in Knoxville stepped in to finish the work Wolfenbarger started. He’d had two other cars in the past make the Great 8. He said the goal with this vehicle was straightforward, calling it a “purpose-built show car.”

From its prominent spot at the front of the show floor, “Elegant Lady” sported a creamy exterior, dubbed Light Coffee. The car carries a 1,000 horsepower Don Hardy race engine. The gauges, wheels and gas tank are custom, and the dash is from a 1956 Pontiac.

Satterfield plans to show the car around some and enjoy the moment with it. He said he’s been a car guy since he was a little kid.

The Ridler Award, named in honor of Detroit Autorama’s first publicist, Don Ridler, comes with a $10,000 prize. It was awarded on the final day of this year’s Detroit Autorama, which ran Friday, Feb. 27-Sunday, March 1. This was the event’s 73rd year.

Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Send your tips and suggestions about cool automotive stuff to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit’s Sloppy Chops restaurateur Mike Brown fatally shot, 2 injured

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Detroit’s Sloppy Chops restaurateur Mike Brown fatally shot, 2 injured

Detroit restaurateur Michael “Mike B.” Brown was fatally shot early Saturday morning in a triple shooting.
The incident occurred outside a cocktail bar on the city’s west side, and police are seeking information.
Brown was a prominent figure in Detroit’s hospitality scene, known for his “Sloppy” brand restaurants.
His establishments were seen as significant in the rise of new Black-owned businesses in the city.

Detroit restaurateur and nightlife mainstay Michael “Mike B.” Brown was fatally shot early Saturday morning on the city’s west side, a violent incident that also left two other people injured and sent shockwaves through Detroit’s hospitality and entertainment communities.

According to Detroit police, the shooting occurred outside Suite 100, a cocktail bar on Schaefer Highway near Puritan Avenue. Investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities had not announced any suspects or arrests.

“At approximately 4:30 a.m., Saturday, there was a triple shooting that occurred at 15789 Schaefer,” Detroit Police Department (DPD) media relations manager Jasmin Barmore wrote in an official statement Sunday afternoon. “Two of the vicims were found in front of the location and the third across the street from the location. Unfortunately, the victim found across the street from the location, Mikey Brown, succumbed to his injuries.

“The Detroit Police Department extends their condolences to the family and is asking the community for assistance with this incident. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to please contact DPD’s homicide unit or, they can submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers or Detroit Rewards TV.”

Brown, 52, had spent decades building a name for himself across Detroit’s club and restaurant circuits, evolving from party promoter to business owner and, in recent years, a culinary entrepreneur with expanding ambitions. His death comes at a moment when he had been working to grow his “Sloppy” restaurant brand – a move that aligned with the rise of new Black-owned establishments reshaping the city’s dining landscape.

His first major restaurant venture, Sloppy Chops, opened in 2020 on West McNichols just off the Lodge Freeway. The steakhouse featured high-end cuts like ribeyes and tomahawks, but it quickly drew wide attention for its low-cost lamb chop specials – a dish with a fervent local following and long-standing ties to the city’s food culture.

A year later, Brown launched Sloppy Crab, later renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. The seafood spot mixed Detroiters’ love for crab dishes with the energetic, nightlife-forward atmosphere Brown had refined during his years in the entertainment scene. Occasional cover charges, signature strong cocktails and celebrity drop-ins helped make the venue one of downtown’s most animated destinations, placing it alongside longstanding nightlife pillars such as Floods Bar & Grille and Sweetwater Tavern.

Both restaurants emerged during a period when Detroiters were increasingly vocal about who new development served. Sloppy Crab’s proximity to the riverfront offered an answer to residents who wondered where Black diners fit into the city’s transforming downtown, while Sloppy Chops demonstrated that restaurants with the energy and polish of downtown destinations could thrive in the neighborhoods as well.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 1,000 comments expressing sadness and shock had flooded a pinned post on Brown’s Instagram page, along with a number of posts on his Facebook profile.

On her own page, Darralynn Hutson, an award-winning journalist, author, documentarian and media strategist who has provided content to a host of media outlets including the Detroit Free Press, shared photos of herself with Brown.

“I had the opportunity to interview Mike a few years ago for a feature in Food & Wine and I remember how reluctant he was about sitting down to talk,” Hutson recalled. “Interviews weren’t his thing – he was much more comfortable building than explaining. I had to call him more than 20 times to set up the interview. He didn’t care about Food & Wine. But once we ate and got into conversation, what came out was his commitment to creating something for his Detroit.”

Brown’s influence stretched far beyond his menus. His establishments became recognizable gathering places, and his presence – familiar from downtown corridors to Dexter Avenue – made him a significant cultural figure in Detroit’s nightlife and, later, its dining renaissance.

His death leaves both industries mourning a personality whose ambitions were still growing, and whose imprint on the city’s social fabric remains unmistakable.

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