Rebirth and Redemption at Flint’s 2nd Chance Church

This story is part of “Flint’s Still Fighting,” Word In Black’s series about the decade-long water crisis, and the struggles and triumphs still transforming the majority-Black city.

Everyone wants a second chance when they find themselves in an unwanted space. It’s called grace in the Christian faith. And in Flint, Michigan, that grace has a name: 2nd Chance Church.

In a community where many residents still don’t trust the water system, Rev. Derrick Aldridge, founder and senior pastor, tells Word In Black the ongoing struggle for clean water and justice has his congregation members out “every Friday in different community areas on the streets — with cars passing by — and passing out water.” 

Founded in 2006, 2nd Chance has one mission: providing second chances to folks who need them. The congregation has about 200 members, mostly young people. Services are held at noon to accommodate their nightlife and only last about 90 minutes. 

From Closed School to Water Hub

Flint closed about a dozen schools in the years before the water crisis started and the church began operating out of one of those shuttered campuses. It was “a building that our family owned and we were having church in there, and we turned it into a major water pot,” Aldridge says, adding that at the school they initially had no place of their own in which to baptize. “So what was happening was we were going to various churches to baptize.” 

Then, when the crisis first happened, “Judge Greg Mathis got involved with our center and he brought pallets and cases of water. Trucks came from everywhere and brought water in,” Aldridge says.

Praying for Redemption

Aldridge is no stranger to taking action and transformation during tough times. 2nd Chance Church grew out of a personal crisis that left the founder himself praying for redemption. 

“I’m a second-generation pastor. My dad moved from the South to Michigan in the late 40s. He became a pastor in 1956.” Aldridge says.

His father was a local civil right activist and community advocate, “And all my dad’s friends were Baptist pastors who came from the South,” Aldridge says. “They and others were coming from sharecropping, from Southern places to get jobs at General Motors.”

But, says Aldridge, “In later years, I found myself in addiction and like the prodigal son was looking around for a lift. The church where I assisted my father, the members were not so willing to receive me back into the fold. But people in Flint who needed the kind of grace I received from God followed me, and together we became 2nd Chance Church.”

The church is next to an affordable housing development, and the congregation helps folks with basic needs like food — which they’ve been distributing since 2008 — and clothing, “and we worship together as we celebrate the goodness of God in our lives.”

Baptism remains a concern due to worries about Flint’s water. “But baptism has kind of lost its momentum,” Aldridge says. “I’ve got young adults and children, and they don’t see the purpose. They are disconnected from the purpose of the church. They believe in God, but they don’t necessarily believe in going to church now anymore.” Social media is disconnecting them from what the Bible says is crucial for faith, he says.

In the meantime, Aldridge says serving Flint, which has a 33% poverty rate, also means collaborating with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. “Every Friday, whether it’s snowing, whether it’s raining, no matter what the weather is or what is going on, we have a food giveaway.” 

“People are coming by, and we’re able to help feed them.,” Aldridge says. “We have a food pantry in our basement in our church. And so when somebody calls, and they need food, we have food to give them.”

He says his purpose is grounded in Matthew 25:35: “‘When I was hungry, you fed me. “When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. And when I was naked, you gave me clothes.’ That’s my joy.”