2WordStory Campaign Reaches Royal Oak Churches

You may have noticed the signs while driving down Normandy near Woodward recently. Two-word phrases like “Forgiven? Forgiven” or “Blessed? Blessed.”

Have you ever wondered what that really means?

Well, that’s the whole idea, according to Larry Wood, pastor at on Normandy in Royal Oak.

Wood said the signs give an opportunity for people to ask questions and for church members to open up about how God has worked in their lives.

“It is a simple and easy way to remember how good God has been to the individual and create an opportunity to share it,” he said. “It just gives an opportunity for a non-intrusive opening to share good news in Jesus.”

The signs are part of a campaign called 2WordStory, a multidenominational, 530-church campaign aimed at injecting faith and hope into Detroit and its suburbs.

The campaign originated in Novi but quickly expanded: Churches include dozens in Dearborn, Detroit, Livonia, Farmington, Warren and beyond. They span from Flat Rock to Port Huron and from Lake St. Clair to Brighton.

2WordStory has garnered attention for its catchy repetition, meant to symbolize the uncertainty that the storyteller had without Jesus, and how his or her life has changed with Him.

Joy? Joy. Valued? Valued. Empowered? Empowered. Rescued? Rescued. 

“The second word isn’t a question anymore,” explained Ron Rischer, 54, of Northville, one of the campaign’s organizers. “The second word is, ‘I’ve come to know Christ, so I have hope, I have purpose.’ There’s no question.”

2WordStory was borne of another campaign called EACH, or Everyone a Chance to Hear. That was the brainchild of Pastor Bob Shirock of in Novi, said Rischer, EACH's executive director.

Shirock got the idea after seeing missionaries at work in the Phillipines and India, said Oak Pointe's Executive Director Jim Bahbah.
"After interacting with those believers that were having such a great impact in their countries, he came back here and said he was driving from his house to his church, about three miles, looking at the homes and thinking of all the people who didn't know what's going on inside the four walls of our church, let alone know anything about Jesus," said Bahbah, of Novi.

The initial idea was for the church to reach out to residents living in a 12-mile radius to spread the gospel, but that soon blossomed into reaching out to other churches.

2WordStory has piqued region-wide interest with its stark and enigmatic T-shirts and yard signs, but EACH is about more than one publicity campaign, said volunteer Mark Besh, 55, of West Bloomfield. It’s about reaching out to people in need, especially those hardest hit by the economy’s downswing.

Several churches contacted by Patch said that Time magazine's recent description of Detroit as a disaster area was one impetus for the campaign.

Some churches were more leery than others, especially those in Detroit. A steering committee was formed that included members of churches from across the region, a cross-section of denominations, races and geography. EACH began sponsoring job fairs and providing medical treatment. The goals were both micro — such as feeding the homeless for an afternoon — and macro — such as backing Life Remodeled, an endeavor inspired by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that provided a needy family with a new home, as well as financial and psychological counseling.

But it has been 2WordStory that's had most people talking so far, said Ken Skinner, 31, of Livonia, who shares his story at www.2wordstory.com along with 18 other metro Detroiters. His story is about confidence — how he lacked it without Jesus, and, he says, how he gained it when he returned to church four years ago. In two words, his story is: “Confident? Confident.”

“2Word lets us be Jesus in our community, really,” he said. “When Jesus walked into a colony, he did good deeds and he shared what he knew to be true.”

Paul Kwasniewski, minister of discipleship at , said that one congregant likened EACH to a woman in her second trimester of pregnancy: "She will begin to show soon," he said in an email to Patch. "Our hope and prayer is that God will use the efforts of the 500-plus churches involved in EACH to see our area turn from a dim candle to a beacon of light for our area and the country."

As for 2WordStory, he said it's a tool meant to provoke questions. The T-shirts, bus ads and banners are meant to work service projects, such as food distribution and medical assistance.

The ultimate goal, Gyorke said, is to uplift Detroit and the rest of the region. Even though the 40 days after Easter have passed, the campaign seems to be maintaining momentum. As of Friday, a Facebook fan page had more than 3,800 followers and counting.

"Christ is hope and light and healing and salvation and freedom," Gyorke said. "He's what a lot of people are looking for right now, and it's been phenomenal."