Copyright (c) Detroit Free Press. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
| March 8,
2007 Section: NWS; NEWS Edition: METRO FINAL Page: 1B DESIREE COOPER Free Press columnist |
| Which might explain why I haven't amassed a king's ransom yet. It also might explain why riches are flowing to the low-key, dedicated Methodist minister in Detroit's Cass Corridor, Faith Fowler. A couple of years ago, Fowler was nominated for a Volvo for Life Award, which celebrates the nation's everyday heroes. Each year, nine finalists win $25,000, and three of them are chosen for an additional $25,000 prize. The grand-prize winner also gets a new Volvo every three years for life. "I didn't win the year I was nominated," said Fowler, who heads Cass Community United Methodist Church and is executive director of Cass Community Social Services. "I never thought about it again." Until now. This year, Volvo decided to review past nominees. In February, Fowler emerged as a finalist, netting $25,000. "It will help pay for a building for our program for men with AIDS," Fowler said. "If I win the car, there's probably someone who needs it more than I do." It's not a secret anymore Fowler, 48, is a native Detroiter who felt called into the ministry in junior high. She shared her feelings with a pastor, who told her to think about it twice. "He saw that I was a shy kid," Fowler said. "He thought I'd never make it." The experience didn't quell her drive to enter the ministry, but from then on, she kept her avocation a secret. It was after college, when she was working part time at a metro-area church, that she took the pulpit for the vacationing pastor. "My parents came to hear me and that was when they realized I was really going to do this," she said, laughing. That was about 25 years ago. Since then, she's earned a master of divinity degree from Boston University and a master's in public administration from the University of Michigan, chaplained at a maximum-security prison, pastored a small church on Detroit's west side, and spent the last 13 years serving in the Cass Corridor. "The thing I've always loved about Cass is that you're stretched to see how your faith plays out after the worship service," she said. Her works now touch an estimated 4,000 people each year, including seniors, youth, homeless people, mentally ill and developmentally disabled people, people with HIV/AIDS and those with addictions. By faith thus far Whether or not she's the Volvo grand-prize winner later this month, she's already victorious. "The recognition so far has been great for Cass and the city of Detroit," she said. "The more friends you have, the more you can do for others." That's how faith works. For more details, go to www.volvoforlifeawards.com or www.casscommunity.org, or call 313-883-2277. Contact DESIREE COOPER at 313-222-6625 or dcooper@freepress.com. ILLUSTRATION: Photo CAPTION: Faith Fowler felt called to ministry. DISCLAIMER: THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED ARTICLE |
|
Copyright (c) Detroit Free Press. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc. |