More Miracles: Rev. Allen Lutes

I say that I have the best job at AHUMC, and I mean it.  To be responsible for the mission and outreach of this congregation is amazing and humbling.  The generosity of this congregation is apparent in the ways that they genuinely care for those we serve.  I have two examples, out of many, that show this willingness to help better the lives of those in our community.

The first involves a young man named Mark.  Mark and his mother lived at the Morris Women and Children’s Unit at the Presbyterian Night Shelter, and everyone who volunteered for the Five and Two Food Truck ministry fell in love with this young man.  He helped out when we came and developed a relationship with many of us.  When he and his mother got housing and were able to move out of the shelter, I continued to take him to an art class that he went to weekly on Lancaster.  One of the first things he asked was when he could come with us on the food truck to volunteer.

Mark called me one day from school saying that someone had slashed the tires of his bicycle and he needed a ride home.  When I arrived to get him, I helped to load his bicycle into the back of my car.  This bicycle was made for an 8 year old child, not the 15 year old young man that was riding it.  It only took one request in worship, and this congregation stepped up to buy Mark a brand new bicycle, helmet and lock.  He was practically in tears as he rode his new bike home from the store. 

The second example also involves a family living at the Presbyterian Night Shelter.  One of the workers at the shelter approached me to tell me of a three little girls who were able to get into a magnet program in FWISD.  The uniforms at this new school were different from the rest of the district and as such, the shelter had none.  I called a member of the New Heights Sunday School Class who volunteered often on the food truck and told her.  It only took one e-mail to this class and we had the money to buy all three girls the uniforms they needed for school. 

When we met the mother and the girls at the uniform store, the mother let me know what a blessing it was that the girls got into this school.  They had been in a magnet program before their circumstances changed, and had spent the last year in a regular public school.  Their grades suffered, as did their self-esteem.  Their faces lit up when they tried on their new uniforms.  They wanted to wear them home that day! 

These two examples show that we can truly be the light of Christ in our community.  Jesus met people where they were, listened to them and found out what they needed.  In these cases, our church did the same.  And in both cases, AHUMC is THEIR church.  They may not be able to attend on Sunday mornings, but every time Mark gets on his bike and the girls put on their uniforms, they are reminded of a God who loves them and a church that supported them.  And that is a true blessing.