The Gospel Garage: driven by God to serve

Mike Orlando, Pastor Kevin Causey and 16-year-old Graham Buckhannon (L to R), volunteers in the Gospel Garage Christian automotive ministry in Florissant

Pastor Kevin Causey may hail from the Baptist tradition, but when I first heard of his unique mission, I was reminded of a quote from a famous Catholic, Mother Teresa. She said, “Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.” And I can tell you, nowhere is that more true than in Causey’s simple metal building known as the Gospel Garage.

An outreach ministry of Florissant General Baptist Church on Graham Road, the Gospel Garage is actually quite amazing in its simplicity: Church members live out their Christian faith by fixing up cars for people in need, usually for free.

Founded in 2007 and operating out of a large two-bay shed behind Causey’s home, the ministry reflects his belief that service to others is the best way to celebrate God. “The church is always good at telling people that God loves you, but here, we’re actually showing people that He does,” he says.

Three times every month, Causey and a small crew of volunteers give a helping hand to widows, unemployed people, single moms and other needy folks by doing oil changes, troubleshooting engine problems and performing all kinds of routine maintenance. They also take in donated cars, then fix them up and give them away.

So far, they’ve received five or six of these “turn-around” vehicles in donation and have successfully given away three – one to a single father, the others to families out of work. “Some of the cars we’ve gotten have been gas hogs, so we’re not going to give those to a family,” says Causey, a longtime “shade-tree mechanic” who grew up in Arkansas. “In those cases, we’ll just fix them up and sell them.”

It’s actually the sale of these cars and other small cash donations – usually from patrons who can afford to pay for their own parts – that keep the Gospel Garage afloat. The ministry has also received donated tools and repair manuals from local mechanics and auto body shops, but Causey is still praying for one big item: an automotive lift.

“God’s hand is in all of this, so we trust that everything we need will eventually find its way to us,” he says, brimming with optimism. Ideally, he and the volunteers would like to see an increase in donated cars so they can help more people and bring in more funds. They’d also like to continue training teenagers in basic car maintenance and eventually mentor other church groups who are interested in starting their own automotive ministry.

Mike Orlando, who has also volunteered cleaning bathrooms at local businesses, calls the Gospel Garage "just another avenue for us to share Christ's mission."

So what’s the catch, you ask? There isn’t one. Though Causey admits he’s always looking to “lead people into a relationship with Christ,” and he did end our interview with a lovely prayer, patrons of the Gospel Garage are under no pressure to join his church. In fact, he prefers that patrons are not church members, but instead just hard-working people who need a hand up.

“This is a calling that God has put on our hearts,” Causey says. “He brought us all here together and gave us the skills and the tools to do this, so why shouldn’t we use them to glorify His name?”

The Gospel Garage meets at 360 Graham Road, 63031, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays @ 10am and 2nd Saturdays @ 1pm. To make a donation or request service on your car, call Pastor Kevin at (314) 825-6035.

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