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Courtesy photo |
Members from Canyon Church of Christ
explore the church's first touring bus parked at Diamond
Canyon School in Anthem where the 200 members meet for
worship and fellowship. The 51 passenger bus that will
be used for mission trips and youth group activities
was largely funded by an anonymous donation.
(Click
picture for full size image) |
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Anonymous
family donates $50,000 to purchase luxurious bus for church
by
Ambria Hammel
ANTHEM - This bus doesn't go directly to heaven like the mangled
one that picks up souls in the 1993 Robert Downey, Jr. movie
"Heart and Souls," but Canyon Church of Christ's
first bus will help transport its passengers to spiritual
events.
An anonymous donor recently provided $50,000 toward the purchase
of a fully equipped 51 passenger Setra touring bus. The church
combined the funds with $10,000 already allocated for transportation,
giving Canyon Church of Christ enough money to buy the bus.
Senior Minister Tom Riley said the church had been looking
for a bus for the past several months to use for mission trips
and youth group activities. He announced at a town hall meeting
that one bid for a less luxurious transport fell through.
That's when a family pulled him aside and told Riley they
wanted something better and made the donation.
"One of the awesome things about this anonymous gift
is that people are looking around wondering who was so generous
and supposing that it could be any of us," Riley said. |
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Regardless
of who the donor is, church staff is relieved to have a safe and
reliable means of transportation. Youth Minister Josh Johnson said
his teens used to get around the valley for group outings by either
driving themselves, renting a van or arranging parent car pools
for the 35 member group.
Now they not only have the same luxuries found on an airplane such
as multiple TV screens, a DVD player, lighting, reclining seats
and a restroom, but they have their own driver. Audrey Favors, a
church member who has been a professional budriver for 18 years,
agreed to transport the passengers.
The bus took its maiden voyage March 19 to the Glendale arena where
teens attended a Third Day concert. Future destinations include
youth rallies, camps and missions trips.
Riley is even looking into the possibility of making the bus available
to other community groups. If that happens, the bus should be available
to groups across the Valley, as it will be housed at a charter company
in Phoenix because Canyon Church does not have a permanent facility.
The church began in July 2003 and meets at Diamond Canyon School
for services, but has plans for its own building located near Daisy
Mountain and Meridian drives.
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