Luby Lights the Way for the Needy

Story by Barbara Graf
Photography by Ed Mann

It all began with a tug at his conscience one Sunday morning in winter three years ago while North Beach resident Jason Luby sat in church. When his pastor asked the congregation for assistance in delivering blankets to a small central Appalachian town, Luby considered volunteering. Although he was uncertain about making the commitment, Luby, who had recently been divorced, knew he had time on his hands and that he needed a positive way to spend it.

"You know how it is when you get that little nudge," he said, recalling the moment he agreed to make the trek to Jonesville, Va., for the first time in December 2005. Piling his Volkswagen Golf hatchback and a 5-by-8 U-Haul trailer full of blankets that had been donated by generous folks of Southern Maryland, Luby set off for a weekend excursion - completely unaware that his life was about to change dramatically.

That Saturday evening before going to sleep at the local mission house, Luby, who had been inspired by the experience of serving families in need, contemplated his life's purpose. "I was in the middle of a field asking, 'Lord, why am I here?'" he remembered. What happened next is something that he said has never happened to him before or since. "I had a vision," he said. "The Lord told me to run Lighthouse Missions. He would provide the means, the way. That is what I needed to do." Luby initially responded by stating out loud, "I can't do this." What followed his initial reaction was prayer.

In January 2006, Luby's nonprofit ministry, Lighthouse Missions, was born. "Our purpose is to acquire, organize and distribute necessary supplies to mission associations in severely impoverished areas throughout the Appalachian Mountain regions from Northwestern Maryland, Southwest Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee," said Luby, adding that families in need throughout Southern Maryland are closest in proximity to home and when they reach out in need, Lighthouse Missions responds to them, too.

"When someone in our own backyard needs help, we're there for them," said Luby, whose ministry recently touched the life of a Southern Maryland single mother and her infant and toddler who needed the basics to establish an apartment. "They were all sleeping on one mattress. She was doing the right thing trying to make a living," he said. Lighthouse Missions was able to furnish her entire apartment. "We keep enough furniture in storage in Owings to be able to respond quickly," he said. "All it took was a bunch of guys and a trailer."

Since the beginning of the ministry, his Volkswagen Golf hatchback has been replaced with a workhorse Ford F-250 and in place of the rented U-Haul, a 24-foot fully enclosed trailer remains ready to haul furniture, appliances, firewood, clothing, baby supplies and whatever else families need.

Sometimes a donated item will remain in storage just waiting for the right recipient, Luby said. In one such case, an upright piano sat in the Owings storage facility for nine months. After he had packed all of the items needed for a trip to Mountain Marketplace Mission in Webster Springs, W. Va., he noticed an empty spot remained in the trailer. It was the exact size needed to fit the piano. He decided to take the piano on that trip. "I was going to let them figure out what to do with it," he said. Arriving at the mission, Luby discovered that an elderly woman who played the piano in church would receive the donation. Her husband had become ill and while staying at home to care for him, she was unable to practice because the only piano available to her was located in the church. She would now have her own piano at home. "The Lord schedules these things," Luby said.

To date, Lighthouse Missions has made 15 trips to the Appalachian region delivering gently used clothing, household items and furniture, appliances, building materials, bedding, toys, baby supplies, food and firewood to hundreds of families. The ministry often incorporates small construction projects into each weekend trip, such as building handicapped ramps, fixing leaking roofs, or repairing floors and doors. Luby is positive that his ministry would not exist without the help and support of local Grace Chapel and the generous, caring hearts of all Southern Marylanders who make donations of both time and money.

"Volunteers are always welcome," he said. "We need help with pick-up of donated supplies, local and out-of-state deliveries, local construction projects and more."

To find out more about how you may support Lighthouse Missions, visit www.lighthousemissions.org. To make a donation, mail your check to 3305 Tiswood Court, Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732. To contact Jason Luby directly, call him at 410-446-1249.