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A&M Youth
New Youth Bus - Coming Soon
(This webpage is best viewed on a computer. If you look at it on your phone, you can still see everything, but the pictures will be at the bottom of the page, and some text will be spaced incorrectly.)
In October of 2019, we sold our larger youth bus. We have only had our 25 passenger youth bus since then. Between the time we sold our bus and the start of the pandemic, , we have used our smaller youth bus and rented 15 passenger vans to get our students to and from the places we needed to be. Then the
pandemic came, and we had no need for a bus. But
as we look toward the remainder of 2021, we feel it
is time time to buy a larger bus we can use (in addition
to our smaller bus) without having to rent vans.
We have found a bus. (Don't worry, it's not the yellow
one on this page) and we're sending this info just
to youth families who might be interested in helping
our church purchase the new bus. The new bus will be a youth bus, and will be used
mostly by our students. By the way, huge thanks to our
elders who have helped so much with youth
transportation needs in the past and for helping us move
forward with the purchase of a newer youth bus.
If you would like to help pay for the new bus (or help
repair our small bus or purchase a new trailer) send a
check to the church office with a memo "youth bus." You can read more details about the financial needs and ways to give at the bottom of this page.
HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THE BUS:
THE ACTUAL BUS:
We have looked high and low...from coast to coast...searching for a bus that would work well for us. And by the way, finding a good bus isn't that easy. So we prayed, and we searched, and we think have found one which will work well for us.
It is a 39 passenger bus, very similar in size to our former bus, and it is built on a Freightliner chassis. It's a 2016 model. We were able to get this bus at about 1/3 of the price of a new bus. And because of the
pandemic and its effect on bus sales,
we were able to get this bus
for $56,000. That price would be
unheard of if not for the pandemic.
(The bus we found is in California, and
the travel industry in California is much
worse than ours in Texas...so we are able to get a nicer bus than we previously had, for only $20,000 more than the price which we sold our previous bus.)
The new bus looks like the black bus above. (this image is flipped, so the steering wheel and passenger door will be on the correct side, ha.) We have seen the new bus. We have driven it. We have paid a deposit on it, and the bus company is getting it ready for us. We have not signed the final paperwork nor have we paid the remainder of the cost yet.
TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES:
Our two highest priorities in looking for a youth bus are safety of our students and reliability/dependability of the bus. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road with a bus that doesn't work. You don't want that for your children. We don't want that when we're taking care of your children. It's not good for making memories. It's not safe. It's not fun. It's not enjoyable. And it's why we sold the old bus.
FINANCIAL INFO:
We sold our previous bus for $35,000. We have used some of that to pay for around $3000 in vehicle rental fees since then, (HS Retreat 2019, Winterfest 2020, Soul Link 2020, One Day Retreat 2021) but we have saved an additional $15,000 from un-used transportation money from the 2020 fiscal budget. So, we currently have around $47,000 we can use toward the new bus.
The new bus is $56,000. In addition to this, we have some additional transportation needs related to youth ministry. Everything got old at the same time, and we need to get everything in good shape again.
NEEDS:
1) Complete the purchase of the new youth bus
2) Repair the smaller youth bus - during the pandemic, the catalytic converter was stolen off of it, and needs to be replaced. The rear a/c unit has a freon leak and the front unit needs some service as well. And it has sat for a year. It will need a little attention.
3) Youth trailer - our currently trailer is about 12 years old and has been well used. The floor is rotting out and the brakes no longer work. It needs to be refurbished or replaced.
GIVING:
If you would like to help us buy the new bus, or help us improve our youth transportation, this would be a great time to help. We realize your family may not have extra money to give toward this, however, with the most recent stimulus payout, maybe you could consider giving a tithe, or other amount, from your stimulus payment.
If you would like to give, you can give by:
1) Cash
2) Check
These can be given to anyone in the church office or in the youth box in the Refinery. Please make a note so we'll know to contribute it toward youth transportation.
3) E-check of bill pay from your bank. Please put "youth bus" in the memo line.
4) Through the church website (www.am.church) or church app by credit/debit card or bank draft. If you give through our website or app, click on "YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRY" as the Fund to contribute toward. All Youth & Family contributions go directly to youth transportation needs.
We praise God for the opportunity to have good transportation for our students. We pray that every bus, every trailer, and every rented vehicle transports students safely and gives them an opportunity to be around people and places which will help them grow in faith. All praise to God. All glory to Him!



Our 2010 bus which we sold in 2019.
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