Civic Dispatch: How a Food Truck Changed Lives in Jasper, Alabama
by Logan Smith
Thomas and Rhonda Martin, Senior Pastors at Hope House Church
Photo Credit: Kelsey Martin
Rhonda and Thomas Martin did not know 32 years ago when they got married that they would be pastors of a church in small-town Jasper, Alabama. When asked if they knew ministry was something they always wanted to do, Thomas responded by stating that his love for people and God was “generational” for him. His wife, Rhonda, shared this sentiment. On the other hand, when they were newlyweds, Rhonda exclaimed that they were not thinking about pastoring a church, but when alluding to their current situation, Thomas simply responded, “But God,” showcasing their steadfast faith despite the unknown.
As a Jean O’Connor Snyder intern through the David Mathews Center and UA’s New College, I have the privilege of interning with the Walker County Department of Human Resources, a placement orchestrated by the Walker Area Community Foundation! I originally met the Martins at a community dinner where their love for service and each other outshone the rest! Rhonda and Thomas are a lovely couple, always laughing and smiling with each other. Thomas, an Alabama native, and Rhonda, a Kentucky native, were college sweethearts at Morehead State University and have two children, Isaiah and Kelsey. During their time in college, Thomas majored in Marketing and Rhonda majored in Elementary Education. They ended up in Alabama due to a new job for Thomas at Jasper Industrial Maintenance Supply. The Martins have been in Alabama for 28 years, 13 of those years in Jasper.
With their commitment to faith, they were ready to take God up on his calling of establishing their church. Rhonda reflects by stating that there was a “niche that needed to be filled that hadn’t been filled yet by a church.” She went on to express that the “Lord wanted us to provide a place where anybody could come to church and feel comfortable worshipping.” Soon after, Hope House was born, and for the past twelve years, they have been serving Jasper through their ministry. The church began meeting in the local high school auditorium and later moved to where they are now: right outside of downtown Jasper, by the railroad tracks. Mrs. Martin explained that not all Hope House’s parishioners supported the new venue: “When we moved from the high school to where we are, we had people who didn’t want to come with us because they didn’t want to be on that side of town.” Here, Rhonda was referring to the increasing homeless population in Jasper and the location of the church. What they couldn’t know at the time of the move was how the move would directly affect that community without them even realizing it.
Shortly after the establishment of Hope House, Thomas was in his Winston County hometown when he came across a Salvation Army food truck that belonged to his friend. Thomas describes this next scene as a “God moment”: he turned to his friend and asked what he had planned for the truck. His friend answered by asking what Thomas wanted to do with it. From this moment, Thomas knew that Hope House’s ministry would touch more lives than the Martins had imagined. After taking an offering at church to revamp and remodel the food truck, the Martins fixed it up and began serving meals at the local Salvation Army. With Hope House’s proximity to the homeless population in Jasper, the Martins decided to use their church to fill bellies and put smiles on people’s faces through their food ministry, which serves over 1,000 meals a month, and also offers showers and laundry access. Rhonda believes that “When God called us to plant the church, that wasn’t anywhere in our thought process,” referring to their food ministry.
“I have a feeling there have been some people who’ve used [our food ministry] to get up to where they need to be – it’s a beautiful thing,” recalls Thomas. Rhonda shares in the power of their ministry by observing that they have been able to see “some lives change in the community and beyond.” The food ministry’s presence has been constant for Jasper’s homeless populations for the past twelve years offering weekly hot meals. Through their compassion, dedication, and consistent presence, the Martins have built trust and formed meaningful relationships with the homeless communities they serve in Jasper.
Through partnerships with local grocery stores, Hope House provides an abundance of meals to the homeless population through their kitchen. Outside of the help from grocery stores, churches in the Jasper community have truly bought into the food ministry at Hope House.
“If we weren’t there, there would be a huge gap,” says Thomas. While the church offers food and other necessities to improve hygiene, they also offer a listening ear through their son, Isaiah, a licensed counselor, who offers free counseling. The Martins use their food ministry to improve the physical health and well-being of the Jasper community and believe in the importance of mental health. Thomas believes that “loving people unconditionally and not judging them because they’re having a bad day or a bad week or a bad year,” is how they can “[plant] seeds of love into their life.”
For nearly a decade, Hope House has been integral in providing people in West Jasper with a sense of community, stability, and security they may not receive on the streets. The Martins’ ministry has allowed them to touch many lives and help people get back on their feet. When asked about success stories, one couple came to mind for the Martins. There was a biker and his wife, gruff in manner, who started coming to the church just for the food ministry, but after a while, they began to get involved with the youth ministry because of their grandsons. Once the couple opened their hearts for their grandkids to explore the ministry, their love for the community of Jasper expanded as well. This was just one out of a few stories that they recalled where Hope House has been able to provide that extra push to help someone get back on their feet.
The work being done at Hope House is not for the glory of Rhonda and Thomas Martin but rather for the Lord, who has ordered their steps and led them to this very moment. With their obedience and steadfast trust in the Lord, they have been able to truly use their ministry as a vessel for good to combat homelessness in Jasper.
When looking to the future, Hope House wants its church to be a place where people of diverse backgrounds and experiences can come together, find fellowship in one another, and leave with a good meal. By this, they want to break down the cultural differences that are persisting in Jasper and bring together communities to “expand the kingdom” of God, Thomas states. The mission of Hope House is to cultivate a space of worship and comfort no matter a person’s demographic. Rhonda comments further on this by stating that “if we can’t love one another regardless of our socioeconomic status and our skin color, then we’re not really the church.”
Proverbs 13:12 and Isaiah 26:3 are the verses that Thomas has kept near and dear to his heart to encourage himself and others on their journeys. Proverbs 13:12 reminds them that “hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (NLT),” and Isaiah 26:3 encourages them that the Lord will “keep them in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon him (KJV).” With the help of the Martins, Walker County is continuing to be put in the hands of passionate and loving people who believe in the potential for progress in Jasper and surrounding communities.
Photo Credit: Walker Area Community Foundation
Logan is a senior at The University of Alabama majoring in Criminal Justice with minors in Political Science and English.
She spent her summer with the Department of Human Resources, where she observed the legal processes involved in foster parenting and attended visits and investigations. Logan also spent her time with the Alabama Foster Care Parent Association (AFCPA) to help them establish as a 501(c)(3); this would allow them to apply for grants that will support foster families across the state. Although the internship is over and school is starting back, Logan will continue to visit Jasper throughout the school year to support these organizations ongoing programming and efforts.