Recently the Lubbock Impact Board of Directors spent a Friday together investing in the future of Lubbock Impact. This particular Friday was set aside for horizon planning. Our discussions were focused on the future of Lubbock Impact by asking the questions, “What does God have in store for Lubbock Impact? How will we meet the needs and what are potential needs in the future we need to begin planning for?” For many years we have focused on meeting the immediate needs of participants and haven’t focused heavily on looking to the horizon.
In 2022, the Lubbock Impact board had put on the strategic plan that a long-term goal would be to renovate the medical clinic and office space. If you have ever visited this area of the building, it is a labyrinth of walls that originally was a choir room and offices when the building housed Trinity Baptist Church. With each new opportunity to serve patients another space was created. The Lubbock Impact staff clear their desks on Wednesdays so that The Free Clinic can use their space. Everyone coexists because we all know that patients need care and dual spaces are necessary. This setup is not currently conducive to offering multiple medical clinics each week, which is our vision and hope.
God promises us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He teaches us to prepare for what is ahead. He teaches us to care for the poor and brokenhearted. And He teaches us to seek Him and trust in His timing. Well, that seed of hope that the board has committed to praying over that seemed like an impossible dream to renovate the medical clinic and office space is coming to life. Lubbock Impact received a grant through ECHO for $1 million dollars from funds that were set aside from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to serve the at-risk and homeless populations in Lubbock. The clinics at Lubbock Impact serve this population of patients along with other uninsured patients each week. The grant approved will fund the renovation of the medical clinic so that we can expand the access to medical services and provide adequate offices for the small Lubbock Impact staff. The funding is not for operational costs but solely for renovations to make the clinic functional for other medical partners to come in on other days of the week. God’s provision is a reminder that He has a horizon plan that is much larger than any of us can imagine for caring for His people.
Please be in prayer for the Lubbock Impact team as we transition to being able to plan for this HUGE construction project. There will have to be physical moves of the current medical clinic and Lubbock Impact offices to allow for the renovation to happen. The biggest change will be to our weekly schedule. For about a year we had been in prayer and surveying participants to see what it would look like to change our Community Meal to Tuesday evenings. Well, the renovation that starts in August has made it very apparent that this is the best plan. Officially, on TUESDAY, August 13th at 6:00pm will be the first day of the Community Meal day/time change. Moving forward from that date, the Community Meal will be on Tuesday’s at 6:00pm. We shared this will participants, church partners and volunteers last week and everyone was receptive to the change. Life is full of change, and it just requires a positive attitude and a reminder that the purpose is to care for participants and do it with our very best. I could go on about so many details that the Lord has been in on this journey, but I will save it until next time. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Blessings,
Becky Robertson
Executive Director