SEBASTIAN — If you want to show goodwill to your fellow community members, a little help at the gas pump goes a long way.
Coastal Community Church’s gas “Buydown” event, at the Shark Mart Mobil gas station in Sebastian, saw hundreds turn out to get a 50-cent per gallon discount on fuel.
At the end of the event 2,426 gallons of fuel were discounted. This was the biggest crowd according to Rev. Seth Goldsmith, with one lady needing to be pushed to the pumps because she ran out of gas in line.
Rev. Goldsmith, the church’s lead pastor, said the turnout for both volunteers and community participants was incredible.
“We launched this pair of events (gas buydown and block party) less than a year after launching as a church,” Goldsmith said. “Our first go was in 2006.”
The lure of discounted gas meant being prepared for a crowd, he said.
“We learned of this idea from another church and began organizing,” Goldsmith said. “We were honestly a little afraid that we had bitten off more than our brand new little church could handle as cars began lining up at 3 p.m., but the smiles on the faces of people, as we pumped their discounted gasoline for them, confirmed that this was a much needed event.”
The discount was limited to 20 gallons per customer in order to provide the discount to as many people as possible.
Again, this year, vehicles started lining up an hour before the event officially kicked off. Soon, church volunteers had to manage the ever-growing row as it looped behind the adjacent shopping center.
“Our goal is to communicate that we are a church that genuinely loves and wants to have a positive impact on our community,” Goldsmith said. “We provide these events as a generous gift of love with no strings attached. We hope that they will experience the ‘no-strings-attached’ love of God through our generosity.”
We are a community of faith, hope and love, he said.
“My proudest moments as a pastor are when I can see our church practicing the generosity we talk about on Sunday morning,” Goldsmith said.
Dozens of church members helped control the flow of vehicles, help with fueling and making sure those passing by knew they were there.
Church member Fred Reid and his son, Thomas, said they were truly glad to take part in the event.
“It’s just great to have the opportunity to see our ministry at work,” Reid said. “To be a part of a ministry that’s reaching out to the community is a good feeling.”
The positive reception by the community is definitely worth giving up a sunny Saturday for, he said.
Shark Mart Mobil gas station owner Mike Abrahim said the event mirrors the mindset of neighbors helping neighbors that is crucial for their community.
“It’s a small community,” Abrahim said. “People appreciate that we can do it here.”
Hosting the “Buydown” is important to Abrahim even though the station doesn’t make money from the sales, he said.
“I like to help people and this is good for our customers,” Abrahim said. “The people who come to this event are mostly our customers anyway.”
After waiting nearly an hour, Clarissa Mezquia, of Sebastian, was the first person to pull up to the pump for fuel during the event.
“Being first feels pretty darn good,” Mezquia said. “Saving money is important to me right now.”
Seeing the church lend a helping hand to people leaves her with a warm feeling, she said.
“This is what churches are basically supposed to do,” Mezquia said. “It’s good that they do this.”
