Meet John and Sarah Amatuccio. John and Sarah serve an apartment community in Chico, California. The Amatuccios love being outside, hiking, backpacking, and board games. Recently, we got the privilidge of learning more about their apartment ministry.
Tell us about the community you serve.
We serve in Butte County California in a town called Chico. We are located in the northern part of California surrounded by farms. Our apartment complex has about 180 individual units filled with families, college students, retirees, and couples. A fun fact about our complex is that we have lots of long term residents. Two separate residents have lived in our community for 40+ years.
What is one way you see God moving in your apartment community?
One way we have noticed God moving in our community is by brining together the generations. People of all stages and ages live and commune here, and God is creating a bridge for everyone to come together. We have witnessed our older generation residents talking to our younger residents, we have seen our older mamas being a support to our newer mamas, and we have witnessed the kids in our complex being shown love and care by those around them. God is breaking down barriers and building a community.
What’s your favorite part of serving your community?
One of our favorite parts about serving our community is seeing how God provides for every situation and need. We always have enough and most of the time we have extra that we are able to bless a fellow resident. We have been about to offer whole gallons of milk to a family who responded saying “We just ran out and really needed this”.
What scripture do you refer to when discussing your apartment ministry?
Matthew 5:16 “In the same way let your light shine for others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven”
What is something others may not know about serving in an apartment community?
I wish people knew how much residents are searching for a community and how difficult it can be in an apartment complex. Many of our residents don’t leave their homes much or have little to no family in the area and are longing for a kind word, a smile, or even deep conversations.
Share a specific story in which you cared for a resident.
We had one resident that was going through a tough time. He was between jobs and struggling financially to the point that he didn’t have money to go to the Laundromat. So, we were able to not only give him enough change to do his laundry, but we were able to talk and share life as we did the laundry. This was a big moment for him as he had a job interview later in the week that he needed clean clothes for, and this was the job that he ended up getting and is still currently working with the company. Every time he comes to one of our events, his spirit is brighter, he’s stopping smoking weed, and we have been able to have some amazing biblical conversations with him.
: :
Thank you John and Sarah for the time and energy you put into serving your community! Should you want to meet more people like the Amatuccios, head over to the Mission 98 community.
