Vision City Church event brings in cars and people

Several people showed up to the parking lot of Vision City Church on a sunny Saturday afternoon to admire the variety of vehicles parked there.

As part of its event, Vision City Church had a car show and carnival April 20.

However, Pastor Brandon Bennett and Leonardo Montoya, also with the church, say the event was very important for other reasons.

"One of the biggest things is being a part of the community. A lot of times I feel like people see the church and think, 'Oh, that's the church. I don't want to go there.' So we're trying to actually get out to the community, but we're also raising money for local students," Montoya said.

Montoya added that the church, which used to be called Grace Outreach, wanted to be closer to the Rio Rancho community, hence the name change.

"We're not fire and brimstone, you know," he joked.

He says in all seriousness, the church just wants to help people in need.

"We're not asking for anything. We have no agendas. We just want to help and even if we could give somebody a boost," Bennett added.

Proceeds from the event will go toward Rio Rancho Public Schools students who are continuing their education, whether that be through college or trade school.

Bennett says Walmart works with them in a program that helps pay tuition expenses through reimbursement. The program requires the student work at Walmart during that time and, when they have met certain requirements in school, they are reimbursed for the tuition expenses. The church has also focused on making sure high school graduation is possible for students, especially at Independence High School.

"We do help out with Independence High School. Our church had the opportunity last year to build showers for the the location that they're at now. Lowe's also helped us out with the, I think, the women's ministry; they raised money for washers and dryers," Bennett explained.

Bennett added that these things that average high schoolers take for granted aren't as available to Independence students who may be homeless or otherwise don't have the ability to keep up on hygiene. He says just adding a space where students can keep up on hygiene has improved the graduation rates significantly.

Montoya says the idea for the car show was a collaboration between the church and local National Guard. Master Sgt. Juan Ayala, a member of the ministry, Bennett and Montoya got together and planned the car show.

The event itself featured members of the National Guard with their Hummer, Rio Rancho Police Department with their BMW motorcycles and Albuquerque Police Department with a classic police patrol car. Besides those, the car show had several classic cars on display, including a 1969 Opel GT, a VW Bus and several low-riders and classics on hydraulics. Some more modern pieces showed up as well, such as a Cadillac CTS-V and a couple of Shelby Cobra Mustangs.