Lucious Newsom, dies at 93

LUCIOUS NEWSOM

by Clarence Gilles

Lucious Tells His Story to the Bible Study Group

Some new friends in my Cursillo small groups had attended a bible study where Lucious came in to tell about God’s mission for him in Indianapolis. All wondered who this big dark-skinned man in bib overalls was. He told his story about being a Baptist Minister in Chattanooga, Tennessee, retiring at the age of 70, and asking the Lord what He wanted him to do now. Two months later he was invited by some Indianapolis Baptist Ministers to come up to Indy to help with the Mozell Sanders Thanksgiving dinner for the needy. After helping to serve the dinner, he asked the Ministers what they would do tomorrow? He was told it was an annual event. Lucious said, “Won’t the people be hungry every day?”

Lucious, after the Thanksgiving meal in Indy, went home and told his wife that the Lord had called him to serve the poor in Indianapolis. She was not too receptive and told him, “Get out there and enjoy fishing with the boat and trailer the church gave you for your retirement.” Lucious said he must have been pouting, because after a few days his wife said to him, “Lucious, I’ve never gotten between you and the Lord and I am not starting now, so if you want to go to Indianapolis to feed the poor for Jesus, you have my blessing. Lucious left his home, retirement, and his boat that weekend.

Bill tells how Lucious, not being familiar with Indy, was driving around on I-465, asking the Lord where to start his ministry. He was looking for a sign from Jesus. As he was driving on the Northeast side of Indy, he noticed carts that appeared to be filled with bread by a dumpster behind a Kroger store. He stopped and asked if he could have the bread to give to the poor. The manager approved and sent a stock boy to help Luscious fill every nook and cranny of his car with dated bread and sweets. Lucious asked the stock boy, “Where do the poor live in Indy?” The boy said, “I’m not sure, but if you go to Meridian St., then head south to about 42nd street, you should be getting close.” Lucious saw kids playing ball in the street, pulled over and asked them if they knew anyone who needed bread. Within 2 hours his car was empty. That was his first day giving bread to the needy in downtown Indianapolis, which he continued to do regularly. Lucious became friends with Tom Dolan, who let Lucious set up a food distribution center in the back of Tom’s West Side Bait shop for the next 10 years.

The Transmission

Lucious would go back home to Chattanooga, TN about four times a year. On one trip his transmission went out on his van near Bowling Green, Kentucky. He got a ride to a repair shop. He told them he did not have any money but needed to have his transmission fixed. He said, he gives food to the poor and asked if they could help him. They said, “No,” but we do know someone who might. The person they called fixed his transmission on condition that Lucious on his way back to Indy, would bring food to serve the poor in Bowling Green. Lucious did so and from then on Bowling Green was special to him and he would always stop with food on his way back to Indy.

Relocation

When Lucious needed a new location, a gentleman bought a small church about 4 blocks away with a side lot. Knowing Lucious, he said Lucious could use the lot for food distribution. Not long after the gentleman bought the property on a payment plan, the seller asked for payment in full. The gentleman approached Lucious with the problem. A benefactor heard about it and offered to anonymously donate the sum to the gentleman, who then deeded the side lot to Lucious, giving Lucious a permanent home for the market. Eventually they built Anna’s house on that property, which was named in honor of Anna Molloy, a girl born with a rare genetic disorder who helped Lucious serve the poor from her wheelchair. Anna died at the age of 12 about 3 weeks prior to Lucious death. The house had offices and a free clinic to serve the poor in the area.

Love & Charity Overcome Hatred

When Lucious started his ministry not all were happy with him being there. After Anna’s house was built someone sprayed paint on the side of the house with a few words including the “N” word. Volunteers went into action cleaning up the hateful graffiti. About two years later Lucious was approached by a young father, who said he moved to the neighborhood a few years earlier from Tennessee and had a gift for him. The young man handed him a knife with the KKK symbol on it. He confessed that he was the one who had previously spray painted the house and asked for forgiveness, saying, he was sorry. He told Lucious he had a change of heart because Lucious was the only one who gave him and his family food when they needed it, and even paid a portion of his utility bills when they could not make ends meet.

Lucious always had that knife in his pocket as a reminder of the power of God and charity. He shared the story often to remind others that what they did for those in need, did indeed make a difference in people’s lives both physically and spiritually.

The Examination Table: The Lord Provides

One Saturday Mike brought furniture from HSPG church to Lucious at the market. Lucious, told Mike he was going to start a free clinic and was going to need an examination table. Mike said, “Lucious, where am I supposed to get that?” Lucious said, “Mike, the Lord will provide the table, all I need you to do is deliver it.” On Monday Mike was picking up donated furniture. At one stop he was picking up chairs and tables from a small office. After much of it was loaded, the lady donating everything, said, “This is a silly question, but would you have a need for an examination table.” Mike said,” You’re not going to believe this, and he proceeded to tell her of Lucious’s request.” She led him to the back rooms with an examination table in each. In addition, there was a screen for viewing x-rays, a desk with desk chair and a closet full of supplies. It was everything needed to set up a complete examination room. Apparently, her husband had retired and was removing everything from his office. When Mike unloaded his prized delivery to Anna’s house, Lucious was not at all amazed, he merely said, “Put it over here.” Apparently, the Lord told Lucious he was sending it to him, and thus Lucious was expecting it.

The Watch

One day Lucious met a man and a little girl whose heart was broken when she was about six years old. That was when her mother walked out the door of their family’s home and never returned, leaving the girl, her sister, and their father behind. After that the little girl stopped talking. Lucious would stop by to talk to her, give the family food, and encourage her. One Easter, he took her and her sister to get Easter clothes. As they were leaving the store, the girl saw a watch and pointed to it. Lucious asked the sales lady how much it was. She told him $25. Lucious said he had spent all his money but, “I want that watch for her.” He told the sales lady he would bring the money back, but the lady said she could not give it to him. He then asked to talk to the manager. The manager gave him the watch and later Lucious returned and paid for it. After he took the girls home to their father, Lucious was driving away when the father rushed out and stopped him. He wanted him to come inside. “You’ve got to hear this,” the father said. When they were inside, the father said to the girl, “What did you just say?” She said, “He’s a good man.” The father started crying as these were the first words she had said in three years.

Thanksgiving

Bill remembers one Thanksgiving when the Lord’s pantry was giving out baskets of food to families but were four short. A volunteer asked Lucious, what are we going to do? Lucious said we are going to pray and give Jesus time to fix this. He barely finished the sentence when his phone rang. It was Holy Spirit at Geist church saying they had four baskets more than they needed and wondered if Lucious could use them. Lucious said, we will be right there to pick them up.

The Children

Much like Jesus, Lucious loved little children and they loved him. His message to them every week was, “Go home and tell your parents, thank you for everything you do for me, give them a big hug, and look them in their eyes and say, I love you.”

One Saturday a couple with two young daughters came down for their first time to help. During the distribution of the food, the parents asked if they and their daughters could meet Lucious personally. After the work was done, Bill took them to Lucious’ private office. The parents asked Lucious if the kids could do something themselves to help the poor children. He pulled up close to the kids and said, “Do you really want to do that?” Both cute little girls said, “Yes.” Without hesitation Lucious said, “I want to see you here next Saturday and I want you go home today and pick out your favorite toy and your favorite outfit and bring it next week to give to the kids who live here. Their eyes got big and looked a little disappointed, but Lucious said, “I’m asking you to give your best for the Lord because in your life He will always give you His best.” The parents had tears in their eyes. Yes, they did return the next Saturday with their best and came many more Saturdays thereafter.

The Prayer

A few years ago, Mike had a scare. He had been to the doctor to check on a lump on his neck. The doctor sent the sample to a specialist. The result was melanoma. The doctor told him it had metastasized to stage four. He told Mike he did not know if Mike had six weeks or six months to live. The next week when Mike went to the market, he asked Lucious to pray for him. Lucious, being a big man, put his arm around Mike and they prayed together. Lucious then told Mike, “I and the Lord are like this, (crossing his index, and fore finger,) and the Lord said not to worry about what the doctor told you. The Lord said he has plenty more work for you to do.” Treatments took time but the cancer was gone. Twelve years later, Mike is still working at his church doing the Lord’s work.

The Invitation

Tom had met Lucious at the Bible study. One day Lucious came to their church in Carmel. He had on his starched white shirt and his Sunday overalls. When Tom saw Lucious, he asked what he was doing there. Lucious said that Pastor Ted had invited him. Lucious had his very properly dressed pianist accompanying him. Tom’s wife asked, who was that man? Tom told her that she was in for a real treat. Father Ted gave a short homily and then introduced Lucious. Everyone was wondering about this huge black man, in bib overalls. Lucious informed them that he was a former Baptist minister and a convert to Catholicism. He gave a short talk and then burst into song with Amazing Grace. There was not a dry eye in the congregation. This was not a fund raiser but a sacred celebration of a man honoring his savior.

These are but a few stories of Lucious. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I did in hearing them.

Many Blessings,

Clarence

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