Meet our volunteer, Andrew Reynolds! Andrew was born in Denver, Colorado, and then he lived in New Jersey for 8 years. When he was 9, his family moved to Huntsville. Andrew loves to golf and played it in high school and college. He graduated from Madison Academy and then Harding University.
Andrew is married to Amanda and is the father of Addie and Emme. Andrew’s wife is also involved at His Way teaching at our Women’s ReDiscovery program.
Andrew is also the son of our Director Tom Reynolds! After college, Andrew started his own affiliation with His Way by working in and helping to build our first thrift store located on University and Oster Drive. While working there, he befriended many His Way residents who volunteered at the store.
Volunteering with His Way
Andrew left the thrift store to eventually pursue his career in the defense industry and focus on his family. But four years ago, his friend Matt Reynolds (His Way board member and no blood relation!) had the idea to get involved at His Way. With Matt, Andrew began providing Cross-Fit classes and spending time working out with the residents.
Andrew says, “I think a lot of guys my age go through the same thing. You are married and have young children. You can’t do all the things you used to do or you want to do because you are working and providing for your family. And you are doing the right things, but it still kind of feels like you are missing something. At that point in my life, it seemed like the perfect time to get involved at His Way.”
From Cross Fit to a Coffee Shop Ministry
Andrew’s involvement at His Way evolved somewhat over time. He spent his first year focusing on fitness. Once the group of guys in the Cross Fit class moved on and graduated, what came next was a sort of “coffee shop” ministry.
Every Wednesday night, a staff member would bring a group of guys to Angel’s Island Coffee Shop. Then, the residents and volunteers would hang out and build relationships before attending church together. Andrew thinks this was a great way to intersect churches with guys in recovery.
Since the coffee shop ministry was such a success, he and Matt began picking up the residents and taking them to church at Twickenham Church of Christ every Sunday, as well.
Then the pandemic started.
How the Table Talk Ministry Was Born
With churches and coffee shops shut down, Andrew and Matt were instrumental in bringing the “coffee shop and church” idea to His Way on Wednesday nights, and that is when “Table Talk” was born.
Table Talk involves a 30-minute introduction of a topic or sometimes a video. Then, it moves into 30 minutes of round-table discussions with 4-5 guys and 1-2 volunteers at each table. All of our residents participate in this program every week, and it has grown a lot in two years.
Now, Table Talk is more of a mentorship program. Groups and individuals from area churches regularly attend, teach lessons, and form meaningful relationships with residents.
As Table Talk Continues to Evolve
“One of the biggest things in recovery is having a community that shares with each other,” Andrew says. “One overwhelming thing about being a volunteer here…you feel like you can’t do enough. There are 45 guys here, and so the help of the extra volunteers from other churches and places takes a lot of the burden off.”
Also, he expressed that helping men in recovery is just hard: “We can’t make all their decisions for them. We can help them, be a friend to them, plant seeds in their life, but you have to let them make the decisions they’re going to make.” Sometimes watching them make the wrong ones is difficult.
How does Andrew see things going forward? He says: “Relationships have always been the most important thing no matter what we were doing here, whether it was working out together or whatever. I just try to be intentional and take steps forward, as God opens doors to do whatever is necessary. I didn’t anticipate Table Talk becoming what it is.”
Andrew will soon be a part of a group that will work through materials to learn how to mentor people. This includes making connections and being an accountability partner. And he would love to see more volunteers from different churches become involved.
Would you like to volunteer for our Table Talk ministry?
Our Table Talk program continues to grow and evolve! That means we can take all of the volunteer help we can get. If you are interested in volunteering on Wednesday nights, fill out the contact form on our Volunteer page: https://hiswayinc.org/volunteer/