ABILENE, TEXAS — J.R. Rubio died carrying a Jóvenes for Christ T-shirt.
The 32-year-old architect served as president of the group, which sponsors annual summer season camps for English-speaking teenagers from bilingual and predominantly Hispanic Church buildings of Christ.
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Rubio spent this previous weekend in West Texas, assembly with the Jóvenes board because it deliberate for subsequent summer season’s camp at Abilene Christian College — and for the long run.
However the younger chief was killed in a head-on collision Sunday, Dec. 15, whereas headed dwelling to Austin.
JuanRaymon Rubio, left, at Jóvenes for Christ in Lubbock, Texas, in 2023.
JuanRaymon Rubio’s automobile was struck when an approaching automobile crossed the centerline of Texas Freeway 71 close to Llano County Highway 306, about 70 miles northwest of Austin, based on the Texas Division of Public Security.
Each drivers — Rubio and Ryan Becerra, 27, of Brownsville, Texas — have been pronounced lifeless on the scene. The accident stays beneath investigation.
Since its inception in 2016, Jóvenes for Christ has met at Lubbock Christian College. Pronounced HO-ven-es, it means “Youths for Christ.”
However Rubio advised The Christian Chronicle in 2023 that camp leaders hoped to rotate amongst different Christian college campuses sooner or later if prices might be contained and native help was out there. Rubio was a volunteer, as is the complete employees.
That’s why they have been in Abilene.
“It was all J.R.’s concept to do a visioning retreat,” stated Alonzo Rojo, youth minister for the Robinson Church of Christ in Springdale, Ark. “He actually needed the board to start out engaged on the long run,” making connections and discovering sources not only for the annual camp but in addition for scholarships.
“It was all J.R.’s concept to do a visioning retreat. He actually needed the board to start out engaged on the long run.”
‘Bilingual’ trailblazer
Rojo, a Jóvenes chief with Rubio, referred to as him a trailblazer.
“J.R. all the time needed to impression the subsequent era –– the subsequent bilingual era,” Rojo stated.
“He was setting a path for that era with new concepts. That was his ardour. … I’ve by no means met anybody like J.R. He was so energetic. He made you are feeling welcome.”
“He was setting a path for that era with new concepts. That was his ardour. … I’ve by no means met anybody like J.R. He was so energetic. He made you are feeling welcome.”
Rubio was recognized for his chortle.
“You knew when he laughed — it was so loud and recognizable and contagious,” his buddy stated. “He had a present that he may join with everybody and had a expertise to attach others with others. He will probably be missed.”
Jóvenes will proceed, Rojo stated, and hold Rubio’s ardour alive.
“We’ll proceed to pour into Jóvenes for Christ as a result of that was his legacy inside Church buildings of Christ. … I see God’s hand in all this — we had the retreat and talked in regards to the future, and I feel we wish to be good stewards of that point and the imaginative and prescient that we now have.”
Abel Alvarez, director of Hispanic initiatives at ACU, referred to as the weekend with Rubio and the Jóvenes board inspirational.
Solely Rojo and Rubio had been to the campus earlier than. Alvarez, who served a few years as minister for the Harvey Drive Church of Christ in McAllen, Texas, organized to host the group.
Alvarez organized visits with campus leaders and led a campus tour that concluded with a gaggle image at Jacob’s Dream, a campus and Abilene landmark. The pictures probably have been the final taken of Rubio.
The setting is poignant, maybe providential.
JuanRaymon Rubio, fourth from left, poses for a photograph at Abilene Christian College this previous weekend. Additionally pictured, from left, are Yazmin Tabares, Kevin Rivera, Alonzo Rojo, Lupe Nacesnceno and Ivan González.
‘We must always assume large’
The 34-foot, 7,000-pound sculpture depicts 4 angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven. Sculptor Jack Maxwell mirrored on its creation in a 2007 award-winning movie:
“It’s only a reminder that after we do issues, we don’t all the time should do small issues. We must always assume large, assume massive. … We don’t assume large enough typically sufficient.”
That’s how Rubio thought –– in regards to the future, and the previous.
Professionally, Rubio was a preservation architect. After finishing bachelor’s and grasp’s levels in structure at Texas Tech College in Lubbock, he spent seven years as an affiliate at Architexas. He was vp of the board of administrators for Preservation Austin and lively on the Metropolis of Austin Historic Landmark Fee.
Rubio was born Nov. 18, 1992, in Chicago Heights, Sick., a far-south suburb of Chicago. His mom, Norma, was a youngsters’s librarian. His father, Raymon, labored in management methods, robotics and machine instruments after serving within the U.S. Navy.
Moreover his Christian religion, JuanRaymon Rubio’s passions included structure.
J.R. was the couple’s youngest little one and solely son.
The elder Rubio described his son’s childhood and household journeys into the center of the town.
“He all the time cherished books, particularly architectural books,” the daddy stated. “And as a bit of boy, he was amazed and awed by skyscrapers and fell in love with structure.”
“He all the time cherished books, particularly architectural books. And as a bit of boy, he was amazed and awed by skyscrapers and fell in love with structure.”
Itinerant youth minister
Ultimately, he additionally developed a love of historic preservation, which turned his specialty.
The household have been longtime members of the Park Forest Church of Christ in close by Matteson, Sick., a congregation Raymon Rubio described as a very diversified group of Black, White and some Hispanic members. J.R. was lively within the youth group and repeatedly attended Rockford Christian Camp in Winnebago County, Sick.
Regardless of rising up within the shadow of certainly one of America’s nice architectural cities, J.R. selected to pursue his structure diploma in his father’s hometown, the place his grandmother and plenty of different household nonetheless lived.
Raymon had grown up attending the Colgate Church of Christ in Lubbock, the bilingual congregation the place J.R. labored as a youth minister throughout his pupil days in Lubbock. A decade later, Colgate supported Jóvenes with meals and a night exercise.
However J.R. typically described himself as an itinerant youth minister who was seldom in the identical place two Sundays in a row. His fixed companion on these many street journeys was a 7-year-old German Shepherd rescue named Paco.
For the previous two years, J.R. had been lively with the Grove Avenue Iglesia de Cristo in San Antonio, the place his grandfather served as minister again within the Eighties.
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The small congregation of about 50 now not has a full-time minister. Roberto Rivas, a retired lab supervisor at a neighborhood hospital, stated he’s not “the formal minister” however has been there because the Nineteen Seventies. An ACU graduate himself, Rivas stated he was excited in regards to the prospect of Jóvenes for Christ transferring to his alma mater for its June 2025 session.
The 8- to 10-member youth group at Grove Avenue has attended Jóvenes ever since Rivas discovered about it from J.R., who served as youth chief.
“They actually received to know his character, his coronary heart, who he was,” Rivas stated. “He had a very good rapport with younger folks. They appreciated being with him, a enjoyable individual — and he actually took to our youngsters.”
The group will nonetheless attend Jóvenes this summer season, Rivas stated, although “it will likely be a bit of completely different.”
One final trip
J.R. had been residing in Kyle, certainly one of many used-to-be-small cities alongside the 79 miles of Interstate 35 between Austin, the place he labored, and San Antonio, the place he worshiped.
He had lately helped his mother and father full a brand new dwelling in Kyle and was planning to fly this week to Chicago for a final household Christmas there earlier than driving their U-Haul again to Texas, the place he’d share their new dwelling. Paco had been left in Illinois on a earlier journey so he may make the drive to Texas along with his proprietor.
“J.R. was going to reside in it with us. Once we walked in, it was simply empty,” Raymon stated, his voice breaking. “He helped us design the inside, all the things we see. He had a voice and a ardour in what we did in the home.”
JuanRaymon Rubio with Paco, his 7-year-old German Shepherd rescue.
So as a substitute of packing up belongings in Illinois, Raymon drove from Chicago and spent the week making preparations for J.R.’s funeral. A visitation is deliberate Friday, Dec. 20, from 5 to eight p.m. The funeral service will probably be Saturday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m., each at Harrell Funeral House in Kyle.
When Raymon advised the funeral director how a lot his son had cherished Paco, and the way a lot he cherished the Texas Tech crimson Chevy Silverado that Raymon gave J.R. as a university commencement reward, the gentleman stated they’d a tool that would load J.R.’s casket into the again of his truck.
In the meantime, mates in Chicago already organized to carry Paco to Texas so he might be along with his proprietor one final time.
JuanRaymon’s beloved Paco will be capable of attend the 32-year-old’s funeral.
“The funeral dwelling has given us permission for Paco to be within the chapel,” Raymon stated, “and I’ve confirmed with the director that J.R. will probably be transported to his remaining resting place in his personal truck along with his canine.
“And if that wasn’t a blessing sufficient for me and my spouse and daughters, he referred to as the vault firm and requested them to color the vault Texas Tech crimson and put the Tech emblem on it.”
Along with a whole bunch of campers, dozens of prolonged household, his mother and father and sisters, J.R. was Tio — or “Uncle” — to his 5-year-old nephew Elias, son of sister Janee, who lives in Austin. Their sister Rosa lives in Oklahoma Metropolis.
“J.R. has been a father determine to Elias since he was born,” Raymon stated.
Certainly, Elias was the youngest camper at Jóvenes 5 years in the past when he attended in his bassinet. He’s gone yearly since.
“I’ve to fill the large sneakers of my son and be there to ensure that Elias is aware of the significance of retaining God in his life,” Raymon stated. “Perhaps sometime he’ll be a mighty warrior like his uncle, J.R..”
Perhaps sometime he’ll assume large in regards to the future, and the previous.
CHERYL MANN BACON is a Christian Chronicle contributing editor who served for 20 years as chair of the Division of Journalism and Mass Communication at Abilene Christian College. She interviewed JuanRaymon Rubio at Jóvenes for Christ final 12 months. Contact [email protected].
Memorial presents
In lieu of flowers, the household requests memorial presents to Jóvenes for Christ.
