Wayne Luster is a captain in the St. Louis Fire Department today because he was a pastor first.
Some 25 years ago, Luster was an associate pastor at New Jerusalem Cathedral Church of God in Christ (COGIC), where he noticed a recruitment flier for firefighters on a bulletin board.
It had been posted by Wendell H. Goins, a member of New Jerusalem Cathedral and a founding member of the Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality (F.I.R.E.), a fraternal organization for African-American firefighters.
“Wendell Goins is the one who brought me on,” Luster said.
Luster began his career at Engine House No. 9 and recently celebrated his 24th anniversary in the fire department on October 2.
Goins led him into the fire service, but Luster said it was the Lord who led him into pastoral work.
While at New Jerusalem Cathedral, Luster said, the Lord called him to start his own ministry. His mentor, Elder Solomon L. Williams, senior pastor of New Jerusalem, gave his blessing, and Luster founded Victory Outreach Ministries Church in 2009.
“We actually started in a daycare,” Luster said.
That daycare was Perfect Gift Nursery, located at 1318 N. Newstead Ave. Victory Outreach Ministries is currently located in Hazelwood at #14 Village Square.
Luster’s spiritual roots might be in C.O.G.I.C., but his church is nondenominational, with its doors open to people of all religious faiths. As a pastor, he said, he tries to make the “glorious gospel of Jesus Christ” plain and describes his preaching style as “practical.”
“We address the social ills that are faced in our society,” Luster said. “Because the Bible says, ‘It’s first natural, then spiritual.’ You have to deal with the natural man as well as the spiritual.”
At Thanksgiving, for example, Victory Outreach Ministries partners with the Covenant House to feed homeless teens who stay there, while dishing out a helping of “spiritual nourishment” as well.
“We’re a biblically-based church, but we’re actively engaged,” he said.
Luster holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical general studies from the Mid-West Bible Institute. He also earned an associate’s degree in business administration and marketing and advertising from St. Louis Community College. But fighting fires is how he has fed his family.
He is proud to say that he is able to pay college tuition at Alabama A&M University for his daughters, Charity and Crystal. He also financially helped his wife, Michelle, to launch her own business, Alternative Nail Salon & Spa.
Luster would not have entered the fire service without the support F.I.R.E. Its mission is to promote the hiring, retention and upward mobility of African-American firefighters. It currently has about 275 members, including Battalion Chief Steve Simpson, Captain John Watson Jr. and Captain Dave Scott.
In Luster’s former role as vice chairman of F.I.R.E., he served as a political liaison. He organized marches and spoke out against the contested demotion of then-Fire Chief Sherman George in October 2007. The city’s first African-American fire chief, George retired and sued Mayor Francis G. Slay for racial discrimination, without success.
Luster believes that diversity within the fire department should be representative of the city of St. Louis, which has a plurality of African Americans, according to the 2010 census. One of F.I.R.E.’s diversity initiatives is geared toward African-American youth. Luster credits current F.I.R.E. President Capt. Abram Pruitt Jr. with leading the effort to promote firefighting as a viable career path for youth.
Luster is not finished pursuing promotions himself. He is currently captain of Engine House No. 1, located at 2910 S. Jefferson Ave. in the Benton Park neighborhood. He has his sights set, next, on battalion chief and has been studying for the promotional exam.
Men will judge his capacity to lead in the fire department, but he has a higher authority in the pulpit. Luster said, “I excel in the ministry by pleasing God and by serving people.”
This story is part two of a four-part feature series entitled, “F.I.R.E. in the Pulpit.”
Church: Victory Outreach Ministries Church
Address: #14 Village Square, Hazelwood
Denomination: Nondenominational
Founded: 2009
Pastor: Wayne Luster
First Lady: Michelle Luster
Membership: 125
Ministries: Women, G.R.A.C.E (Girls Reared in Anointing Character and Excellence), D.I.V.A.S (Divine Intervention for Victory and Salvation), Men, B.R.O.T.H.A.S. (Bring Real Ones To Higher Authority & Salvation), Married/Unmarried, Prison and Health and Wellness.
