At First Christian church we believe we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world, thus mission and outreach is vital to our Student Ministry.
Teresa of Avila, a holy woman who lived in Spain in the sixteenth century, writes these words…
“Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ is to look out on a hurting world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless now.”
Our Student Ministry takes this calling seriously, and throughout the year we are engaged in local outreach within our community. Whether it be serving at the City Rescue Mission, leading worship at Bradford Village, or raising money to sponsor our World Vision child – our youth reach out in the name of Christ.
Each summer our youth participate in an extended mission experience. We rotate among three types of mission opportunities. They are as follows:
• Hands on Mission – A week spent performing manual labor helping those who are in need. It allows our students to “Get Dirty for Jesus.”
• Encounter – This is a week long “Spiritual Mission” in Estes Park, Colorado. It allows our students the opportunity for intense Bible study, worship, and prayer in the midst of God’s awesome creation.
• Musical Tour – This is typically a two-week long experience. Our students spend 6 months preparing a dramatic musical production, which they perform at churches, conferences, and special events as they “tour” regions of the United States. It allows our students the opportunity to share the Gospel Message through their gift of drama and singing.
Take a look at how our students have been the hands and feet of Christ in our world…
• 1996 – Musical Tour to the World Convention of the Christian Church in Calgary, Canada
• 1997 – High School trip to Jamaica where they built a parsonage and led Vacation Bible School for the children of the village of Goshen.
• 1997 – Middle School trip to San Antonio, Texas to work at the Inman Christian Center for Children and Families.
• 1998 – Musical Tour of the Northeast United States
• 1999 – High School trip to Matamoros, Mexico to work at an orphanage sponsored and run by Good Samaritan Ministries.
• 1999 – Middle School trip to Monte Vista, Colorado to work with Habitat for Humanity in Alamosa, Colorado.
• 2000 – Musical Tour of the Southeast United States, featuring a performance at Disney’s Magic Music Days at Epcot Center.
• 2001 – Encounter
• 2002 – High School return trip to Matamoros, Mexico to work at the orphanage with Good Samaritan Ministries
• 2002 – Middle School return trip to San Antonio, Texas to work at the Inman Christian Center for Children and Families
• 2003 – Mystery Mission Trip. This trip stayed local for the week and our students participated in over 40 different projects in the OKC metro.
• 2004 – Musical Tour of the Northwest United States
• 2005 – Encounter
• 2006 – High School and Middle School trip to the Heifer Project Global Village in Perryville, Arkansas.
• 2007 – High School and Middle School trip to ReCreation Experiences in Asheville, North Carolina.
• 2008 – Return trip to ReCreation Experiences in Asheville, North Carolina.
• 2009 – High School and Middle School trip to Lake Charles, Louisiana to work with Week of Compassion as they continue hurricane relief efforts.
• 2010 – Encounter (June 20-26 and July 18-24)
• 2011 – Musical Tour to the General Assembly of the Christian Church in Nashville, Tennessee (July 6-20).