Hosted by the Student Ministries Leadership Team, 11 students and one staff member spent their fall break serving the community of Tulsa at Crossover Bible Church.
“The focus of the trip was to spend time listening and learning from members of our host community, particularly asking questions about community development from a Christian perspective,” Frank Huebert, the director of service and outreach ministries, said. “Meeting a wide variety of community members provides an opportunity to see some of the values, strengths and beauty that often get overlooked when driving through an under-resourced part of a city or town.”
Not only did the group fulfill their mission of listening and learning, they also lived out their mission through tangible service.
Freshman kinesiology major Sam Snook thought fall break was a great opportunity to set aside time to serve the Lord. “Learning specifically about what it means to actually live out what the Lord calls his disciples to do and that is to go — whether it be to our neighbors or overseas. We are not called to be reclusive,” Snook said.
“The highlight of the trip for me was when we got to go to the [Crossover] boys’ school,” Snook added. “We had the opportunity to listen to four students who shared their perspectives on the culture and atmosphere that the school was trying to cultivate. While other schools [fail] to follow through on their promises of a tight community, intentional teachers and a “no man left behind” mentality, this school excelled.” The Crossover boys’ school administration credit God for the school’s success. “This realization wasn’t coming from the administration either, although the principal was amazing, this view was coming from the kids. It gave me a realization of the community that we are called to create right now for the Lord’s sake,” Snook said.
From Huebert’s perspective, the highlight of any mission trip, but especially this one, is “seeing the way JBU students engage so well in other communities — asking great questions, slowing down to serve, encouraging others, meeting people where they are at,” he continued. “Our team got to spend significant time with people who have disconnected in many ways from the American Dream in order to pursue the Gospel Kingdom. This type of simple living is such a great encouragement to our own faith, and our listening and learning presence is a way to serve and encourage that continued work.”
Photo courtesy of Crossover Bible Church