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Released 21 July 2011
Two Decades of Mission Partnership
In 1994, the
youth leaders of the Oakbrook Terrace Corps responded to a request from the
Bahamas Division to send a mission team to assist the Freeport Corps with their
summer Day Camp program. What began as a one week youth group mission
trip has developed into a partnership between the two locations which is now in
its eighteenth year. Through the years there have been many leadership
changes both at the Oakbrook Terrace Corps and the Freeport Corps, but the
ministry partnership has continued through prayer, the sharing of resources,
and an annual mission trip to the Freeport Corps.
Each year the
Oakbrook Terrace Corps sends either a youth or adult mission team to staff the
Freeport Corps Day Camp for one week. To raise the funds for their trip,
the team holds a Mother's Day Luncheon fundraiser, hosts an auction, caters a
dinner for another Salvation Army location, and engages in other fundraising
events. One year an adult team member even held her own "To Shave or Not
to Shave My Head" Bahamas fundraiser where corps members, friends, and family
members were able to vote with their dollars to determine whether she would
shave her head or not!
As the staff of the Day Camp, the mission
team members teach the Bible, Craft, and Recreation classes and chaperone daily
afternoon field trips. Each year the team incorporates time into the camp
when children are asked to evaluate their personal relationship with the Lord,
and many commit their lives to Christ. The team also participates in the
Sunday services at the corps and they lead the weekly Home League
meeting. Based on the needs of the corps, in some years the team has led
the corps' youth club, Junior Soldiers, Corps Cadets, League of Mercy, Adult
Bible Study, open air meetings, participated in a building grand
opening/dedication ceremony, sorted hurricane supplies, and completed small
work projects such as painting the building.
For the Oakbrook
Terrace Corps, being involved in this partnership has led to spiritual and
relational growth for team members. As each year's team consists of
different individuals, team members are stretched by seeing and experiencing
things they haven't before which grows their faith and gives them awareness of
God's blessing in their lives and understanding of their dependence on Him for
everything. Oakbrook Terrace Corps Youth Pastor Lisa Jordan explains,
"The yearly mission trip creates a bond between specific teammates and others
who've gone on the trip before - which definitely promotes unity at our
corps. The day before the 2011 mission team departed, I had a call from a
past team member promising to pray and wishing us well, a call offering to help
pay for our baggage expenses and a donation for more Bibles! I've had
several texts from our corps family to say they'd be praying and anxious to
hear all about the experience. I love that - it's the Body of Christ
functioning as it should!" This mission partnership has also enhanced the
corps' overall global awareness and increased their interest and compassion for
the Army's work around the world. Many past Oakbrook Terrace Corps mission team
members have gone on to pursue further service in overseas missions with
roughly 40 individuals serving on Salvation Army Summer Mission Teams through
the years, two currently serving as short-term overseas missionaries, and three
currently serving as long-term overseas missionaries. Additionally, five
former team members have gone on to become Salvation Army officers. For the
Freeport Corps, the partnership has allowed them to have a program and reach
out into their community in a way that they could not without the resources the
mission team brings. It's an encouragement to the Corps Officers to have
partners in their ministry who support them in their ongoing discipleship of
the Day Campers and their families throughout the year. Because of the
consistency of the mission team's visit year after year, relationships between
the members of the two congregations have developed. In recent years, the
Oakbrook Terrace Corps mission team has encountered people throughout the
island who fondly remember their time as campers at The Salvation Army and are
now working to positively contribute to society!
Two
Decades of Mission Partnership
In 1994, the youth leaders
of the Oakbrook Terrace Corps responded to a request from the Bahamas Division
to send a mission team to assist the Freeport Corps with their summer Day Camp
program. What began as a one week youth group mission trip has developed
into a partnership between the two locations which is now in its eighteenth
year. Through the years there have been many leadership changes both at
the Oakbrook Terrace Corps and the Freeport Corps, but the ministry partnership
has continued through prayer, the sharing of resources, and an annual mission
trip to the Freeport Corps.
Each year the Oakbrook Terrace Corps
sends either a youth or adult mission team to staff the Freeport Corps Day Camp
for one week. To raise the funds for their trip, the team holds a
Mother's Day Luncheon fundraiser, hosts an auction, caters a dinner for another
Salvation Army location, and engages in other fundraising events. One
year an adult team member even held her own "To Shave or Not to Shave My Head"
Bahamas fundraiser where corps members, friends, and family members were able
to vote with their dollars to determine whether she would shave her head or
not!
As the staff of the Day Camp, the mission team members teach
the Bible, Craft, and Recreation classes and chaperone daily afternoon field
trips. Each year the team incorporates time into the camp when children
are asked to evaluate their personal relationship with the Lord, and many
commit their lives to Christ. The team also participates in the Sunday
services at the corps and they lead the weekly Home League meeting. Based
on the needs of the corps, in some years the team has led the corps' youth
club, Junior Soldiers, Corps Cadets, League of Mercy, Adult Bible Study, open
air meetings, participated in a building grand opening/dedication ceremony,
sorted hurricane supplies, and completed small work projects such as painting
the building.
For the Oakbrook Terrace Corps, being involved in this
partnership has led to spiritual and relational growth for team members.
As each year's team consists of different individuals, team members are
stretched by seeing and experiencing things they haven't before which grows
their faith and gives them awareness of God's blessing in their lives and
understanding of their dependence on Him for everything. Oakbrook Terrace
Corps Youth Pastor Lisa Jordan explains, "The yearly mission trip creates a
bond between specific teammates and others who've gone on the trip before -
which definitely promotes unity at our corps. The day before the 2011
mission team departed, I had a call from a past team member promising to pray
and wishing us well, a call offering to help pay for our baggage expenses and a
donation for more Bibles! I've had several texts from our corps family to
say they'd be praying and anxious to hear all about the experience. I
love that - it's the Body of Christ functioning as it should!" This mission
partnership has also enhanced the corps' overall global awareness and increased
their interest and compassion for the Army's work around the world. Many past
Oakbrook Terrace Corps mission team members have gone on to pursue further
service in overseas missions with roughly 40 individuals serving on Salvation
Army Summer Mission Teams through the years, two currently serving as
short-term overseas missionaries, and three currently serving as long-term
overseas missionaries. Additionally, five former team members have gone
on to become Salvation Army officers. For the Freeport Corps, the partnership
has allowed them to have a program and reach out into their community in a way
that they could not without the resources the mission team brings. It's
an encouragement to the Corps Officers to have partners in their ministry who
support them in their ongoing discipleship of the Day Campers and their
families throughout the year. Because of the consistency of the mission
team's visit year after year, relationships between the members of the two
congregations have developed. In recent years, the Oakbrook Terrace Corps
mission team has encountered people throughout the island who fondly remember
their time as campers at The Salvation Army and are now working to positively
contribute to society!