Raising Up Young Leaders

Oakland City University has a rich heritage of providing quality education to students in a setting grounded in Christian values. Students are eager to grow in their faith but often need encouragement and direction to put that faith into action. The Mighty Oaks Mission Club is a new organization established for the following purposes: (1) Raising students’ awareness of General Baptist missionaries, (2) Providing opportunities for students to participate in diverse methods of mission-based outreach and (3) Developing student proficiencies in leadership and discipleship skills.

The need for this club was realized a few years ago while preparing for a team trip to Honduras. Several students from Oakland City University desired to go on this outing but for various reasons were unable to do so. Although their dreams of going to Honduras were not in God’s present plan, the call to serve was still lingering in their hearts. It was at that time that God cultivated an awareness that these students needed training and assistance in developing other avenues for service. The vision for this program includes training and information sharing regarding various aspects of mission work. These include the following:

• Educating students about the ministries of current General Baptist missionaries; • Encouraging students to support missionary

endeavors through prayer and financial support; • Preparing students to serve on short-term mission trips; • Offering seminars to aid in the spiritual formation, leadership skills, and the personal progress of each student participant. The overall goal is to produce future Christian leaders who will serve General Baptist Ministries, locally, nationally, and internationally to fulfill Christ’s mandate to evangelize to all nations.

We are grateful to General Baptist Women’s Ministries for supporting these efforts. As a result of this funding and prayer support, we have observed increased student awareness of mission based opportunities and a greater understanding of their roles in supporting General Baptist missionaries. This program aids to help accomplish Oakland City University’s motto: “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve.”