Mission trips can play a vital role in spiritual formation in young individuals. GoStudents is just one way the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) supports churches in making missions a priority in students’ lives throughout Oklahoma.
GoStudents is an organization founded on the belief that God is raising up a generation to complete the task of sharing Christ with a lost world. GoStudents is a tool used to help students embrace an “onmission” lifestyle.
“We believe that every student should experience a mission trip in their key developmental years,” BGCO Student Ministries Specialist and GoStudents Director Brian Baldwin said.
Last year a total of 130 Oklahoma Baptist students went to various mission fields around the world including Spain.
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GoStudents has sent young people from churches all over Oklahoma to places like Canada, Portugal, Latvia, East Asia and many more places across the globe, mobilizing the Good News of the Gospel using the strategy of creating awareness of unreached, unengaged people groups. By equipping students for readiness through education and training in the Gospel, students are then equipped to go in obedience to be witnesses throughout the earth.
In 2018, Oklahoma students will have the opportunity to participate in a GoStudent’s project within Oklahoma state lines.
“Though it is important to go to the ends of the earth to engage the unreached nations with the Gospel, it is every bit as important to engage our own state,” Baldwin said.
Oklahoma has been added as a destination to the GoStudents projects and will include three opportunities for students to reach out in the Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Lawton areas.
Allowing access to mission opportunities in Oklahoma will allow more students to embrace the “onmission” lifestyle that GoStudents encourages youth to adopt.
Many times a reason a student cannot attend a mission trip is do to the cost of travel. Baldwin said this won’t be a reason students can’t serve with GoStudents Oklahoma.
“These opportunities will have scholarships available for those who can’t pay the registration fee,” Baldwin said.
The Oklahoma mission projects will allow an opportunity for churches to engage their students in mission opportunities in places which they are familiar.
“Entire youth groups can participate freeing up the youth leader to spend more time with students instead of the time-consuming tasks of preparing mission trips,” Baldwin said.
“Churches can also simply send individual or clusters of students and know they are in good hands.”
The three Oklahoma mission trips are open to middle school and high school students grades sixth through 12th. College students and adults are encouraged to attend as leaders on any of the trips.
On July 7-11, students will work in the Tulsa area with the Mobile Missions Network, which is a ministry outreach that serves mobile home communities through various activities. Mobile Missions Network works to take the Church to the people in mobile homes and surrounding communities through several forms of outreach.
“Through block parties, kids Bible clubs, and other creative ministries students will get to share the good news of Jesus in Tulsa,” Baldwin said.
On July 14-18, GoStudents will serve with Mission Norman as a part of the Oklahoma City mission trip. Students will assist Mission Norman in the metro area, fulfilling physical needs of people, allowing the opportunity for spiritual needs to be met.
“Students will work in apartment complexes, carnivals, VBS, serving the needy and more, all while sharing the Gospel,” Baldwin said.
On July 20-24, in Lawton, GoStudents will join forces with M28 Ministries. M28 Ministries is an organization that is based on Matthew 28, known as the “Great Commission.” M28 is a not for profit ministry established in 2011 to serve native pastors and ministry partners in the U.S., South Asia and “wherever God leads us,” that demonstrates the love of Jesus Christ by serving people from all walks of life.
“In Lawton we will be serving by meeting the needs of the homeless, canvasing communities, and hosting block parties,” Baldwin said.
Everyone involved in the Oklahoma projects are strongly encouraged to attend the GoStudents Training Retreat. This retreat will also provide information about GoStudents trips to Portland, Seattle, Canada, Belize, Portugal, Spain, Latvia, Cambodia and East Asia. Training will be at Oklahoma City, Eagle Heights on April 7. The training retreat will help equip all students including those participating in these Oklahoma mission trips.
“Please spread the word and help impact our state and the spiritual formation of teenagers across Oklahoma this summer,” Baldwin said.
All Oklahoma projects will cost $165. At all locations, participants are expected to bring adequate bedding because they will be lodging at churches.
Student ministries or small groups of individual students interested in attending a GoStudent’s project Oklahoma mission trips should apply at GoStudents.org/apply by April 2. For further GoStudents information contact Brian Baldwin at bbaldwin@bgco.org or call 405/942-3800 Ext. 4683.
