Outreach at Ozark Lakes
Workplace Ministry...
By the second week of project, the students have already started working jobs in the Branson community.
The opportunity to work Monday through Thursday before dinner allows students to complete their support for the summer and save up for the coming school year. Income, however, is hardly the point of keeping a part-time job. The chance to go out and work in the community is a perfect way for project students to practically live out their faith.
Working side-by-side with non-believers for a whole summer takes the evangelistic mindset a step away from the one-time-encounter type of outreach and a step closer to evangelism as a way of everyday life. Simply talking to co-workers about spiritual things gives non-Christians the time to ask the questions relevant to their life and to see the difference Jesus has made in the lives of believers around them in the way they work and interact. It helps co-workers to understand that they are cared about as people, instead of merely being a step in a scheduled outreach.
Most jobs range from gas stations to hotel reception to fast food, which not only give students a different perspective on life from the other side of the counter, but also the way the rest of the world views and treats people in those positions. Such lessons in humility can be invaluable in both personal growth and ministry to students on summer project.
Monday Night Live...
Every Monday, after a hard day of work and a delicious meal (prepared by two student chefs), everyone drives to the Skyline Southern Baptist Church for Monday Night Live (MNL). Monday Night Live is a student-led ministry, specially geared toward reaching out to the students at College of the Ozarks (C of O). MNL is similar to weekly Campus Crusade meetings. It usually consists of skits, prayers, praise songs, and various speakers, who challenge everyone to run toward Christ quickly and passionately.
Testimonies...
After dinner, two to three students are assigned every day to give their personal testimonies about how they came to know Christ to the other students and the staff.
The purpose is to give them practice in giving an effective testimony, which can be a great tool for personal ministry. Students also give their testimonies at Monday Night Live to encourage visitors and the students at the College of the Ozarks to live out their faith in Christ. "Giving my testimony for the first time at the Monday Night Live was the best personal ministry experience for me. My parents were there. They didn't support me at first, and now they do. My dad congratulated me afterwards, and I'm looking forward to getting home and discussing it with him."
Saturday Outreach
Community outreach is a major focus of the Ozark Lakes Summer Project. Throughout the summer, students are given opportunities to make an impact on the Branson area by exposing others to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether it is cleaning public bathrooms to show God's love to others or simply talking to people in line at a theme park, the outreaches are planned to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others.
The outreach also helps students to grow in their personal ministry skills because the ability to clearly communicate the Gospel becomes a necessity. Students must also know their belief well enough to answer questions on the spot and even be prepared to share their personal testimony if the need arises. The heart of outreach, however, is for students simply to surrender their inadequacies to God and to trust Him to work in the lives of the people they encounter.