Introducing...It seemed appropriate to give a formal introduction to The Oaks Project, an idea that has been gradually evolving and consuming a lot of my attention over the last few years. I spent time as a student in 1999 in Costa Rica studying abroad through the Latin American Studies Program. Two years later I returned as an intern and spent two semesters mentoring and walking alongside students as they experienced the world from a perspective very foreign to their experience. The time I spent in Costa Rica (and Central America in general) was deeply formative for me. The best elements of the program--community, paradigm shifting, scholarship on location, faith integration--had a profound impact on the students and, for many of them, changed the course of their lives altogether.
I left that year abroad knowing that I wanted to walk alongside college students in some sort of context. When I came home I started praying intentionally about starting some kind of study abroad-ish type program here that would include the similar goals of taking students out of their normal context to have them wrestle with what faith looks like in a complex situation. A situation that would challenge their deep assumptions. A situation that would involve discipleship, encouragement and speaking into the lives of students. What better context for this endeavor than the city? And what better City than Long Beach? There are so many large houses or multi-unit complexes in Long Beach that are just crying out to be used for housing the students in this internship program. I already have my eye on a few of them...
The last couple years have included praying and dreaming with a handful of like-minded people (most notably Mike & Mary Matthias), going to graduate school and beginning a part-time teaching career at Biola. All of these things seem strategic to me... and give me a strong sense of the Lord's leading. I also see movement and momentum in the lives of people around me. This provides very clear affirmation to me of the stirring of the Holy Spirit and God's desire that His people live with intention wherever they find themselves. I am learning that having a clear vision is good... but to hold that vision loosely and to be flexible about what the specifics might look like. With that in mind, here are some nuts and bolts to give you a better sense of what we're talking about:
Mission
The Oaks Project’s mission is to challenge, equip, disciple and encourage young people. This will be accomplished through the investment of time, resources and daily life into students. Program staff will share life experiences and struggles, and will model the character and lifestyle of Christ as they relate to program participants.
Program staff is committed to living simply, sacrificially and with integrity in their lifestyles. They are deeply committed to Jesus Christ, the community of believers and to each other; this will be manifest through sharing their lives, confessing sin, sacrificing for one another, bearing each other’s burdens and walking through ministry’s joys and challenges together. Through their relationships with each other, Program staff will intentionally model for participants a lifestyle of partnership, sacrifice, commitment and love for one another.
Program Vision
The vision of The Oaks Project is fourfold: 1) discipleship, 2) community living, 3) scholarship and 4) service. Principles of discipleship will be strongly emphasized in the Program and will mark the relationships between participants and staff. Implicit in discipleship is the value of Scripture as the ultimate source of truth; it is the avenue for understanding the Kingdom and emulating the life of Christ. In addition to the belief in Scripture as the highest authority on life, Project staff will be committed to intentional investment in the spiritual, emotional and relational lives of the participants as a means to conforming the whole person more into the image of Christ.
The Project will be an on-site model in which participants live in community and will be expected to share in meals, daily activities, worship, fellowship and accountability. Community and relationships are often the context for God’s movement and this will be intentionally valued and lived out corporately in an urban location. Not only will community life inevitably promote growth and fellowship among the participants, it will also serve as a model to the surrounding community of the character of the body of Christ.
Scholarship will be an important avenue for the paradigm and worldview shifting that will take place throughout the participant’s involvement in the Project. A rigorous and relevant curriculum examining difficult issues in urban society such as poverty, homelessness, racism, gentrification and community development will be used to provoke thoughtful discourse and personal reflection. In addition, participants will be challenged to integrate their faith and context, and to struggle with the idea of being a disciple of Jesus Christ within a particular location, culture and society.
Finally, participants will spend time as interns in a community service agency, non-profit/NGO, organization or ministry. The service aspect of the Program will be focused on investing in the particular agency, learning skills and becoming familiar with the City—its virtues and challenges, neighborhoods and people—from a service standpoint.
Also notice the proposed logo up top (wow, a logo! This must be serious...). The idea for the name the Oaks Project comes from Isaiah 61:3 but all of Isaiah 61 provides a wonderful description of the kind of wholistic transformation of which we desire to be a part.
Reactions? Feedback? Please comment and speak to this...
Welcome to Nomads, Indians & Saints. I started this blog to create a space