Charter Oak Church Missions

Big Creek: More Than a Mission  Big Creek wasn’t just a mission trip; it was a few days of seeing the world in a way I hadn’t before. Days of realizing how much people can endure, and how much love and hope can still thrive in the hardest places. Our first full day at Big Creek started with visiting a local church. The service was full of warmth and energy. The pastor’s enthusiasm was contagious. He wasn’t polished or rehearsed, he was raw, present, and alive in a way that made everyone...

I’m remembering God moments from our recent mission trip to Big Creek. There were many. But I am going to give you just a few, from this one day, that I am still marveling at.  The project that we were dispatched to was to help a client named Tammie with her yard. Tammie had been living in an abandoned trailer that her brother had given her. She also had some health issues and was just plain overwhelmed with where her life was at that time. Our mission was to clean up the yard. When we showed...

A Sharp Comparison of Faiths During my most recent mission trip to New York City, I was struck by a severe contrast in feelings which I experienced while visiting an Islamic service at a mosque and a Christian service at a church in the same city.   While visiting the mosque I was immediately struck by the mechanical, joyless devotion of the attendees.  I don’t believe I saw one believer with a smile on their face. Amid the reverence and ritual, I sensed an underlying atmosphere of coldness...