Canvassing

OHC students come from different backgrounds, but all share an earnest desire to work for God. They are thrilled to know that they do not have to wait until they graduate to begin a life of service. While in school, students may become missionaries for God and experience the joy of leading others to Christ.

The goal of Ouachita Hills is to thoroughly equip the youth of today with the skills they need to be effective workers for Christ whatever their life work may be. During their training at OHC, students are involved in ministry which they put their knowledge into practice. Canvassing allows students to work together for the purpose of reaching out to a community and winning souls for Christ.

Every semester students have the opportunity to go out on the streets and develop their skills in canvassing. Students often find that the mission field is much closer than they realized-- right here in North America. In homes and businesses, on the parking lots and street corners, students meet the people where they are, offering them attractive maga-books—children’s books, family and health books, and most importantly the message books such as Peace Above the Storm, Desire of Ages, and the Great Controversy. There is nothing as rewarding as seeing God’s leading as He answers prayer, sets divine appointments, and touches lives.

While canvassing, students learn lessons of perseverance, co-operation, and self-motivation; they also develop skills in leadership, outreach, and personal ministry. Strong bonds form as students work and pray together, encouraging and strengthening each other.

As students minister to others, they are inspired to a closer walk with God. A growing love for soul winning is developed in this cycle. But this passion is not limited to canvassing programs. Once the fire of enthusiasm in kindled in the heart it is difficult to quench. As they return to OHC, students are fully motivated for a life of service to the Master. Students leave OHC on fire for God and ready to answer His call.

What OHC students say about canvassing:

Anthony Montague (Theology, sophomore) Canvassing Leader

“During the summer, our students became a strong, close-knit group. I saw those young people growing spiritually, and before long, they were initiating prayer groups. God answered those prayers, blessing their efforts abundantly. I was even surprised by enthusiasm and holy boldness that the students showed in their work. I never thought of youth ministry as one of my talents, but this summer I developed a love for working with young people. As I saw the passion these young people had for sharing Christ, it inspired me to do my part in encouraging them in their work of hastening the soon coming of Christ.”

David Young (Secondary Education, sophomore) Canvassing Leader

“Working with my students made me realize again my responsibility as a leader. God taught me a lot this summer about the meaning of true leadership. I saw that as a leader, I must be an example of what I want my students to become.”

David Armstrong (Religion, senior) Canvassing Leader

“As I worked as a canvassing leader, I realized that canvassing is a very effective way of finding searching souls. While canvassing the students found many of their canvassing contacts eager for Bible studies. By the end of the program, we had a tall stack of Bible study interests that nearly overwhelmed our Bible worker.”

Jennita Schmidt (Elementary Education, sophomore) Canvasser

“When I began canvassing, I was a struggling Christian, but God soon taught me that I could not succeed in my endeavors on minimal prayer and Bible study, as I once thought I could. As I saw God working miracles, and softening the hearts of my contacts, I realized that God could change my life too. I saw God helping me to gain victories in the areas I struggled the most. Ever since then, every canvassing program has been a spiritual revival in my life.”

Church Planting

Project Description

Students of Ouachita Hills College are actively involved in church plant project in Arkadelphia and Mt. Ida Arkansas.

If you would visit the Arkadelphia Seventh-day Adventist church plant on a typical Sabbath morning, you would find an enthusiastic friendly group of about forty. In the spring of 2004, a group of staff and students and OHC united their efforts to plant a church in Arkadelphia, a multi-racial city of just about 11,000 persons; nearly 40% of these are students at the two local universities, Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist. Our outreach activities in Arkadelphia have included door-to-door surveys, canvassing, community service days, personal and group Bible studies, music concerts, health seminars, and children’s programs. Since the fall of 2006, evangelistic series have been held in Arkadelphia every year. This year has been an exciting one in Arkadelphia: 7 of our Bible study contacts gave their lives to Christ in baptism. Eugene Prewitt, co-ordinator and founder of the Arkadelphia church plant, says “We’ve had zero apostasies, every member is active and we always have greater attendance than membership.” What is the key to their success? Active and earnest commitment from every member. The new members quickly catch the spirit of enthusiasm and the joy of evangelism. Already the newly baptized members are starting Bible studies with their neighbors and inviting their friends and relatives to church. Students speaking about their experience at Ouachita Hills College often speak of their work in the church plant as a highlight of their educational experience.

Mission Trips

“Without missions, one receives only a limited view of the work God has for us to do. We don’t see the big picture,” says Abigail Dragomir, Biblical Studies Major at Ouachita Hills College. “We unconsciously center on our lives and ourselves. Sometimes, it is necessary for God to allow some affliction through service to come to us comfortable people in order to open our eyes to the need of comforting those afflicted in our world.”

Chester Clark III, Director of Missions says, “The purpose of having mission trips at Ouachita Hills is to rightly train an army of young people who will sacrificially finish the Lord’s work.” Thus, from the pioneer days of Ouachita Hills Academy to the present days of the growing Ouachita Hills College the school has operated 18 mission trips to various countries including the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Haiti, Thailand, India, Ghana, Siberia and Bulgaria. Besides much work in lines of evangelism, students have constructed churches, schools, and clinics.

What have mission trips done for the students of Ouachita Hills?

“I lost sight of myself and saw just a glimpse of the need that is out there. Raymond Torres, a Theology Major testifies regarding a mission trip. “I realized how much pain and hurt there is in this world. In losing sight of myself, I realized exactly what I wanted to do; I realized there was nothing better or more enjoyable than ministering to others and their needs.”

However, missions mean more than carrying the gospel to another country. Being involved in missions transforms the life of the one ministering, thus making him or her a more powerful tool in God’s service in the home, the church, the community, and wherever God calls.

William Little, Biblical Studies Major, attests, “I believe that one of the keys to revival and growth in the church and individuals is evangelism. Mission trips not only help bring growth in other parts of the world, but also bring personal change and growth in Christ. In turn, this change comes home with the missionary, and the church at home is benefited.”

Sabrina Mills, an Elementary Education Major adds, “Missions are important because we play a part in showing the love of Christ to others who are not aware of a loving Savior.”

Missions--what is it all about? For Ouachita Hills it means the simultaneous sharing of God’s end-time message and the training of an army of effective workers. It means forgetting our own comfort and submerging ourselves in the work of consoling the afflicted with the hope we have in Jesus.