By Andrew Thoresen, Trip Leader

Missionaries from The First Baptist Church in Needham will visit the Murrow Indian Children’s Home on Sept. 8-19 in Muskogee, OK, to provide spiritual growth in children whose lives are in crisis and empower them with the tools that they need to succeed and become excellent leaders and role models.

In what has become an annual pilgrimage, this will be First Baptist’s fourth missionary visit to Murrow Home.

Murrow Indian Home was started in 1867 when the Rev. J.S. Murrow opened a public school in Indian Territory, and he and his wife took in a number of Indian orphan children. The home has occupied its current location on the Bacone College campus since 1920. Murrow Home serves Native American children who have no other place to go and whose heritage is linked to the five ribes: the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole nations.

Murrow Indian Home provides a safe, loving Christian home environment for children from the tribes of Oklahoma who are dealing with forced separation from their homes because of family abuses, abandonment or being orphaned. Residents receive guidance, counseling, education planning and an opportunity to grow spiritually and personally. The staff helps to preserve Native American culture by making an effort to involve the children in their tribal events to help them remain a part of their heritage and to keep them in contact with their tribal members.

In February, the church began sponsoring a Murrow child.

Needham’s delegation hopes to dry some of the children’s tears and reassure them that they are loved with a goal of helping to bring forth new people, free of pain and misery, so that each morning is filled with anticipation and renewed ability to trust. The team will also complete a volunteer service project while at Murrow.

Want to help? 

There are additional slots available to any community member who is interested in joining the group. Being part of a mission team is truly a life-changing experience. Individual team members have the opportunity to learn about themselves, strengthen their relationship with God, and truly make a difference in the life of a child.

Using your presence, your ordinary hands, your smiles, and your love, you can ignite “fires of faith.” Your challenge is to do “good” and to trust God for the results. In time you will reap a harvest of blessing.

If you choose to participate, your out-of-pocket costs will include your round-trip airfare to Tulsa International Airport; your share of ground transportation—airport parking, rental car, gasoline; and your share of food while in Oklahoma. Lodging is free-of-charge at the Murrow Home’s Volunteer Cottage which is equipped with air-conditioning and heat and is fully furnished having kitchen, bath, and sleeping facilities. People who prefer off-site lodging pay extra.

Ground transportation and food costs while traveling in Oklahoma are subsidized by a generous $450 grant from The First Baptist Church Lydians Fund.

Interested parties should sign up immediately and attend an August informational session. Travelers may limit their stay to fewer than the full 11 days. The trip is limited to 10 people.

A missionary trip provides something special and unique to each and every participant. Most people look at life differently upon returning home, filled with thoughtfulness and compassion as a result of the experience. Many return to their ministry destinations year after year, in order to remain involved and strengthen their new relationships.

For more information or for those considering joining First Baptist’s visit to Oklahoma, leave your contact information with The First Baptist Church in Needham office. Call 781-400-5867 or e-mail 1stbaptistchurchneedham@comcast.net.