meeting story-haiti relief

A pastor of Journey Church in Norman, Okla., spoke to many local residents about changing priorities and taking care of the needs of the world.

In his speech entitled "Untamed," senior pastor Clark Mitchell said that a good start in shifting priorities within the community would be to turn to medical relief in Haiti. Two teams from the church had already performed work efforts there, and another team is in preparation for June 2010.

He spoke about the upcoming mission and the importance of participation in getting help from around the community.

"We're drawn to the stuff of the world to take care of our needs," Mitchell said. He also mentioned that changing personal desires by focusing on the needs of others would bring the world together without selfishness.

The church staff showed a video of work attempts in Haiti from previous missions, and showed the harsh living conditions due the earthquake back in January. It also featured growing relationships with church members and the children there.

Haiti takes pride in its growing young population and the skills that generation possesses. Yet, with this catastrophic event, there has been more than enough damage to last for many generations to come.

A young Haitian boy featured in the video said, "Haiti is a small country. So imagine losing 100,000 young people."

Mitchell said that helping this generation is a main motive of the church. Losing so many young people is costly to the economy and politics of Haiti.

Many families, students, and singles gathered from around the Norman area to discuss what changes can be made in order to be a part of the relief effort without physically being there.

The church staff asked for any guests to fill out an information card as well as a chance to speak with Mitchell. Church member Chrissy Disarro was pleased with the church service overall.

"I feel like I need to be doing more with my time," she said. "After hearing Clark talk about the needs there versus our so-called needs here, I just really feel a need to step it up."

She also expressed excitement about her plans to be a part of the mission trip in June.

Disarro was not the only one who felt inspired to help. Several baskets were dispersed among the hundred people in attendance, where many of them placed generous donations in baskets that were passed around in order to help the efforts.

Executive pastor Rod Conant appreciated the evening as well.

"This is a significant time in our church to move forward," he said. "It's a very powerful start."

The church plans to set weekly amounts of time after regular services to focus solely on their future plans in Haiti. People interested can attend another Haiti relief meeting next Sunday. They can also sign up for future mission work trips there.

All future meetings have not been officially scheduled. Those interested in giving donations or attending future meetings regularly should contact executive pastor Rod Conant or senior pastor Clark Mitchell.