Home Run Heroes

Changed people change the world around them.

Because of that, Oak Ridge Baptist Church recently threw a party honoring all of the church members who’ve “rounded all the bases” (took all four C.L.A.S.S.es—Christian Life and Service Seminars—offered by ORBC).  Over 450 church members have completed all classes, culminating with CLASS 401, since the class system was implemented in 1999.  “We wanted to celebrate those people who had gone through all of the classes,” explained Heather Smith, who played a huge role in organizing the event.  So, she went on, “We threw them a huge graduation party.”

Titled “Home Run Heroes,” this baseball-themed celebration held on October 15^th was more than just a great party (though sources say organizers knocked the festivities aspects of the event out of the park, too!).  But the celebration was also a fantastic chance to equip the Home Run Heroes (over 150 of whom were in attendance) with information to make them aware of service opportunities offered through ORBC’s PEACE plan.

Various missions groups and ministries within the church were represented during the party, each of them networking with the 401 graduates to help them find their passions.

The “P” in the PEACE Plan stands for Promote reconciliation.  Solutions Biblical Counseling and Oak Ridge’s two Christ-centered recovery programs Celebrate Recovery (for adults), and The Landing (for teens) were all present to explain opportunities for ministering within their ministries.

The first “E”—Equip servant leaders—was covered by missions teams ORBC sends to Africa and China, as these missions projects focus on how to assist Christian leadership at these sites.  While Oak Ridge offers several other missions opportunities, these two endeavors specifically focus on sharing effective leadership strategies with missions partners. 

Assisting the poor (“A”) was represented by H.A.L.O. and Financial Peace University.  H.A.L.O. stands for Hope and Life Outreach, a successful Salisbury ministry which vows to “Love ‘em Like Jesus,” meeting the needs of the homeless and impoverished in our local community.  FPU focuses on getting participants financially healthy, teaching Biblical money-management principles which allow hope for those overwhelmed by debt, and offer baby steps all households may take in order to improve their finances with a goal of becoming better able to bless others.

“C”—Caring for the sick—was addressed through two presences:  The Care Community ministry, which organizes visits to nursing homes and other home-bound individuals among other projects, and the Opioid Response Community, which has responded to this growing crisis in our area.

Finally, the second “E” in the PEACE Plan, Educate, was represented by local efforts to improve literacy in our community.

The opportunities didn’t end there, however.  PEACE in Action, a group of church members who make sure to plan at least one major service project every month (on the third Saturday of the month), were also present to network with graduates.  So were the South Dakota, Paris, and Peru missions teams, who offer exciting opportunities for ORBCers to engage in mission work all over the world—in fact, each missions team brought an appetizer or beverage that reflected the culture of their mission field—just one of the many fun touches of the evening.  The PEACE Relief Missions group was also represented, and shared about how their inaugural trip to Texas was helping with hurricane relief efforts.  Unlike ORBC’s other missions groups, which recurrently assist particular communities with whom we have built relationships via partner churches, PEACE Relief Missions selects areas with dire needs resulting from national disasters or other calamities.

Smith recognized that of the 401 graduates who were being honored that day, “many of them, if not all of them, are already serving.”  But she said that including so many PEACE leaders at the celebration was intentional, as it equipped those graduates with the information they needed to fulfill the PEACE pledge.

The PEACE pledge was distributed to each graduate in attendance.  All of the Home Run Heroes were recognized by name, crossed the stage just as in an actual graduation, and shook the hand of Lead Pastor Brian Moss.  The pledge, which the graduates then read aloud following remarks made by Pastor Brian and Pastor Gary McCabe, reflected the Heroes' commitment to “connect in community, grow towards maturity, give with generosity, serve with humility, and share Jesus with intentionality.” 

The Peace Pledge distributed to CLASS 401 Graduates.

Scott Creager, a 401 Graduate who also volunteered at the event, cooked about 300 hot dogs throughout the course of the party, “a good number for a batting average,” he joked.  Still, for him, his favorite part of the day was the pledge.  “It felt like this call,” Scott explained.  “Read this and understand—what Gary was saying at the end.  Hey, God’s calling you to do a good work, commissioning a motivation to go out there and do something good.”

Zoe Siers, another of the many volunteers who made the Home Run Heroes Party possible, has not yet completed all four classes.  But that may soon change—Zoe remarked that seeing all of the people who had made it to home was an inspiration for her.  “It was a lot of fun and it was definitely really humbling to see how many people have completed all the bases,” she shared. 

Organizer Smith reflected, “What was really great about the event was that the atmosphere there was just amazing.  It was just like a baseball game.”  She noted that hot dogs, fresh popcorn, nachos, soda, and cake were served while members mingled with each other, laughing at the “kiss cam,” enjoying music, and participating in games throughout the time of fellowship.

“It was just like a baseball game… Every little touch had so much thought behind it and it just really made a difference.”

“It was so, so awesome.”

The Home Run Heroes who Attended the Graduation Celebration.  Graduates were honored on October 15, 2017, and they were challenged to put their faith into action by committing to a PEACE pledge.