OC Summer Missions Brings Gospel to Nations
By Madison Wells-James
Every summer, Ocean City Baptist Church (OCBC) opens its doors to an influx of international student workers and millions of summer visitors. The church’s convenient location in the heart of a busy tourist spot provides innumerable opportunities to minister and share the love of Christ.
Emily Martin recalls one night at Soprano’s Pizza when some of the missionaries (left) shared their faith with the international students. She took a photo to commemorate that time.
I had the chance to visit OCBC while they are partnering with a group of students interning for the summer to serve on missions. Some of these students are local Marylanders, while others like Emily Martin, came from Mississippi to tell people about the hope found in Jesus. She discovered this opportunity through her school’s Baptist Student Union.
“A lot of these people come from different religious backgrounds and they have never heard the name of Jesus,” said Martin, who felt God calling her to go to Ocean City. “We want to form relationships with these (international) students, and we want to become friends with them and show them the love of Jesus,” she said.
Martin recalled one night at Soprano’s Pizza when some of the missionaries shared their faith with the internationals. She watched in awe as they communicated the gospel, even writing it down in detail on a piece of paper for the students. The conversation lasted nearly three hours long.
“I’m getting chills talking about it. This is what we were made to do. We’re supposed to share the love of Christ, and I don’t know. It kind of makes me want to cry.” said Martin. She was so moved by the interaction that she commemorated the moment with a picture.
Throughout the week, the missionaries do what they refer to as “flexible ministry” where they spend time with the international students and develop closer relationships. The girls typically invite them out for coffee or lunch while the boys often play basketball and other activities in order to engage with the students.
Jake Frazee (left) and Suhas Poturaju (right) play ping pong. (Photo by Madison Wells-James)
That’s how lifeguard and student intern Jake Frazee became friends with Ralph from the Dominican Republic, over a competitive game of spikeball. “We were trash-talking each other and we were just getting really into the game,” Frazee recalled. “We have similar personalities. He’s a funny dude and I like hanging out with him,” he said.
Frazee, who recently spent a semester studying in Madrid, wanted to dedicate his summer to intentionally sharing the gospel. He spends his time ministering to both international students and his lifeguard coworkers with the goal of bringing them closer to Christ.
“One of the things that I think is really interesting is that God used how I acted last summer,” Frazee said in reference to prior sins that weren’t in alignment with God’s plan for his life. “Now having them know me as somebody coming back and living differently, having a different purpose in life, and just hearing myself differently, has given me an opportunity,” said Frazee. This just demonstrates how our God uses all things, including past sins, in order to bring people to salvation and bring Himself the ultimate glory.
During my visit, the student missionaries took the internationals on Walmart run for groceries. As everyone knows, one of the essential tasks required to fully integrate into American culture is to learn how to successfully navigate the Walmart Supercenter. Frazee and I tagged along with two girls from Kazakhstan.
Summer missionaries Elana Wren, Emily Martin, Kacey Williams and Reagan Van Reese. enjoyed a short cruise around Assateague Island and the bay. (Photo submitted by Emily Martin)
Apparently, Aizhanat (pronounced eye-zhan-aht) and her sister are not fans of plain water. I also had an opportunity to share the gospel with Aizhanat later that evening.
On Monday nights, OCBC hosts its weekly international dinner where hundreds of students come to the church allowing the missionaries to share a meal and more importantly, share the gospel. The dining area was adorned with flags representing the nations of the world, a symbolic microcosm of what heaven will eventually look like.
“You meet an international student and you’re able to have a genuinely good conversation, you just lose track of time,” said Frazee. “You just think of them as like a friend.”
Throughout the night, the student missionaries were deeply involved in gospel conversations coupled with good laughs and good food. I also met several students from different parts of the world that night including the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic. Some like Marcos, a DR native studying to become a doctor, had already committed their life to Christ.
Marcos spoke of his involvement in the music ministry at his church and his passion to share Jesus with non-believers. His testimony encouraged me and revealed God’s never-ending work in the lives of other believers around the world.
Regan Van Reese, Elana Wren, Emily Martin and Kacey Williams are summer missionaries serving in Ocean City. (Photo Submitted by Emily Martin)
I also spoke with a friendly student from Turkey named Fatih (pronounced Fah-Tee) who barely understood English. We used Google Translate to communicate, but the language barrier made it difficult to provide a non-superficial explanation of the gospel. My attempts to share why Jesus is the only way to salvation was met with many puzzled looks and responses. However, he told me he’s interested in reading the Bible and I took that as a win.
That’s all you can do sometimes. Find the win and know that God is working, even when we don’t see it.
In July, the student missionaries will begin Christian camps for children to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus. The overall internship will end in early August and I’m hoping to pay a visit at least once more before it comes to a close. I look forward to Jake sharing how many students God saved over the summer.
Prayer List:
- Boldness and willingness to share the gospel
- Receptive and open-minded students
- Safety and good health
- Comfort for feelings of homesickness
- Volunteers helping during international dinner nights
- Lifeguards working over the summer
Madison Wells-James, a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, is a freelance journalist and photographer serving with the BCM/D this summer.
Feature photo: Madison Wells-James (front left) with Jessica Senesack, BCM/D state collegiate coordinator (front right) at Ocean City Baptist Church for a Monday night dinner for international students. (Photo by Madison Wells-James.