What's said about OB

Read what people say about OB.

Watch videos of students.

Watch videos of youth pastors.

 

What is OB?

Operation Barnabas teams are developed to give growing Christian senior high youth such a thirst for ministry, that upon their return, they will have a greater desire to serve Christ in their lives.

At the end of the summer, each "OB" member will have experience with sharing his/her faith, puppets, music, clowning, drama, public performance, testimonies and team relationships. He/she will have learned forty verses of scripture, been a part of a discipleship group, studied a book of the Bible, and done numerous manual chores. Each young person also receives a personal evaluation from leaders while having an opportunity to learn about the joys of serving in local church ministries. He/she will know what it's like to sleep on both a floor and a bed ... eat church carry-in dinners and McDonalds ... work in inner-city as well as rural settings. Although some teams could be as small as 20 members or as large as 45, the ratio of adult leaders to students is 1:5 to encourage quality training.

Please bear in mind, a young person is chosen primarily on character and attitude, not talent. Each applicant must be recommended by his/her church to participate in this life-changing experience.

What are the benefits of Operation Barnabas?

• Strong ministry training
• Ministry skill development
• Emphasis on local church ministry
• Strong adult leaders who are trained in youth ministry
• The excellence and tradition of 35 years of OB training

Is this for me?

OB is for students who:

• Love Jesus!
• Are involved and taking leadership in their local church
• Have completed at least their sophomore year of high school
• Apply for the Operation Barnabas program by sending in all forms and references. Applications will be available at the end of July. Participation on OB is determined by a selection committee that convenes in December.

A letter from the mother of an OB'er:
"I would like to encourage any parent of a teen applying for OB. Maybe you look at the cost and it seems like quite a bit of money to have to come up with. My daughter was able to raise about 3/4 of her money. The rest of it was the best investment we have made in her life. What an experience she had this summer.

If your son or daughter has applied for OB let me encourage you by saying you will see a wonderful change come over your teen through OB and the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. I say change because my daughter is not the same person she was when she left for OB. She is more open, more caring, more concerned about the eternal lives of others. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of team members. They are incredible young people, all on fire for God. As I watched them say their goodbyes, I was touched as they prayed thanking God for bringing them together and using them as a team to bring the lost to Him.

Thank you CE National for having such a program. I certainly did not mean to ramble on, I'm just excited about CE National and Operation Barnabas and what it does in the lives of young people."