OCU students make mission trek to Standing Rock
Over the week of Spring Break, nine Native American students from Oklahoma City University joined an educational and mission experience at the Standing Rock Reservation, which spans the border between North and South Dakota. They traveled with Bryan Tener, pastor of OKC-Grace United Methodist Church; Leslie Long, OCU’s associate professor of Religious Education, V.V. Harris Endowed Chair in Christian Education; and David Wilson, superintendent of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
The reservation has been in the national news due to active opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline project. Standing Rock is home to several Lakota and Dakota tribes. During the Oklahomans’ visit, the mission team visited tribal sites, met with residents, and helped clear and repair fallen shelters. The trip was organized and led by Rev. Dr. Wilson in coordination with the OCU Native American Society and the OIMC, with sponsorship by OCU University-Church Relations.
