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Bridge to Life

Ask any woman in our emergency shelter if she ever thought she’d have to depend upon a mission to meet her family’s needs and she’ll shake her head sadly.  No one ever plans to live in poverty or struggle day-to-day to survive.

Or ask a man joining us for one of our free meals if he ever thought he’d be living on the streets and he’ll tell you no.  No one expects drinking with high school friends will lead to an uncontrollable addiction to cocaine.

But there are thousands of men, women and families in Oklahoma City living these very nightmares.

Our Bridge to Life program provides educational, economic and spiritual bridges for adults striving to regain the basic necessities of life, restoring hope in themselves and their futures while achieving spiritual renewal through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  And while moms and dads focus on rebuilding their lives, their children participate in our Kids’ Connection, Too—a program specifically designed to meet the unique needs of homeless and impoverished kids.

Bridge to Life truly helps transform the whole person: body, soul and spirit.  As participants move through each of the five bridges, they complete drug and alcohol addiction curriculum, parenting and life skills education, budgeting, anger management and health issues, develop positive social and communication skills, identify destructive patterns in their lives and ways to break the cycle of their behaviors.

Bridge One-Orientation

In Bridge One, new program members focus on:
• Positive life-skills techniques and goal setting
• Addiction
• Academic needs
• Physical and mental health issues

Bridge Two-Discovery

Clients on Bridge Two begin to explore and understand who they are in light of Christ, while strengthening the foundations laid in Bridge One.  They dive into:
• The love, hope and future God has for each one of us
• Anger management, academic development, social and communication skills
• Self-esteem and identity issues
• Legal concerns

Bridge Three-Recovery

Paul’s words in Romans 5:20 are key to Bridge Three: “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more ...”  The emphasis of this bridge is:
• Letting go of addictive behaviors and the shame, guilt, anger and sorrow that often accompany those behaviors
• Giving God their all—their failures and their strengths
• Accepting God’s gift of grace and the blessings He has in store for them

Bridge Four-Application

The objectives of Bridge Four are spiritual growth, physical and emotional stability and self-sufficiency.  Clients concentrate on:
• Leadership training
• Budgeting
• Nutrition
• Discipleship
• Relapse prevention
• Job training
• Education

Bridge Five-Transition

Clients remain accountable to the program while they prepare for independent living. 
• Increase responsibility and accountability by conducting chapel services, leading house meetings and teaching classes at the Mission
• Secure employment or other income source
• Locate permanent housing