The Micah Community Movement is a new nonprofit established by Southern Nazarene University’s very own students with the help of professor, Dr. Doug Forsberg. To understand the MCM’s missions and more, Dr. Forsberg offered his time to explain their vision in full.
The idea for the Micah Community Movement first sprung up during one of Dr. Forsberg’s classes in September of 2022. “In my classes, we learn about our responsibility to the poor. It’s part of what our Christian faith really requires,” Dr. Forsberg stated. He recalled then how he and the students had begun to reflect on the poor that populate OKC: “Who are the poor?” A great question, one that Dr. Forsberg and his students had an answer for. “When we thought of the poor, we thought of the homeless, the elderly shut-ins, and those who are dealing with poverty.” These three groups have become MCM’s main focus of those to provide and care for.
Named after the Book of Micah for its emphasis on the poor, the MCM are actively volunteering in many ways to help the underprivileged through ministries. On Sundays, they do a worship service at the Southern Plaza Retirement Community for those unable to attend church, and on Mondays, SNU sophomore Sarah Dodd leads a team that shares life with SPRC’s residents, creating relationships. Dr. Forsberg and students also conduct Search and Rescue efforts where they take supplies to unsheltered people in the OKC area, giving them warm clothing and blankets to get them through the coldest nights of the year. In addition to this, the MCM are doing what Dr. Forsberg calls the “Micah Tents”; every Sunday afternoon, they pitch tents in the center of OKC to contribute food, clothing, hygiene products, first aid kits, and sleeping bags to the homeless.
The MCM are partnering with the Salvation Army to merge their forces and extend their reach. In case of a tornado, a flood, or another disastrous event, the MCM have developed plans to provide disaster relief for victims vulnerable to these elements. “What we would do is we would take our tents and our supplies, follow the Salvation Army into the disaster scene, and minister to the first responders and the displaced people,” Dr. Forsberg describes. Eventually, they also hope to do ministry for those in prison at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center along with much more.
When asked about their long-term goals, Dr. Forsberg explained that he hoped that students would plant a new church in the future. “We’re the only Nazarene university where the students have planted two churches. And I think we ought to do it again.” The MCM seeks to find a church solely for the poor. “It’s going to be a total health center. By that, we mean, our church plant will have a free medical clinic, mental health clinic, and a faith family. All free. Imagine all that in one building.”
Dr. Forsberg not only sees MCM as being beneficial to the less fortunate, but he sees this as being beneficial to students who are passionate about ministry, granting them an opportunity to learn about nonprofit formation. “We decided we needed to teach our students to start nonprofit organizations so that they can fund their own ministry dreams,” Dr. Forsberg said, recognizing that students may not know how to go about organizing a nonprofit. “One of the goals of the Micah Community Movement is to train students how to form a nonprofit, how to be a part of a nonprofit, how to be a board member on a nonprofit, how to lead a nonprofit, and eventually how to start new ministries in the local church.”
So far, $10,000 has been raised to support MCM. “For those who might wish to make a donation, please make out your check to Micah Community Movement and send it to PO Box 945, Bethany, Oklahoma, 73008,” Dr. Forsberg informed. If those wishing to help MCM in other ways, the ECHO recommends reaching out to Dr. Forsberg at dforsber@mail.snu.edu and asking how to assist.