Oakcrest Graduate Dives into a Year of Christian Service

Maddie was admitted to the University of Virginia in 2020, but when school went entirely virtual for the fall, she decided to defer her enrollment for a year and jump into the adventure of evangelization. “She wanted to be able to have a different experience and be intentional among the Christian community while doing it,” explains Maddie’s mom, Kim Mislock.  

Maddie is serving with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks (ACMNP). ACMNP is a student-led ministry that, according to the organization, “embodies and extends the ministry of Jesus Christ through worship, witness, and the development of Christian leaders.” Started in 1951 in Yellowstone Park, ACMNP has expanded to 25 different national parks and has 200 team members. The ministry is built on four pillars: work, worship, wilderness and leadership. Each team’s main work is to hold interdenominational Christian worship services, bringing people to the love of Christ in the beautiful setting of the nature He created. Mission team members each secure a full-time seasonal job working in a national park. On Sundays, the entire team leads services together. This gives missionaries a chance to evangelize both with their coworkers during the week and then with visitors on the weekend. Along the way, each team member develops important leadership skills. According to the ACMNP website, over 3,000 people participate in ACMNP worship services each year. Maddie has been working at Grand Targhee, a ski resort in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest in Wyoming. 

“She is so enjoying building relationships with the rest of the staff at the Grand Targhee and sharing the love of Christ with those around her,” says Kim.