Mission: Possible

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hurch missionary trips help people in countries worldwide.
But what about our friends and neighbors?
In the past, the Lake Orion Church of Christ has supported missionary trips to Panama. But four years ago, members of the church looked around northern Oakland County and saw there were people who needed help here at home.
‘Why do we have to go to Panama, why can’t we do it in our own backyard?? said Randy McClure, the church member who heads up ‘Mission Possible,? a weeklong missionary trip that doesn’t leave the county.
Instead, participants take a week off of work and pop campers and tents at the church, located at 1080 Hemingway Road.
This year, the 130 church members who camp out at the church for the week are split up into 13 work crews. Each day between July 26 through August 2, each crew is headed out to a different site to perform various services.
The church isn’t limited to service in Lake Orion; they do work all over the area including Oxford, Clarkston and Pontiac.
According to Kevin Kadrich, the leader of the church’s teen crew, the church had 26 ‘jobs? slated for the 2009 ‘Mission Possible.?
‘There are people who need help here and we’re willing to give it,? said Kadrich.
The ‘jobs? range from clearing out overgrown bushes and weeds from the homes of senior citizens to putting on roofs free of charge for people who can’t afford it.
In the past, they have also painted garages and installed a deck for a single mother. Even the youngest members of the church get involved, making gift baskets to take to the Orion Senior Center.
McClure said one of the most significant ‘jobs? the mission’s finished in the past was installing a shower in the house of an elderly Oxford woman to make it easier for her to take care of her wheelchair-bound son. The church will be performing a similar service for a different family this year, McClure said.
Like all missions, it’s not only a way to help people, but to spread a message.
‘We see a trend in the country where Christianity is being pushed out of society,? McClure said. ‘We wanted to show that Christianity is alive here in Lake Orion.?
The Lake Orion Church of Christ is a Bible-based, nondenominational church.
The church finds people who need a hand through places like Orion Neighborhood Television and a posting at the senior center.
This year, Leo Charlie, who Kadrich said was in his 80s, asked for a bit of help with some yard work at his property in southwestern Orion Township.
On July 27, Kadrich and a teen crew from the church numbering around fifteen were out in Charlie’s backyard with rakes, shovels and trimmers doing what the crew had started calling ‘de-landscaping.?
The crew helped rip out junk bushes and weeds and take them off the property.
Travis Hodges, 13, helped drag away the brush after it was cut down.
‘It’s an opportunity to help people and give back to the community,? he said.

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Learning from mistakes is a universal tool, one utilized by the Clarkston Wolves in the state playoffs to avenge a 32-8 early-season loss to rival Lake Orion.
The Wolves (10-1) marched right into ‘Dragon Country? to a packed stadium. They lingered after the game during a celebration of the team’s accomplishment, a 34-14 victory over the Dragons (10-1) and the presentation of the district championship trophy.
Clarkston, determined not to repeat the two consecutive losses to the Dragons as they did in 2005, played completely different, holding the dragons to fewer points all night than those scored in the first half of the Oct. 20 game at CHS. The Wolves held Aaron Allen, who ran wild in the previous meeting, to negligible yardage. The offense carried the load as Bren Bergquist, Jimmy Popp (three touchdowns) and Erik Thompson provided enough firepower for Clarkston to overcome the Dragons.
‘We talked about intensity and taking it to them and not letting them take it to us,? an excited Clarkston Coach Kurt Richardson said.
‘I thought the kids did a great job on both sides of the ball and our coaches called a great game,? he added.
Quarterback Eric Ogg, unhappy with his performance in the first meeting, made his goal to step up his performance in this rematch, Richardson said.
His plan worked as he threw for 177 yards on 13-17 passing and one touchdown, with no interceptions.
Kevin Badgley, a frequent target for Ogg, said the team just needed to freshen up its approach to the Lake Orion showdown.
‘We mixed it up a bit, especially on offense. Last time we felt we were a little too predictable,? he said.
‘We came out and we ran a little bit, we threw a little bit and they weren’t ready for it?
Lake Orion Coach Chris Bell said the difference between the first meeting and the district final was partly due to Clarkston’s ability to limit the Dragons? offense.
‘They did a good job against our running game and we didn’t make plays in the passing game when we had to,? Bell said.
The Wolves? offense was more relevant to the outcome this time, he added.
‘They threw the ball more than in the past and they just executed on key downs. They made plays and moved the chains and took advantage of things and (that) forced us to make adjustments.?
Clarkston jumped on the board on its first possession when Bergquist (three receptions for 61 yards)was on the receiving end of an Ogg 16-yard pass, making the leaping catch for the score at 8:30 of the first quarter. Defensive lineman Josh Allison held the lead to 6-0 by blocking the extra point attempt by kicker Ryan Breen.
In the second quarter, Popp finished what Thompson started on his 12-yard run to the one-yard line with a leap of his own over the line at 10:04. Clarkston added a two-point conversion when Ogg found Badgley in the corner for an over-the-shoulder grab, going up 14-0.
David Wurst caught a Chris Lum 10-yard pass to pull Lake Orion closer, 14-7, with 5:04 remaining in the half.
The Wolves responded, stampeding 85 yards to add another tally before the half. Thompson had an 11-yard reception with 11 seconds to go, making the score 21-7.
Lake Orion had a near touchdown midway through the third quarter. However, Badgley, playing defensive back, broke up a fourth-down pass play.
The Dragons scored on the next drive though, as Wurst broke free for 59 yards and the score with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter.
The Wolves drove punched the ball in for another score on a fourth-down con

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