Oblong Children's Christian Home
At Oblong Children’s Christian Home, we provide children a Christ-centered home, quality education through New Life Academy, and life-skills training, including our horsemanship program, designed to nurture faith, responsibility, and hope for a brighter, more independent future.
The OCCH campus consists of four different houses.  The first is the Carpenter’s House, which was built in 1999 by volunteers and is a loving boys’ home shaped by faith and service.  Chris and Amy Painter serve there as houseparents.  In 2001, we were  blessed to add another home to our campus, Our Father’s House.  Built by volunteers it is lovingly cared for by Bill and Missy Greenwood.  The Zion Home was built by faithful volunteers in 2004.  The Zion Home provides a warm and nurturing environment and is guided by houseparents, Alex and Jessica Blakely.  In 2005, we were blessed to remodel and expand the Respite House to accommodate the needs of our growing campus.  At least five days a month our children stay with houseparents, Chris and Amy Martin.
The New Life Academy was founded in 2009 in a spare room on campus and grew into a full schoolhouse built entirely by volunteers in 2013.  Our on-campus high school follows a classical learning model focused on individualized attention and lasting understanding-equipping each student to grow in knowledge, character and faith.

    Everyone claims that they want to improve. It might be their physical fitness, or their intellectual prowess. They may claim to want to read more books this year, eat less sugar, spend more time with family, put down their phones more often, spend more time in the sun, or any number of declarations we make on a regular basis. We can say the same thing about our spiritual lives as well. We claim we want to spend more time in prayer, join a bible study, pick up our bible and journals every day, give more to the offering plate because of the blessings God has given us, volunteer in the nursery, stop and help that person stuck on the side of the road. These are all great goals, but without actions that is all they are, pretty words.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24 Paul writes, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.”  Paul tells the church that it’s not enough to just be in the race. We are all in the race. But there is a huge difference between just trying to make it to the finish line and the dedication it takes to run for the win.
What does your race look like? My sons have taken up cross country running as a sport. And when I pick them up from practice I often get to watch for a little while. What I have noticed is that there are two types of runners. Those that run only to make it to the finish line, and those that run trying to be the first to cross it. I don’t want my walk with Jesus to look like I am putting the least effort required to make to the finish line. I want my walk to look like I am striving for gold. Everyone claims they want a stronger faith, a deeper relationship with Jesus, a more vibrant time in God’s word. Does your run, do your actions, reflect that reality? Are you going for the win? Only you and the Lord can answer that question.