By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
A Yukon-area church plans to launch a new ministry in late summer 2021 to reach and serve people in need across Canadian County.
Plans are moving forward to develop a “Together We Center” at the front of Trinity Baptist Church-Yukon’s 30-acre campus, 620 N Cemetery Road.
For more than five years, Trinity Baptist Church-Yukon has operated a free weekly medical clinic for people without insurance.
“We’re trying to step that up,” said Scott Kinney, Trinity’s long-time associate pastor. “Our vision is to provide a countywide ministry that will have a 2,000 square foot medical clinic, 2,000 square foot food pantry and 1,000 square foot clothing closet.”
Future expansion could feature a free counseling service, garage for free or discounted vehicle repairs, barber shop, dental clinic, community center, and more as needs arise.
This new center will provide a “one-stop shop” that ministers “to all the folks in Canadian County in need,” Kinney said.
The ministry will be a “village-like complex” developed in phases on 10 acres on the front south side of the church property off Cemetery Road, he added.
The Together We Center will complement other local ministries and service programs, Trinity community outreach pastor Brian Grider said.
“We’re not here to ‘compete’ with anyone,” Grider stressed. “God has gifted us with the land out front and with the vision.”
This new ministry was named Together We because Trinity is “a church about unity”, he explained.
“It is who we are as a church,” Grider said. “Everybody will be able to come here for help.”
TO CONSTRUCT BUILDING
A presentation about the Together We Center was made at the Aug. 18th Yukon City Council meeting.
“I am so excited about this,” Yukon Mayor Shelli Selby said afterward. “It will be a giant help to our county.”
Kinney described the Together We Center as a “dream that we’ve had to continue to minister to our communities and to our county.”
Kinney cited Trinity church’s convenient eastern Canadian County location between Yukon and Mustang, close to Interstate 40 and the Kilpatrick Turnpike.
Private donations and grants will help fund the Together We Center construction project. The goal is to raise more than $1 million.
“We hope to have the money raised by next March,” Grider said. “Our launch date is August 15, 2021.”
Projected groundbreaking is next January.
Trinity’s Faith Clinic serves people ages 18 to 64-½ years without health coverage. The free medical clinic has operated Tuesday nights since March 2016 on the church’s south end.
The clinic is staffed by healthcare providers who volunteer their time and expertise to treat a wide range of medical conditions.
“What we’ve found with Faith Clinic is that we’re helping not just people from Yukon, but Mustang, El Reno and even further out,” Pastor Kinney. “We have people coming out all the way from Hinton, Weatherford and Clinton sometimes.”
The Faith Clinic sees about 650-700 patient visits per year.
“We are the only free medical clinic in Canadian County,” Kinney said. “People come here because they receive a high quality of care and personal touch.”
Church leaders believe they will be able to minister to many more people through the Together We Center.
“We’ve had a huge ‘buy-in’ from our members,” Kinney said. “They are so excited we will have such a ministry that goes past the walls of the church.”
