Purpose

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In 2003 a group of people associated with Springs of Grace Church were trying to love our city well and found particular needs in the education system which we felt we could help meet. Vision of Righteousness Ministries began as a means of organizing and funding those efforts to improve the graduation rates of students in Tulsa Public Schools by building relationships through sports training and tutoring. Many of our students had limited or no exposure to sports other than basketball and yet we saw how integral extracurricular involvement was to staying in school and graduating. 

We began sports programs and later arts programs that allowed us to expose students and help develop basic skills in a wide range of sports and the arts. We also began a tutoring program that put us directly into the educational process with students. The actions of love and hope to students gave us opportunities to love our city – provide tangible help that was needed and allow us to build relationships over time that provided the platform to share the truth of the hope that Jesus gives that all can flourish. The neighborhood ministry arm of Vision of Righteousness began operating under the name One Hope Tulsa and is currently in the process of establishing a separate entity.

One Hope believes that the love and hope we have experienced can be life changing for everyone. Whether it is in education, sports or with the homeless or those impacted by the sex industry and sex trade, One Hope seeks those ways we can demonstrate love and do good to our city with the hope of staying in long term relationships where we can point individuals and families to the hope Jesus freely gives. 

We have developed an extensive urban ministry summer internship to train college age students and those right out of college. We have also just launched a year round fellowship in urban ministry. This allows us to reproduce what we have learned, and the interns and fellows provide a talented and inexpensive work force for our ministry. 

We continue to look for avenues and opportunities to demonstrate love to our city in ways that allow us to further these relationships. We will be launching a scholarship program this summer for students who attend our camps to get individualized sports instruction, dance lessons, art lessons, etc., at no expense to them or their family. As we re-enter the Rose Bowl, we anticipate providing sports leagues in a team format that intentionally groups players across racial barriers and has a leadership component to the leagues.