Christine Stehno
Missions Project Coordinator
All Campuses
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Update your browserOperation Christmas Child
With your help, we want to reach 2,500 children with the Good News this Christmas season!
Sponsor a 'special access' box full of toys and supplies for a child in need and, more importantly, create an opportunity for them to be invited into spiritual conversations and a discipleship program with their local church.
These shoebox gifts will go to restricted access areas, some of the most spiritually dark, closed countries of the world.
Thank you for sharing the love of Christ by helping us exceed our 2022 goal of donating 2,500 shoeboxes to make a spiritual difference in the life of a child!
Your $31 sponsorship covers the cost of a shoebox filled with essential items, toys, and accessories, along with overseas shipping costs for OCC, and the opportunity for each child to attend the discipleship program The Greatest Journey.
After a child receives a shoebox gift through the local church, they are invited to participate in a 12-lesson, follow-up discipleship program. The Greatest Journey is where they learn to follow Jesus and share Him with others. This program equips and empowers the local church to pursue children through evangelism, discipleship, and multiplication.
You can also experience the same discipleship program as our box recipients by purchasing The Greatest Journey for your family!
Frequently Asked Questions
Since 1993, OCC 'special access' has been able to reach more than 50 hard-to-reach countries. Our shoeboxes will go to some of the most difficult to reach places on earth. This includes areas that are hostile to the gospel, places where whole people groups are yet unreached, and hundreds of remote Pacific islands.
Due to OCC 'special access' countries having strict guidelines on items entering the country, whether it be customs regulations or cultural or religious reasons, OCC has to closely monitor each special access shoebox item included. As a result, they are only providing this project online. Austin Ridge has customized the experience to double our impact from last year through our 'special access' sponsorship model to reach 2,500 children.
No. Please visit Operation Christmas Child (OCC) drop-off location page to find the nearest location to you.
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Missions Project Coordinator
All Campuses
Missions Project Coordinator
All Campuses
Christine was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. She received her degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Since college, Christine has spent time working in Parks and Recreation as well as at a Christian Camp in Sequoia National Forest in California. A trip to Nepal really opened her heart to all aspects of missions. She loves being outside in the sunshine as much as possible, reading, pick-up pickleball games, and watching Husker sports – especially football. Go Big Red! She’s excited to be living in the warmth of the south and grateful for this chapter working in ministry and getting to pursue her passion for people.
Missions Director
All Campuses
Missions Director
All Campuses
Clark is a Waco native and a Dallas Baptist University graduate. His non-traditional college and career track within the landscape industry and fundraising/development unknowingly prepared him for such a time as this. Over a number of trips to Uganda, God opened his eyes to how he could use his gifts and talents both locally and globally for the Kingdom. That led him to put his “yes” on the table in 2016, and the rest is history. He married up when landing his beautiful wife, Natalie, in 2010, and they have two children, Graham and Isla. He is a jack of all trades and master of none. He enjoys being a dad of two and when there is time, hunting, sports, dabbling with smoking meat, and campfires.
Missions Pastor
All Campuses
Missions Pastor
All Campuses
Born in New York and raised in Pennsylvania, Don's family relocated to San Diego so he could meet his beautiful wife, Becky. They are blessed with and entertained by their four married kids and kids-in-law, and awesome grandchildren. Don graduated from San Diego Christian College and Dallas Seminary. Don loves going on dates with his wife, anything at the beach, USC football, college football and basketball, Hula Hut, reading, and chocolate. As Missions Pastor, Don loves his job of helping the Ridge reach the unreached and serve the vulnerable in our city and around the world.
Local Outreach Director
All Campuses
Local Outreach Director
All Campuses
Don was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, home to the greatest food in the world: Skyline Chili. He attended THE Ohio State University, where he met his future wife, Shelli. After attending The Master’s Seminary to see what they know, he and Shelli moved to the Chicago area, raised four children, and started a Student Ministry and then a church plant. While campus pastoring in Illinois, he discovered free agency and took his talents south – to ATX. Don and Shelli’s four kids are in Portland, Suisse, Chicago, and Fort Worth. In his free time, he tries to convince his kids to visit.
Missions Ministry Assistant
Bee Cave
Missions Ministry Assistant
Bee Cave
Ginger is a native Texan born and raised in Austin who now lives in the Buda area. She and her husband, Henry, have a full house with three grown daughters and five dogs. She enjoys spending time with family, baseball, hiking, traveling, and having a good coffee. She is excited to use her passion for serving others and to be a part of the Austin Ridge team!
Latino Ministry Pastor
All Campuses
Latino Ministry Pastor
All Campuses
Uriel was born and raised in Mexico City, third generation PK. He graduated from Mexico’s Central Bank School with a BA in Banking and a degree in Corporate Finance. After his career as a stock broker in God’s mercy, God graciously changed Uriel's deepest affections and send him to California to receive an MDIV from The Master’s Seminary. Uriel is madly in love with his high school sweetheart Paty, and together they have three tiny bilingual Jesus followers also called los 3 amigos. As our Latino Pastor, Uriel provides vision, guidance, and spiritual care to our bilingual congregation and has a deep love and innate understanding of our growing immigrant community, their tough lives under the sun, complex challenges, and gracious beautiful colors. Uriel loves training men in the gospel, teaching God’s word in Spanish, dating his wife, laughing with his kids, drinking Mexican chocolate, and playing soccer, ping pong and chess.