Volume 3 Issue 20 September 27 October 10, 2008 IN THIS ISSUE: (click on the article title to take you to that article) The 4/14 Window

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1 Volume 3 Issue 20 September 27 October 10, 2008 IN THIS ISSUE: (click on the article title to take you to that article) Seeds For Growth Note of Thanks Marriage More thanks Voter Registration Available Saturday Prayer Interested in adoption General announcements Seeds For Growth The 4/14 Window Many of you have heard of the term the 10/40 Window? The 10/40 Window is an area of the world that contains the largest population of non-christians in the world. The area extends from 10 degrees to 40 degrees North of the equator, and stretches from North Africa across to China. I wonder how many of you have heard of the term the 4/14 Window? The 4/14/ Window refers to the fact that 85% of those that accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior do so between the ages of four and fourteen! That fact makes the ages of 4-14 the most important ages of presenting the gospel message, sharing the gospel when someone is most likely to respond. After the age of 20, there is only a 6% chance that someone will become a Christian. George Barna reports that most 13 year-olds in the US, 93 percent consider themselves to be Christian, though only about 34 percent of these really have an understanding of what it means to be a Christian. 1 As a society, where are we failing these children? Children: An Enormous People Group We should be concerned about the state of children in the world because there are so

2 many of them. Over one-third of the world s population, nearly 2 billion people, are under the age of 18. Nearly half of the world s population is under the age of 20. Surely these facts alone are enough to cause church leaders to re-examine their priorities and strategies for the coming decade. And surely these facts must catch the attention of the thinkers and planners for church ministries and missions for the 21 st century. 2 Is it time we all make a difference with the children of the world? Just think about it, our children are not just an important part of the future but an important part of today. Children were important to Jesus; He got upset with the disciples when they tried to quiet the children. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Luke 10: If you are working with children either at The Tree House, in your occupation, or just a parent or grandparent wishing to learn more about ministry to children then you have a GREAT OPPORTUNITY BEING OFFERED RIGHT HERE AT OAKWOOD! On November 8, Ryan Frank from Kidzmatter Ministries will be here! Ryan is a national leader in children s ministry. He is a children s pastor of a large ministry in Indiana, he is the creator and publisher of K! Magazine a children s ministry publication, and a member of national children s ministry boards. If you attend Oakwood, you can attend the seminar for free. The only cost for you to be a part of the seminar is $5 to cover the cost of your lunch. This event is open to people from area churches for a cost of $30 per person (discounts apply for large groups attending). I encourage as many of you as possible to take advantage of this terrific opportunity. In His Service, Pam 1 George Barna, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions (Ventura, California: Regal, 2003). 2 Dan Brewster The 4/14 Window: Child Ministry and Church Strategies Revised August 2005

3 Note of thanks

4 Bev and I experienced the vacation of a lifetime in Alaska. We ve longed to travel there for a number of years now. It was so awesome to see God s incredible creation of mountains, glaciers, flowers, ocean, rivers, trees, amazing wildlife, and much more. This was an exceptional gift from the Lord to us through you. Last October you shocked us with humbling affirmations and an exceedingly loving and generous gift to us a year ago in recognition for our 20 years of ministry with you here at Oakwood. We now have precious memories of our trip to chilly Alaska and warmth in our hearts that will continue toward you forever. With deep appreciation and love, Pastor Paul & Bev No obligation, but if you d like to skim through some of our pictures you may copy and paste the following link in your browser: RxQX1E Marriage Let Loose and Have Fun! Part 2 By Bob Hostetler Last issue we had 12 ideas for couple connection. Here are the next 12 ideas from this article: 1. Rent (or borrow from the library) a movie that promises to be truly awful (as in a bad script, bad acting, or bad special effects) and make fun of it together. Or make it a context to see who can choose the worst movie. 2. Go somewhere local you ve never been. Everyone s hometown or area has an interesting site or attraction most locals never take time to see. So experience your area s main attraction. For instance, one university has a walking tour of the ma many kinds of trees planted on campus. 3. Experience The Taste of Your Town. Plan a trip to some of your area s unique restaurants, but order only the least expensive item on each menu. For example, order the cheapest appetizer at your first stop, the cheapest salad at the next, and top it all off with a kid s scoop of ice cream at the local ice cream shop. 4. Bake a batch of cookies together and take them to friends or neighbors.

5 5. Hold your own American Idol or American Inventor competition. 6. Begin a new hobby together one neither of you have done. Try bird watching, pottery, or photography. Or if you want to keep it free, start a collection: matchbooks, rocks, shells, leaves, spare change. 7. Take in a free concert. Check with university music departments for student recitals or church calendars for concerts and cantatas. 8. Find a free lecture, book or poetry reading, or live music at a local bookstore. Many larger bookstores schedule regular jazz music or author appearances (usually on Fridays or Saturdays); share a cup of coffee or tea, sit back, and enjoy. 9. Live like the other half. Visit the fanciest hotel in your area. Tour its public places. Enjoy the harpist in the lobby. Soak up the ambiance. Pretend you re rich. 10. Take a Magical Mystery Tour. All you need is a car and a coin. Each time you come to an intersection, flip the coin. Heads you turn right; tails, you turn left. See where you end up, then have fun finding your way back. 11. Play Frisbee Golf together. Anyone can play; all you need are a couple Frisbees. Some parks and universities have Frisbee Golf courses. Or create your own course (check out the Professional Disc Golf Association at Play your favorite childhood game(s) together Hide n seek, Parcheesi, hopscotch, Candy Land, Clue, or Twister. As you do, spend some time sharing playtime memories with each other. These are the second 12 of 36 ideas. Watch the next issue of The ACORN for more fun ideas. Reprinted with permission from Marriage Partnership (Summer 2006), published by Christianity Today International Carol Stream, Illinois. More thanks To Pastor Paul and all our friends at Oakwood, Greetings from Roatan! Where we, like you, anxiously watch the Weather Channel during hurricane season. Slow and steady progress is being made on the relocation project for our FM transmitter and tower. We are very thankful for the work of Jim and Karen Avella who came down from the Odessa office to help us for 5 weeks! Thank you for praying for us and for your financial support for our ministry at Radio HRGS. Love & hugs to all, Jerry & Mildred (Petersen)

6 Voter Registration Available November 4 is Election Day. Are you registered to vote? If not, you can do so Sunday morning by stopping by the table in the Oakwood lobby. There is also information available about the Marriage Protection Amendment (Amendment 2) that will be on the ballot, or you can get further information at Saturday Prayer Before God s Throne We urge every Christ-follower at Oakwood to intentionally participate at least one Saturday per month in our weekly Saturday morning prayer sessions from 7:30 8:30 AM. As rocket fuel is to a rocket, so prayer is to the powerful working of God s Spirit. We want to see God accomplish His mighty purposes through us; therefore, we must excel in the ministry of prayer. Interested in adoption? Have you ever considered adopting an older child, or do you know a family who would? There is a wonderful ten-year-old boy in foster care whose parents rights have just been terminated, making him adoptable. His caseworkers are searching for a forever family for him; could that be you? For more information about this child and the process involved, please call Eileen Hamilton at General announcements The Oakwood ACORN is a bi-weekly E-newsletter from Oakwood Community Church, published to keep our church family and friends informed about events and people at Oakwood. Submit articles via to Acorn@oakwoodfl.org. Article deadlines and publication schedule is: Deadline Publication date News for dates including Oct 3 Oct 8 Oct 11 Oct 24 Oct 17 Oct 22 Oct 25 Nov 7 Oct 31 Nov 5 Nov 8 Nov 21 Do you know someone at Oakwood with a noteworthy achievement? Send the information to Office@oakwoodfl.org and we ll include it in a future article.

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