Volume 3 Issue 21 October 11 October 24, 2008 IN THIS ISSUE: (click on the article title to take you to that article) Seeds For Growth 24 Hours of Prayer Missions News Tree House News Child Dedication Christmas Choir Youth Marriage Remember to Vote Saturday Prayer A Trip Down The Amazon General announcements Seeds For Growth God Doesn t Have Problems, Only Plans 23 Then Israel arrived in Egypt; 24 And the Lord multiplied the people of Israel until they became too mighty for their enemies. 25 Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites, and they plotted against the Lord s servants. (Psalm 105:23-25 NLT) What is going on here? God multiplied His people -- that s His blessing. But then the text says, God turned the Egyptians against the Israelites I wouldn t exactly call that a blessing, would you? There is so much I don t understand about God s sovereignty. Why does He allow evil, heartaches, obstacles, and pain to afflict us? I don t have completely satisfying answers. But this week I was reminded that God doesn t have problems, only plans. By faith, I affirm that this truth strengthens me to press on in life with perseverance and confidence.
Corrie ten Boom offered this Biblical conviction even though she experienced enormous suffering within a Nazi concentration camp, there is never panic in heaven! You can only hold on to that realty through faith because it seemed then and often seems now, as if the devil is the victor. But God is faithful, and his plans never fail. He knows the future. He knows the way. Whatever heartaches, challenges, and perplexities you are facing today, if you trust Jesus, may you too have confidence that God doesn t have problems, only plans plans that will ultimately result in glorious victory. Pastor Paul 24 Hours of Prayer Several years ago, a man made an impact on my life by saying simply, If you really believed in prayer, you would do it a lot more. There is so much I don t understand about prayer. I don t know why a sovereign God chose to ask us to pray so that He might bless us, but He did. When I remember some of the famous passages about prayer in the Bible, I am reminded that He told us the fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). We are told that if we ask we will receive, if we seek we will find, if we knock it shall be opened for us (Matt 7:7-8). We are reminded, not to ask with wrong motives (James 4:3). One thing is for sure though, God wants us to pray. Jesus prayed! As a matter of fact, in His greatest time of need, the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed fervently and asked Peter and Zebedee to keep watch with Him. Yet He found them sleeping and said Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour? This is a great time of need for our country, for the church around the world, for the upcoming elections, for our church, and for the lives of many individuals at Oakwood and around the world. It is also a time of great opportunity to share the gospel with others and to see God supply a great harvest. We at Oakwood are going to pray for 24 hours in the Worship Center starting at 6:00 PM on Friday, October 24. There will be sign up boards in the lobby of the Worship Center for you to fill in your names. Please try to fill empty hour slots until all hours are covered. We are working on organizing married couples or groups of men and women to be at the church each hour to make sure no one is alone and everyone can feel safe. If you are a couple that would like to assist in this effort, please notify the church office. At the end of the 24 hours, starting at 5:30 PM on Saturday, October 25, we will all join together for a concert of prayer followed by a potluck blessing dinner and a Harvest Party, including a Square
Dance. Watch the weekly Worship Program for more details on the Harvest Party and Square Dance. We look forward to many of you joining in this focused time of prayer and keeping watch for one hour. Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Jack & Pam Kilbride Missions News Dave and Jennifer Cox have been missionaries to Romania since 1996, with a primary focus of church planting. They re currently working with the Romanian leadership of the Trinitatea church, which meets in their neighborhood. Dave also works with an association of seven churches, developing leadership on a national level. Jennifer is the board director for their children s school, Bucharest Christian Academy, volunteers for Pro Vita crisis pregnancy center and disciples ladies from the church. During their next term, Dave and Jen are both interested in getting more involved in training Romanians for cross-cultural missions. The Coxes have three children: Jonathan (16), Joel (14) and Emma (11), and they re eagerly awaiting their visit to Oakwood on November 16th. Tree House News
Child Dedication
On Sunday, November 2, we will be having a Child Dedication Service during our Celebration Service. Anyone interested in participating in this service is asked to contact the church office by October 24. Christmas Choir Do you enjoy singing in the car, shower, etc? Would you like the chance to participate in a short term, low pressure, fun, choir opportunity with the purpose of putting a smile on the face of God (not to mention friends, relatives, and loved ones). We are putting together a choir to perform some Christmas anthems for Sunday and Christmas Eve services in December. This opportunity does not require an audition; however, rehearsals are required and will begin Sunday evening, November 2 nd from 6:30-8:00 PM in the Worship Center. A schedule of rehearsals will be distributed at that time. You will also be given opportunity to have all your choir questions addressed. Part's CD s, (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), will be distributed. Please let us know of your interest by stopping by the Choir Sign-Up table in the lobby, or if you have additional questions, call Chris (969-2303). Let s Make A Joyful Noise Unto the Lord! Sign up today! Youth Bake Sale Our students will have bake sales the third Sunday of each month through next spring in order to raise funds toward a missions trip next summer. There will be a variety of delicious treats for you to choose from. Next Bake Sale October 19. PowerHouse Family Camping ~ December 5-7, 2008 PowerHouse invites all families to enjoy a weekend of family style camping at Lakewood Retreat. Enjoy camping under the stars with your family. For noncamping enthusiasts, why not pack a picnic for your family and join us for the day. Registration packets are available on the back table in the Worship Center and in PowerHouse.
Training Student Leaders The third Sunday of each month students are invited to stay after the morning Celebration Service until the evening youth meeting, for training. We are working through The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students. We spend time talking about a personal walk and how to be an others focused person. These students will have more ministry, opportunities, responsibilities and experiences to grow in leadership skills. They should be Faithful in their walk with Christ, Available to serve in our youth ministry and Teachable. They should bring $5 for lunch. Marriage Let Loose and Have Fun! Part 3 By Bob Hostetler In our previous two issues, we have had 24 ideas for couple connection. Here are the last 12 ideas from this article: 1. Go to church. No, really! Seize an opportunity to go to a midweek or Saturday night service at a church you ve never attended. 2. Get some auction action. Check your local newspaper for auctions in your area. You don t have to buy or even bid on anything. 3. Swing and slide. Go to a playground and push each other on the swings. Walk barefoot in the sand pile. Slide down the slide. Hang upside down from the jungle gym. Exchange stories about your earliest or best childhood memories. 4. Have a Question Night. Each of you write down 10 questions, put them in a hat, mix them up, then draw out the questions and take turns answering them. Be careful what you ask however; you might have to answer it. 5. Go fly a kite! Buy a simple kite (or better yet, make your own) and go to an open area on a windy day. 6. Row, row, row your boat. Go to a lake and launch out together. You might even take along a picnic lunch to eat in the boat. Some places rent paddleboats so you can have paddleboat races. 7. Grab a bag of saltines or oyster crackers from your cupboard and to go the lake to feed the ducks. 8. Stroll through an old cemetery. It may seem creepy, but some cemeteries are beautifully landscaped, and many old headstones bear fascinating inscriptions. Make up stores of the people there. If you sneak in at night, tell ghost stores and have fun scaring each other. 9. Take in a game. Keep an eye out for the busiest and most competitive little league or softball diamonds, soccer fields, or hockey rink in your area. Then pack a couple chairs or cushions and pick a team to root for. 10. Find a farmer or gardener with a raspberry or strawberry patch. Pick a few pints and make a pie or cobbler together. Or take the fruits of your labor to
an elderly neighbor. 11. Go to your state or county fair. Make sure to check out the 4H and animal exhibits! 12. Have a bonfire at a local campground and roast marshmallows to make s mores. Reprinted with permission from Marriage Partnership (Summer 2006), published by Christianity Today International Carol Stream, Illinois. Remember to Vote November 4 is an important date in the life of our country as we have the opportunity and responsibility to vote for those who will be the leaders in our County, State, and Country. Be sure your views are represented - VOTE. Amendment 2 is one of the issues that will appear on the ballots in Florida. This Amendment does one thing it defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman as husband and wife in the Florida Constitution. There have been many concerns voiced about what passing this Amendment will do. Fact sheets on this issue are available on the table in the Oakwood lobby or visit www.yes2marriage.org for information. 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. A Trip Down The Amazon Dear Oakwood Family, During the week of September 13-21, Brenda and I had the privilege to participate with World Hope Missions on a medical mission's trip to the Amazon River Basin. We were serving aboard a medical boat visiting remote villages with limited or no access to healthcare. The group was composed of three doctors, one dentist, four nurses, a respiratory therapist, and seven support people representing 5 different
denominations. The team traveled 30 hours from the city of Manaus, Brazil to help 5 separate villages in the lower Amazon River. On this short-term mission we were able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well as provide healthcare assistance to many villagers. A total of 238 patients were treated and 111 children attended Vacation Bible School. There were 5 worship services and 55 decisions for Christ. This ministry also provided compassion relief in the form of used clothing, school supplies, toys, vitamins, and hygiene items to a total of 82 families. Thank you for your prayers for us and the entire team as we ministered both physically and spiritually to the people of this impoverished region. Special thanks to Dr. Maria Cariaga for her generous donations of much need medical supplies. In the journey, Rick and Brenda Smith There are an estimated 10,000 villages on the banks of the Amazon River. Only 3,000 have been visited so far. The river is the only highway, and the boat is the only transportation. 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 e-mail to Acorn@oakwoodfl.org. Article deadlines and publication schedule is: Deadline Publication date News for dates including Oct 17 Oct 22 Oct 25 Nov 7 Oct 31 Nov 5 Nov 8 Nov 21 Nov 14 Nov 19 Nov 22 Dec 5 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. If you have received this email in error or want to be removed from our e-
newsletter distribution list, please hit the reply button and put unsubscribe in the subject line and you will be removed immediately. 11209 Casey Rd Tampa, FL 33618-5306 phone: 813-969-2303 facsimile: 813-969-0468 email: office@oakwoodfl.org web: http://www.oakwoodfl.org