Sept 4 - Sept 17, 2010 Volume 5, Issue 18 Oakwood Community Church 11209 Casey Rd Tampa FL 33618-5306 813.969.2303 www.oakwoodfl.org The mission of Oakwood is to... Seeds for Growth Hey Church, I noticed a new commercial this week about a customer who is not happy that new customers get treated better than loyal customers. I guess I agree. I want the same deal on my cell phone that a new person could walk in and get. I think they should give it to me without me even having to ask. What about the church? Do we eagerly greet or give something to new people and overlook the loyal attenders? As I thought this through, I thought of a few differences. I have no obligation to help build the phone company. I do not love them. If their service is bad I will take my money to another company as soon as my contract for my cheap phone expires. For me, that is 1 year and 11 months. Following Jesus Christ is not like that. All followers of Jesus are taught to love others. We have the job of helping other people know God's love and see His offer of a relationship and eternal life. We have the job of building the list of customers. Ok, not really customers. Nothing is for sale. God needs nothing from us. We need so much from Him. Those who have grown in how they know God, will help others to grow in how they could know God. As they know truth, they help others know truth. As they meet needs, they will take others to meet needs. In Luke 7 a sinful woman comes to Jesus right in front of some loyal religious people. She anointed Jesus feet with oil and washed his feet with her tears. The good religious people did not understand how God welcomes sinners who come in repentance. They misunderstood their good works and how they look in the eyes of God. Often Jesus tells the religious that they have no place with God. I am a religious person who leads a religious organization. I hope more like Jesus. I hope I am not like the loyal religious customers that Jesus was talking to. I know all of us want that. This is from my blog a few weeks ago. Sorry if you saw this twice. If you are a parent of a student and want more insight into our ministry for students, this blog s for you. http://powerhouseteencenter.blogspot.com/ All for Jesus, Mike Richards Transform ordinary people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Oakwood is a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America. Inside this issue: Upcoming Classes 2 GroupLink 3 Fall Schedule 3 Prayer Walk 3 OCC Updates 4-5 Missions Moments 6-7 Kid s Corner 8 Marriage Matters 9 Calendar at a Glance 10
Page 2 Volume 5, Issue 18 Oakwood Mill - Beginning September 12 Foundations of Apologetics This fall we will offer a new class on Apologetics using Ravi Zacharias DVD series titled Foundations of Apologetics. The series is designed to introduce a comprehensive range of apologetic arguments and strategies and features lectures by members of Ravi s Ministry team of apologists, including Ravi Zacharias himself, Michael Ramsden, Alister McGrath, Amy Orr-Ewing, John Lennox, Stuart McAllister, and L.T. Jeyachandran. This rigorous curriculum will allow the student to become adept at recognizing the many worldviews influencing our culture and equipped to challenge the assumptions of these worldviews. The study will include compelling topics such as Faith, Reason, and Integration; God, Evil, and Suffering; Seeing and Exploring Cultural Connections; and Reasoning from the Scriptures. Complete with an in-depth workbook, the studies foster not only knowledge but also the skills to communicate that knowledge in a way that is winsome and effective. Topics to be covered are: Introduction to Apologetics: Conversations That Count Truth and Reality The Existence of God Establishing a Worldview The Trustworthiness of the Christian Scriptures The Uniqueness of Christ The Oakwood Mill is the Adult Education Ministry of Oakwood Community Church. All Classes are held in the Education Center from 8:45-9:45 AM on Sunday mornings. Register by contacting the Church Office at office@oakwoodfl.org, or fill out the registration form that will be in the weekly Worship Program or at the Information Center in the lobby. Please indicate the class you plan to attend; as well as any children that will need childcare so we can plan appropriately for them. The Trinity and Apologetics Pluralism: Do All Religions Lead to the Same Goal? Faith, Reason, and Integration God, Evil, and Suffering Seeing & Exploring Cultural Connections Reasoning From The Scriptures JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE - Acts and the Epistles - Part I (Women s class) Women are invited to join us for a guided tour as we journey through Acts and the epistles. Using a simple reading plan, participants will be encouraged to read through these New Testament books. We will explore key elements of each book, see how they fit together into the larger picture of God s story and discover what they mean for our lives today. Contact Andrea Cress for more information (615-0838 or acress@tampabay.rr.com) Finance Seminar Need help with your finances? The Crown Biblical Financial Study will be held on Saturdays from September 11 - November 29, 9:00-11:00 AM in the Oakwood library. This 10 week study will help you learn how to reduce your debt and increase your savings. Topics include: Getting Out of Debt, Spending, Saving and Investing, Budgeting, Giving, Earning Money, and Training Children. Requirements for the class: meet weekly for 2 hours, and approximately 2 hours of work outside the class each week, including scripture memory and praying for other class members. Register by contacting the Church Office at office@oakwoodfl.org, or sign up at the Information Center in the lobby. There is no childcare provided for this seminar.
Page 3 Volume 5, Issue 18 GroupLink Sunday Prayer Walk On Sunday, September 12, you are invited to sign-up for a Community Group immediately following the Worship Service -- this is our next step to Grow in Community! These new Starter Groups will begin in mid-september. Groups will initially meet for 8 weeks to begin to taste the benefits of community and to allow each person or couple to determine if this particular group fits them well. After 8 weeks, if the group members gel, they will be invited to make longer-term commitments to grow in faith together. This is your opportunity to experience authentic community and spiritual growth through fellowship, Bible study, and prayer. Don't miss out! Contact: Lindsey Ernst at 963-2253 or ERNSTL@us.ibm.com Fall Schedule Summer vacations have ended and school has begun. It s time to begin our Fall Schedule. On Sunday, September 12, our morning schedule will be: 8:00 AM Sunday Prayer in the Church Library 8:45-9:45 AM Youth & Adult Classes Servant s Service for those working with children during the 10:00 AM hour. Childcare and classes are available for children birth - 5th Grade, or elementary age children can attend the Servant s Service. 10:00 AM Worship Service Children s classes for 2 Year Olds through 5th Grade Saturday, September 11 Talking to people about God is a great privilege. But talking to God for people is greater still. (Source unknown.) The Oakwood church family is invited to participate in a guided Prayer Walk on Saturday, September 11. We will begin promptly at 7:00 PM in the Worship Center and will conclude at 9:00 PM. Our hope is that this evening Prayer Walk will be used by God to further strengthen, encourage, and unite our church family. We will pray for all of Oakwood -- from our leaders to our ministries, and from our visitors to our neighbors. Please help us adequately plan by registering at the Information Center. What victory the enemy has in winning us over to prayerlessness. He would rather we do anything than pray. Beth Moore Sunday Prayer We don t often know how prayer works but we know that it changes things. God directs us to talk with Him regularly. Linking with God and other believers is even more powerful. The Bible talks about where two or three gather to pray, it takes on a more significant meaning. Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM in the church library to pray for 40 minutes leading up to the family time of worship and join us as we ask God to help us love Him more. Please note: Beginning September 12, the Sunday Prayer will begin at 8:00 AM.
Page 4 Volume 5, Issue 18 Support Our Troops PowerHouse News Student leadership overnighter - September 5-6. We will start after church on September 5 and finish by noon on Monday. Cost of $20 includes 3 meals, leadership training and activities. Students will be asked to sleep from midnight to 7:00 AM. Joe Angelo has been in Bahrain, serving with the Navy component of Central Command (CENTCOM) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is scheduled to return stateside this Friday, September 3. He will be stationed in Jacksonville for a few more weeks before returning to Tampa. We extend a big congratulations to Joe on being selected to advance to Chief Petty Officer. Discovering Oakwood Are you interested in finding out more about Oakwood Community Church and considering membership? You are invited to join us immediately following the Worship Service on Sunday, September 26, in the Education Center Library for approximately 30-45 minutes. You will have opportunity to meet the elders, hear about our vision and learn about the process of becoming a member of Oakwood. Light refreshments will be served. Please contact the office (office@oakwoodfl.org or 813-969-2303) if you are interested in attending. Congregational Meeting On Sunday, September 19, we will be having an OCC Family Meeting right after the morning worship time. The meeting will begin at 11:30 AM and end no later than 12:15 PM. We also want to allow sufficient time for questions and comments from our church family. Childcare for infants to 5th Grade will be provided. Please help us plan adequately by registering your child(ren) at the TreeHouse Welcome Center or email Pam at pam@oakwoodfl.org. Blood Mobile The Blood Mobile will be at Oakwood on Sunday, September 26 from 8:30 AM 12:30 PM. If you are at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, are in good health and haven t donated in the last eight weeks, you are eligible to donate. Did you know that only 37 % of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood yet, less than 10% do annually. This is why repeat donors are so vital to our blood supply. You can begin the membership process with or without attending this session by going to our website (www.oakwoodfl.org) and choose the Membership tab. There you will find lots of information about Oakwood, as well as the membership application. Old Cell Phone Donations Need to recycle your old cell phone? Consider sending your old phone to EFCA TouchGlobal; (This is Oakwood s affiliated, international ministry for compassion). ATT and T-Mobile phones that use SIM cards are useful in most foreign counties. With the ever escalating need for communication, cell phones are a huge resource for EFCA and national partner ministry. Send donated items to: EFCA TouchGlobal 402 Kishwaukee St Rockford, IL 61104 Individuals donating equipment may be eligible for a tax receipt. If you have questions, contact touchglobal@efca.org.
Page 5 Volume 5, Issue 18 TreeHouse News Kids & Parents Meeting We need TreeHouse kids and parents to attend a Kick-Off meeting this Sunday, September 12, right after the Worship Service in TreeHouse. This meeting is for all parents or guardians of children who are infant through 5th Grade. Yes, infants too. We would like the opportunity to share with you what we have planned for this school year. The nursery will remain open for this short meeting, if parents would like to leave your infant or toddler in the care of our staff. Work Day September 18, 8:00 AM - Work Day on the Gray House Many of you may be unaware that Oakwood supports a ministry to single moms called Naomi s Daughters. The Gray House on our campus is their home base for this ministry. We want to help them by providing a nice place for ministry. Mark your calendar and come help us spruce up this building and minister to those who are ministering to others in need. Shoes for Orphans Oakwood partnered with The JOY FM in collecting shoes for orphans in Guatemala. Thank you to all who participated. With your generous donations, we collected 250 pairs of shoes! Get Into The Word - Women s Bible Studies Are you looking for an opportunity to dig into God s Word yourself? Our women s Bible study groups will soon be back in session with new studies this fall. Through the rich teaching presented and the warm fellowship of women, you ll be inspired to get into the Word. All women are encouraged to join in: Journey Through the Bible ~ starting Sept. 12 th Sunday mornings at 8:45 9:45 AM in the Oakwood Library Studying: New Testament: Acts & Epistles Contact Andrea Cress (813-615-0838 or acress@tampabay.rr.com) Women of the Word ~ starting Sept. 14 th Tuesday evenings at 7:15 9:00 PM in the Oakwood Library Studying: The Life of Christ (Jesus Ministers In & Around Galilee) Contact Sharon Pruden (813-960-2522 or pruden@biblebasics.org) Just for Joy ~ starting August 18 th Wednesday afternoons at 4:45-6:00 PM in the Oakwood Library Studying: Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith Normally a closed group, JFJ is open for new women to join during this 6-week study. Contact Trisha Emerson (813-363-9007 or trisha16@tampabay.rr.com)
Page 6 Volume 5, Issue 18 Unexpected Blessings In Issue 6 (2010) of The ACORN, we had an article about Betsy Brown, daughter of Lou and Anne Brown, and her service with International Justice Mission (IJM) in Nairobi, Kenya. Recently Lou, Anne and Cameron had the opportunity to visit Betsy. Following are some thoughts from Anne s heart regarding their visit. We had the privilege this summer to spend two weeks in Kenya, visiting our daughter, Betsy, who is half way through a yearlong internship with International Justice Mission (see IJM.org) in Nairobi. We left with malaria pills, suitcases full of dental supplies and toys for IJM s aftercare program, and the determination to make a difference. What we found was that God used the people of Africa to make far more of a difference in our lives than we probably did in theirs. Highlights of our trip included: Worshipping in a local Kenyan church. The facility was humble but the hospitality and love were rich. They introduced us as special guests (IJM staff were preaching and sharing in the service), served us tea afterwards and then insisted on driving us home, miles out of their way. The discussion of the sermon in the car on the way home was convicting and challenging as our new friend shared his deep knowledge of Scripture with us. What this church may lack in a physical structure they make up for in the hearts of their people! Hearing the heart of IJM s mission as we got to join in the office prayer and devotional time. They shared the background on each client they prayed for and the stories pierced our hearts. One young girl had been defiled by her brother, became pregnant and is now a teenage mother without a home for herself and her baby. We prayed for placement for her through the aftercare program and that God would bring wholeness back into her life on every level and that justice in the courts and restoration would occur in the brother s life. The power and hope of the Gospel was real in those prayers! Being reunited as a family was especially wonderful. We got to experience the beauty of a safari in the Mara (the Lion King in real life!), celebrate Betsy s birthday, laugh together and see and feel what Betsy s new life is like. Seeing how faithful God has been, up close and personal, soothed my mother s heart. The distance is still hard, but God is there and as Margaret Reifsnyder told me, The same moon that you see in Tampa is shining over Africa. To all the many parents with mission-minded children, God will bridge the distance! Thanks to so many of you who have prayed, supported and encouraged us in this adventure. We have been blessed far more than we ever imagined. Anne Brown
Page 7 Volume 5, Issue 18 Missions Moment Dear Oakwood Family, The Rafiki Foundation is a Christian organization whose goal is to help Africa s orphaned children who have lost both parents either by abandonment or death. Established in 1985, the Rafiki Foundation is currently operating in ten African countries to provide an environment where these vulnerable children receive the knowledge and tools to become godly contributors to their communities and the world. Bi-annually, Rafiki sends a team of medical volunteers to staff clinics in the Rafiki Villages. These countries have few resources for medical aid and the vast majority of people in the surrounding communities have no access to basic health care. In February, Brenda, and I had the opportunity to attend a Mini-Mission training in preparation for serving in Africa. Since attending the training, we had been invited to participate in a medical mission scheduled for September 20-30, 2010 in Nigeria. *Update: We just received notification that the clinic in Nigeria is being cancelled due to civil unrest in the area. The regional director does not wish to place the village or volunteers at risk so this clinic is indefinitely postponed. However, we have been invited to assist the orphanage in Liberia as they have the greatest need at this time. We understand that we will be providing medical assistance, teaching, helping with day to day needs and of course loving on the children. We will be in Liberia approximately the same dates as above. Locations where Rafiki is working in Africa The goal of the Rafiki Foundation is to promote the physical, spiritual, educational, and social well-being of the children of Africa. Please pray with us for this ministry of mercy and for the 43 million orphans in Africa facing homelessness, poverty, and starvation. In the Journey, Rick and Brenda Smith
Page 8 Volume 5, Issue 18 Kids Corner
Page 9 Volume 5, Issue 18 What About Our Money? A little compromise can go a long way in a marriage. Christy Scannell Ultimately our money melee could only be resolved with one course of action: compromise. A couple months before Rich and I were married, I received a startling phone call from our pastor. I got the results of your FOCCUS inventory, he said. You guys have a lot of issues that need to be worked out. We re going to have to set aside some time to talk these over before your wedding. I was dumbfounded. Had Rich not been honest with me about his feelings? Or did I not believe the way I thought? Was one of us an impostor? Pastor Tom interrupted my racing thoughts. Uh, oh, wait a minute, he muttered. I could hear papers shuffling. Ah, there it is. I had the wrong couple s results. I breathed a sigh of relief. Good news! he said brightly. You only have one issue that you really differ on: finances. Those results were no surprise, but hearing that the test had validated our opposite attitudes toward money did gnaw at my already stressed-out bride s tummy. From day one it had been evident that Rich and I were in different camps when it came to spending and saving he was barbecuing filet and drinking cabernet in Spender Forest while I was roasting marshmallows (from an economy-size bag purchased with a coupon) at Saver Canyon. Yet even though we recognized our individual approaches, it wasn t much of an issue while we were single and handling our own money. In fact, I d rather enjoyed how Rich treated me to the finer side of life during our dating years. But now we were headed to the altar and I feared that might be a short stop on the way to the poor house. We needed a strategy. But what? Our family histories weren t much help. Rich s parents had always kept separate accounts; mine shared everything equally. Both couples had faced significant financial problems along the way. So when I tried to convince Rich my parents way was right, he countered that it hadn t been successful for them. And when he promoted his mom and dad s system, I made a similar argument. We couldn t agree on either arrangement as a winning solution. Ultimately our money melee could only be resolved with one course of action: compromise. To satisfy Rich s need for independence, we decided he would keep a separate checking account into which he would have a small part of his paycheck deposited each month. The rest would go into our joint account, which I d manage in addition to paying the bills a control that gave me the peace of mind I needed. Has the plan gone off without a hitch? Well, no. There have been times when one of us thought the other had money for groceries or gas, and neither of us did. I ve continued to question his need for a private account, and he occasionally wonders why I m so compelled to pay off credit cards. But after seven years, I m accustomed to his spending quirks and he s sensitive to my savings routine. We try to respect the boundaries and not allow money worries to rule what is otherwise a terrific marriage. Meanwhile, he s persuaded me that sometimes upgrading to the nicer hotel really is worth those extra dollars, and I ve shown him how much more fulfilling a vacation paid in cash can be. And we re both right. But I do still wonder about that poor couple who had the completely incompatible test results. Hopefully they discovered the benefits of compromise too! Christy Scannell, freelance editor and writer, is co -author of Katt's in the Cradle (Howard Books/ Simon & Schuster). She and her husband, Rich, live in Southern California. http:// www.christyscannell.com Used with permission. Copyright 2010 by the author or Christianity Today International/ Kyria.com.
Oakwood Community Church 11209 Casey Rd Tampa FL 33618-5306 813.969.2303 www.oakwoodfl.org Our Staff Lead Pastor - Dr. Paul B. Phair Director of Ministries - Dave Dorsey Director of Worship Arts - Chris Lehmann Minister of Youth Development - Mike Richards Director of Children s Ministries - Pam Kilbride Office Manager - Martha Dorsey Secretary - Mary-Lynn Reilly Office hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Calendar at a Glance Sept 5 - Sunday Prayer (9:00 AM OCC Library) - Blood Pressure check Sept 5-6 - Student Leaders Training Sept 6 - Labor Day - Church Office closed Sept 11 - Biblical Finance Class begins Sept 12 - Fall Schedule Begins - Sunday Prayer (8:00 AM OCC Library) - New Children, Youth & Adults classes - GroupLink - TreeHouse Kids/Parents Meeting Sept 14 - MISCOM Meeting - Women of the Word Bible study begins Sept 18 - Work Day on the Gray House Sept 19 - Sunday Prayer (8:00 AM OCC Library) - Compassion Offering - Congregational Meeting following worship - Board Meeting 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. Articles may be submitted via e-mail to Office@oakwoodfl.org. Article deadlines and publication schedule is: Deadline Publication date News for dates including Sept 10 Sept 15 Sept 18 - Oct 1 Sept 24 Sept 29 Oct 2 - Oct 15 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.