Dec 11, 2010 - Jan 7, 2011 Oakwood Community Church 11209 Casey Rd Tampa FL 33618-5306 813.969.2303 www.oakwoodfl.org The mission of Oakwood is to... Transform ordinary people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Oakwood is a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America. Isaiah 9:6 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Luke 2:6-7, 14 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. 14 Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. As you reflect on the Savior s coming, may you be joy-filled and give praise to God for the greatest gift ever given. The staff wishes you and your family a Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year. Inside this issue: Christmas @ Oakwood 2 OCC Updates 2-3 PowerHouse News 3 TreeHouse Training 3 An Indescribable Gift 4 Marriage Matters 5 Kids Corner 6 Calendar at a Glance 7
Page 2 Christmas @ Oakwood It s the most wonderful time of the year. Time to celebrate the coming of the Messiah to earth to fulfill the prophecies in the Old Testament and become the redeemer of the world. On December 12, Pastor Paul will begin a new series entitled The Wonder of Christmas. Messages in this series include: The Wonder of Christmas Light, The Wonder of God s Gift, and the climax of the series will be at our Christmas Eve Bonfire Service - The Wonder of God s Presence. This is an excellent series to invite your unsaved family and friends to, as many are more receptive to the gospel during the holidays. Plan now to join us for the Christmas season. Invitation cards will be available for your use in inviting your guests. Who will you invite? Christmas Eve Bonfire Service An outdoor service under the stars Friday, December 24 @ 6:00 PM A candlelight service filled with Christmas music Wear your jeans and bring your own lawn chairs... a personal flash light might be nice The service will be located just east of the Teen Center Ushers will be available to guide you to our location Contingency plan will be in the worship center (but not a candle light service) Members vote Sunday, December 19, members will vote on the Proposed 2011 Budget as well as the recommendations for elders and deacons, presented at the December 5 Congregational Meeting. Copies of the Proposed Budget are available at the Information Center. The elders and deacons are recommending the following people to serve on our elder and deacon teams. If you have any concerns, please contact one of the current elders. Deacon Ben Smith (1 st term), Arnie Mejias (2 nd term) and David Young (2 nd term) Elder Eric Pratt (2 nd term) Are you one of 20? Returning Hearts Celebration On May 14, 2011, 20 men from Oakwood will be going to Angola Prison in Louisiana to participate in a day of celebration for inmates and their children. Sponsored by AWANA, this is a day for inmates to play and pray with their kids. We will join with many others as sponsors and chaperones for the day. Our own Craig Clendinen participated last year and came back with excitement at what God is doing in this prison and with the inmates. Stop by the Information Center on Sunday for more information. Please pray about being one of the 20. Metropolitan Ministries Oakwood is collecting non-perishable food (canned fruit, boxed cereal, beans, yams or stuffing) through December 19 to be used in the holiday food distribution effort of Metropolitan Ministries. A barrel is located in the lobby for your contribution. If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD and he will repay you! Proverbs 19:17 (NLT)
Page 3 Pregnancy Care Center Be an angel and help supply the Pregnancy Care Center with items needed for babies and their mothers. Please take an angel from the tree in the lobby and purchase the item written on the back. Place the unwrapped gift under the tree by December 26. Pregnancy Care Center is supported through the Missions giving of Oakwood Community Church. Blood Mobile @ OCC The Blood Mobile will be at Oakwood on Sunday, December 19. 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. Our Christmas party for students has been changed to December 12, 5:00-7:30 PM. Students 6-12 grades can join us for a movie, bonfire and a Christmas white elephant gift exchange. They should spend no money on a gift. Just wrap something from around the house that someone else might enjoy opening. But, if they bring toilet paper, we might wrap them up in it. :-) Bring money for the snack bar. Cost: bring a gift and/or school supplies to go the Gospel Creole Mission in Abaco. Jim Reed has offered to fly these down to the mission where we served in the summer of 2009. Pastor Robin Weatherford said that school supplies are more urgently needed at this time. TreeHouse Training The Tree House is hosting a seminar with Ryan Frank, January 8, 2011, 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Ryan, is a renown children's pastor, Executive Director of Kidz- Matter (www.kidzmatter.com) and Executive Director of Innovative Ministries Awana (www.awana.org). If you work with the children at Oakwood from Nursery through the fifth grade, you should be attending this event. If you are not currently working with our Tree- House children but would like to attend, please know that you are welcome. We are only asking you to pay $5 to cover your lunch. If you know anyone outside of Oakwood who might be interested the cost is $30 including lunch. For more information or to register, contact the Church Office at 813-969-2303. TreeHouse Need Are you replacing electronic equipment or cameras at Christmas? The TreeHouse could use your old VHS player or camera (preferably digital). Bring your donation to the TreeHouse Welcome Center. We would be glad to provide you with a donation letter for IRS purposes for your donation. PowerHouse Training Disciplemaking is Relationships When you boil it all down, what's the simplest understanding of a Jesus-like approach to disciplemaking? The Disciplemaking Is Relationships training is an invitation for you to explore being a disciple... who makes disciples... who makes more disciples. It's a fresh, simple, and profound look at what it means to follow Jesus together. This training helps you and your team wrestle the question: What does 1st century Jesus-like disciplemaking look like in the 21st century Western world? On January 15 we will work through a 4-hour seminar on how to make disciples. Shane Stacey, the Director of Reach Students with the EFCA is coming to lead the training. This is intentionally planned for our student leaders who lead small groups to disciple students. The cost of $15 includes a training manual. Much of the cost is a gift from the EFCA National Office.
Page 4 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift 2 Corinthians 9:15 An Indescribable Gift by Dave DeLuca 4 funny stories that make a serious point about Christmas Perhaps you ve heard about the little girl who came home from Sunday school triumphantly waving a paper. Mommy! she said, My teacher says I drew the most unusual Christmas picture she has ever seen. Her mother studied the picture and concluded it was indeed a very peculiar Christmas picture. This is wonderfully drawn, but why are these people riding on the back of an airplane? It s the flight into Egypt, the little girl said, with a hint of disappointment that the picture s meaning was not immediately obvious. Oh, the mother said cautiously. Who is this mean looking man at the front? That s Pontius the pilot, the girl said now visibly impatient. I see. And here you have Mary, Joseph, and the baby, the mother volunteered. Studying the picture silently for a moment, she summoned the courage to ask, But who is this fat man sitting behind Mary? The little girl sighed. Can t you tell? That s round John Virgin. That conversation could occur in any home with a creative child. But let's change the scene to a commercial airplane. In fact, let's make it the world's first totally computerized airliner ready for its maiden flight without pilots. The plane taxies to the loading area. Its doors open and the steps come out automatically. The passengers board the plane and take their seats. The steps retreat automatically, the doors close, and the airplane taxies toward the runway. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," a voice intones. "Welcome to the debut of the world's first fully computerized airliner. Everything on this aircraft is run electronically. Just sit back and relax. Nothing can go wrong Nothing can go wrong Nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong Now let's go to a busy city street. A man's car is stalled in the middle of an intersection and the woman behind him honks her horn continuously as he tries to start it. Finally he gets out and walks to her car. "I can't seem to get my car started," he said, smiling. "If you'll go down and start it for me, I'll stay here and lean on your horn." Finally, a trip to the local golf course. We see a golfer becoming so angry that he throws his brand-new set of golf clubs into the lake. A few minutes later he wades into the lake to retrieve his clubs. He proceeds to take his car keys out of the bag and then throws his clubs back into the water. Fun stories that we can all relate to. But let's make a few observations about the Christmas season based on these common everyday situations. Each story has a lesson: 1. Our world is full of people who, like the little girl, misunderstand the Christmas message. We can help them get it right by introducing them to the true Christ in our words and deeds (John 20:31). 2. Our world is full of things that go wrong go wrong. We can be there when that happens with the best news ever announced (Luke 2:10-11). 3. Our world needs to see our patience, as we look beyond the surface of what's happening, stop honking, and try to help (Galatians 5:22-23). 4. Our world is full of people who are frustrated. We need to tell them about the One who forgives and helps us change in more than golf shots (1 John 5:18-20). We may not like all the commercialization, but let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater (or the keys with the golf clubs). Don't forget 2 Corinthians 9:15: "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" Some versions say "unspeakable" or "gift too wonderful for words." Amidst all the hustle and bustle, let's keep in mind that this is what Christmas is all about. Dave DeLuca, a pastor, is the author of various articles and Bible studies, as well as the book How to Deal with the Ten Toughest Stress Situations. Copyright 2010 by Dave DeLuca and Christianity Today International/ChristianBibleStudies.com. Used with permission.
Page 5 The Art of Marriage - presented by FamilyLife Coming to Oakwood February 11-12, 2011 The Art of Marriage brings together some of the most respected and influential pastors and experts on marriage and family all in one setting. It also brings a fresh approach to a video event by weaving together some of the following elements to help couples fully experience God s design for marriage: engaging stories real-life testimonies man-on-the-street interviews humorous vignettes The Art of Marriage consists of six video sessions and an accompanying manual that provides couples with projects to help apply the principles taught during each session. The manual is also designed for couples to use after the event by offering articles, date night ideas, and useful tips for continuing to strengthen their marriage. Topics Covered Session 1: love happens (purpose of marriage) God designed marriage and has a great plan in mind. The primary purpose of marriage is to reflect God s glory to a watching world. It is important to receive your mate as God s perfect gift for you. Session 2: love fades (drift to isolation) Couples naturally drift toward isolation. Our differences and weaknesses push us apart. Sin has affected every marriage. The gospel brings healing and reconciliation Couples must learn to walk by the power of the Holy Spirit in marriage. Session 3: love dances (roles) God designed different responsibilities for men and women in marriage. Though their responsibilities are different, men and women are still equal in value. God calls men to sacrificially love and lead their wives. God calls women to respect and support their husbands. Session 4: love interrupted (communication) Conflict is common to all marriages. The goal is not to be conflict-free but to learn to handle conflict correctly when it occurs. Healthy conflict resolution occurs when couples are willing to seek and grant forgiveness. Session 5: love sizzles (romance and sex) God created sex and has a wonderful design in mind. A satisfying sex life is the result of a satisfying marriage relationship. The ultimate purpose of sex is to bring pleasure and glory to God. Session 6: love always (legacy) To leave a godly legacy, we must think about the impact of our lives on future generations. Our hope for leaving a lasting legacy is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Leaving a godly legacy requires putting a stake in the ground. The cost is $40 per couple and includes 2 seminar manuals, snacks and continental breakfast on Saturday. Registration will begin soon. Seminar Schedule: Friday 7:00-9:30 PM - Session 1 & 2 Saturday 8:30 AM - Continental Breakfast 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Sessions 3 & 4 12:00-1:45 PM - Lunch Break 1:45-4:00 PM - Sessions 5 & 6
Page 6 Kids Corner
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 Dec 12 - Board meeting - PowerHouse Christmas Party Dec 19 - Blood Mobile @ Oakwood - Members vote on 2011 Budget and Elder/ Deacon Team Members Dec 24 - Christmas Eve Bonfire Service Jan 8 - TreeHouse Teacher Training Jan 9 - Board Meeting Jan 10 - MISCOM Meeting Jan 15 - PowerHouse Disciple Making Training 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 Dec 31 Jan 5 Jan 8 - Jan 21 Jan 14 Jan 19 Jan 22 - Feb 4 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.