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Worship May 2016

Church Family,

What a great time this past month has been! God is moving in our Church, and I am so thankful to be able to experience it with you all. Thank you for singing. One of the
greatest aspects of corporate worship is that we get to come together as the Church, and we worship in unity. The reality is that every Sunday, each one of us comes to worship with a different story. Our lives are unique from one another, and we all bear different burdens. My life is telling a different story than your life, and your life is telling a different story than mine.

But the great thing about Corporate Worship is that we all get to bring our stories to the same place, together. We all have a song to sing, and we get to sing that song together.  Isaiah 55:1 says, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy, and eat!.” Remember this week, no matter your story, there’s room for you at the table of God, and my prayer for all of us is that we would, “taste and see that the Lord is good”, as Psalm 34:8 says.

I encourage you in your own life, point your story to the Cross, and come and worship with us on Sundays, as we bring our stories to the same place, where we focus on the Cross, and sing in response to what Christ has done for us.

With Love,

Jared

Spare Change May 2016

4 Reasons I love the Food Pantry Ministry

The people that work in our food pantry routinely comment on how awesome the food pantry ministry is.  All the other ministries at Oakhill are just as awesome, but the food pantry is unique in its awesomeness.  Unfortunately, right now we are short staffed due to relocation, job changes, schedule changes, etc.  We need about four more people each week to get back to being fully staffed.  Because we are short staffed we are not able to offer the personal care room every week.  Soon we will be losing our person that inventories and orders food.  As you can see—we need help!  The commitment is only once a month on the 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th Saturday.  I know everyone is busy, but if you can give just one Saturday morning a month from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., then you can be used in a great way.  Let me know if you can help by calling me at the church office or emailing me.  Now, here are 4 reasons I love the food pantry ministry.

1. It’s a great place to share your faith.

The food pantry is unique because there is an intentionality with the gospel.  We are there to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the community.  We emphasize the spiritual needs of our clients greatly.  Not only do we have a message each week, we also sit down one on one with our clients.  We take the time to talk to them about life and pray with them.  Often these talks will lead to gospel conservations.  Our goal is to share the gospel which provides hope for the unbeliever and encouragement for the
believer.

2. Everyone’s gifts can be used.

The food pantry uses a wide range of gifts.  We need people (caregivers) that can talk to clients, but we also need people gifted in hospitality, administration, serving, etc.  We need cart pushers and food box preparers.  We need people to make coffee and pass out personal care items.  Whatever your gift might     be, we can find a place for you to serve.

3. There is a great opportunity to meet new people and enjoy great fellowship with them.

Attending a larger church like ours makes it hard to get to know people, however at the food pantry we have people of all ages that come together to serve.  You will meet everyone from seniors to college students and our fellowship is sweet.  Every week the team enjoys just getting to hang out together.  Are your looking to connect with other church members?  Other than a 2:42 Group, there is no better place than the food pantry.

4. It reminds me that it is not about me.

Finally, the food pantry reminds me that the Christian walk is not about me.  It’s about serving others and ultimately serving our Lord and Savior Jesus.  That is why we are called to serve in the first place.  I love the message of Mark 10:45.  Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  This is a great reminder that we are never more like Jesus than when we are serving.  Remember, it’s not about you and it’s not about me; it’s all about Him.

 We really do need help at the food pantry.  Right now, our number of clients have been down, probably due to tax returns and low bills.
 However, that will end soon as the summer heats up.  Please pray and consider serving in this wonderful ministry.  The best way to tell if you want to serve is to just show up and see what it is all about.  Come check it out the 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th Saturday of the month.  The food pantry is located at 5122 N. Fares Ave. (off of St. George Rd.)