Our Blog

November Student Ministry

Thank You

I want to take a moment to thank all of you for your kind cards and gifts this past month. I appreciate it more than you know. It is such a privilege to know each of you, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to be here with you and to serve this student ministry. 

Thank you isn’t a strong enough word to describe my heart toward all of you that volunteer in the student ministry, so I will have to make up a new word to describe this emotion...extremagratitude. So maybe that doesn’t really get the idea across either, ha. Seriously, I can not tell you all thank you enough for the countless hours of prepping for events, picking students up, preparing for small groups, and all the love you show our students. But even beyond all that, you mean a great deal to me personally. You have supported and encouraged me in unbelievable ways. Thank you for your patience and kindness towards me. You have poured yourselves into this ministry and I could not ask for a better group of volunteers. You are literally the best.

I am also extremely grateful for all of the parents of our students.  I have learned so much from all of you over the past few years. I’ve watched as you have patiently loved your kids through beautiful times and difficult situations. I’ve listened to the deep love in your voice as you think through how to best engage the heart of your kid. It is such an honor to be apart of a ministry that has such engaged and caring parents. Thank you for all that you do and continue to do in the life of your student and for this student ministry.

De:Fined DNOW

In October we had our annual DNOW which is a weekend retreat focused on discipleship. This year we called the event De:Fined as we looked at how students define their identity.  So many people define themselves using lies spoken to them by others or even themselves, rather than defining themselves by what the Word of God says about them.

We spent the first night looking at how lies work and how they can get lodged in our minds. Lanney Avis brought a moving word for our students about who Satan is, what his goals are, and how he lies. It is so easy to believe lies and many of students could immediately identify different lies that they had been believing. The students then spent the evening looking through their hearts to try to identify different lies they had been believing.

On Saturday morning Benson Avis took us through Isaiah 43 and showed  us what is actually true in our lives. I love that Benson’s goal wasn’t merely to make the students feel better about themselves, but to show them how magnificent our God is and that our identify is found in Him. It is such a blessing to have leaders that love the Word of God and press our students to find their identity in Christ.

Saturday night I spoke with our students about how they use their words. We looked primarily at Proverbs 18:21 where Scripture tells us that the power of life and death are in the tongue. We are responsible and held accountable for the words we speak, and Ephesians 4:29 tells us that 100% of the words that come out of our mouths should be for building up. The only hope we have to use our words correctly is by remembering the Gospel and looking at others through a Gospel lens. 

We could not have pulled this weekend off without all the volunteers who helped with food, transportation, host homes, stage design, set-up, clean-up, and literally countless other things. And a special thank you to the band for leading us incredible worship all weekend.

Much Love to you all, 

Mark

November Spare Change

WANTED: Someone Willing to Give Their Life Away

Opportunities abound at Oakhill to give your life away.  There are opportunities to invest in our students, coach an Upward team, or share your gifts in worship.  There are so many ways to give your life away!  The real question is: are you willing to give it away?

I know life is busy.  I have a wife, four kids, a demanding job, and a great church family that keep me very busy.  Sometimes at the end of the day it’s all I can do to stay awake long enough to make it through Jimmy Fallon’s monologue.  But is that really what life is about…busyness?

No, life should not be about just being busy to better our lives or to be busy for the sake of busyness.  We need to be doing something worthwhile with our time.  We need to use some of it, maybe just a few hours a week, to invest in other people.

According to The Atlantic we spend 8.6 hours working, 7.6 hours sleeping, 1.8 hours on various other activities, 2.6 hours on leisure and sports, 1.2 hours caring for others (family mostly), 1.1 hours eating and drinking, and 1.1 hours on household activities.  How does your typical day compare?  What about spending our time to give ourselves away?  Where does that fit in?

Giving ourselves away is not about spending gobs of time volunteering or doing everything you can possible.  Rather, think of it as taking a relatively small percentage of time every week and focusing on other people.  Everyone should think about doing this, but for the Christian it is vital.  Jesus (Mark 10:45), Paul (Galatians 5:13), and Peter (1 Peter 4:10) are all in agreement that Christians should be serving others.  It is our duty to serve others, but for what purpose?  To make us feel good?  To simply show the world we are good people?  No.  We are to serve so that people can see Christ in us. When we give ourselves away by serving others we show the love of Christ and the true Gospel that we came to proclaim.  We show how Christ has changed our lives by His blood and how others can have the same peace, hope, and joy that is found only in Christ.

So, where does that leave us?  We know we should give ourselves away, we know why, but practically where do we start?  Brace yourself, here comes the shameless ministry plug.  I know of several spiritually rewarding, gospel-driven, serving positions that I need people for right now.  

Food Pantry Ministry:  I need more volunteers at the food pantry.  There are positions making food boxes, hosting our clients, and meeting with clients one-on-one as a Care Giver.  All you need to do is just show up one Saturday and observe what we do to see if it’s for you.  No commitments, just come and observe any 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th Saturday of the month.  Volunteers arrive at 8:30 a.m.  It is located at 5122 N. Fares Avenue, just off St. George Road.

AIS Ministry:  The partnership we have with the Academy of Innovative Studies on 1^st Avenue has been such a great ministry over the past few years.  This year we are continuing to support the faculty and reach out to the students and their families.  We need help with planning events, creating gifts for the teachers, and mentoring students. Just this year, I have been going to the school once a week to work with a student one-on-one.  This is a very rewarding time for me and is a great benefit to this student.  You too can have your own student you meet with once a week to encourage them, work on life skills, and accomplish goals.

Mission Trips:  Another great way to give yourself away is to go on a mission trip.  We have designed great partnerships in both Detroit and Louisville and will be offering a few different trips next year.  We also have a partnership with Culture Waves Global that goes primarily to India and China.  These trips are a great way to give yourself away and share the gospel with the ends of the earth.  Look for more information coming in December.

Various Other Ministries:  Finally, there are so many other things that I don’t have the space to mention.  We have the State Hospital Ministry, Dayspring (after-prison) Ministry, Health Ministry, and Charis House Ministry.  These are all great opportunities to give yourself away.  Please email me at or call me at
812-476-3450 to get involved.