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Pastor's Point - November 2023

Dear Church Family,

I love November because it comes with a ready reminder to us that we have so much to be thankful for! All we must do is slow down long enough to consider all that God has blessed us with. But there lies the problem. We are so busy doing life, facing challenges, and obsessing on the details of life, that we do not slow down to consider all that we have to be thankful for.

Whether it be our health, finances, children, spouse, friends, or career, God is always at work providing and blessing us with so many things that we do not deserve. He is so good to us!! He cares, loves, and provides for us in ways that are for our good and we need to remember to give Him glory. 

In the month of November, we will have our Thanksgiving Fellowship again this year which gives us a perfect opportunity to enjoy fellowship together and to thank God for all that He has done in our lives individually, and corporately as a church.

On November 19th we will gather at 5:00 that evening to come together as a church family and enjoy time together eating, praising, and thanking God for all that comes from His hand. During part of our time together we will hear a few testimonies about how God is working, providing, and blessing in a few people’s lives. This will be a time of encouragement and hope for us all as we hear of God’s faithfulness in life even in the hardest of times. 

Also, that night we will be updating our church family about some exciting and encouraging news as it relates to our building campaign which impacts both our South and North Campuses. We will celebrate what God has done so far in this campaign and share opportunities for the future to those who are newer to our church family as we enter the last year of our One Family, One Mission building campaign pledge in 2024.

As I conclude I want to say a big thank you to those who took the time to encourage your pastors during the month of October for pastor appreciation. I know that I love being your pastor and your kind words and thoughtful expressions of generosity were most appreciated. Oakhill truly is a loving, supportive church family and I thank God for you all!

One last thing, make sure to warmly welcome Paul Willett, our new Pastor of Discipleship and Missions, and Alex Kilgore, our new Student Ministries Director, as they have officially joined our church staff. Your kind words and expressions of support will help them to get off on the right foot in ministry as they give themselves to our church for
God’s glory!! I pray you have a blessed November and remember to count your blessings as you live your life to the fullest for the glory of our great God!

I love you and I love being your pastor!

Pastor's Point - October 2023

Dear Church Family,

By now you will have received my letter to the church to share the exciting news of our recent student minister search. First let me say that I am very thankful for God’s leading during this process. The search took longer than I imagined, and it led us to a plan that I was not thinking of at the beginning of the process. But I know that we ended up where God wanted us to be.

One of the great things about this plan is that it allows us to continue to invest in our student ministries, which we have done for many years. But it also allows us to refocus on our Life Groups which we have not done well in the last three years or so. With the departure of Pastor Nick Scott to the mission field and the season of Covid, our groups have needs that need to be addressed.  I am thankful that we are going to be able to invest in our students as well as the wider ministry area of discipleship in our church family.

One other aspect that I am so thankful for is the availability of solid Christian men that have been raised up in our church to make this plan possible!

Pastor Bryan Gotcher has been around Oakhill for sixteen years and in that time has worn many different ministry hats. His ability to minister and administrate different areas of ministry has been a real blessing to us throughout the years. As God began working on my heart about ways we could fill the leadership needs in our church, I reached out to Bryan to share, pray, and collaborate. And it was out of this time together that God led us in the direction of the plan that we have shared with you all. Bryan is excited for this direction of ministry in his life personally and for the church corporately.

Alex Kilgore is a young man that grew up here at Oakhill and has been a part of ministry throughout the years as he has come back in the summertime to complete multiple years of internships in our church. He has graduated from Boyce College at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is excited to collaborate with Pastor Bryan in the area of student ministry and make an impact on the lives of our awesome students. He is a solid young man who has a heart to be used by the Lord. I know that as he and Pastor Bryan work together it is going to be a great blessing for our student ministries.

Paul Willett and his lovely wife Amy were brought to our church by God almost two and a half years ago. As a couple they have been nothing but an absolute blessing to our church family as they have been busy giving their lives away into the lives of others. Paul served as an elder at an SBC church in Kentucky for a few years before they made the move to Evansville. He has a love for God’s Word, he desires to see people discipled and grow in their faith, and he has a heart for missions as well. I believe that he is going to do an outstanding job of ministering to people to encourage them to grow in their faith and live their lives on mission for the glory of God!!

If you have questions, please come to one of the two question and answer sessions on Wednesday, October 4^th at 12:00 pm or Thursday, October 5^th at 6:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall at South Campus.  Then on Saturday, October 14^th at 10:00 am in the Fellowship Hall of the South Campus come for a meet and greet with Paul and Alex so you can hear more about their excitement for the future ministries of our church.

Then on Sunday, October 15^th the elders and personnel teams would ask for you to be present as we ask for a vote of affirmation for this ministry plan that has been presented for consideration.

I am praying for God to use this plan for the good of Oakhill Baptist Church and for his glory!!

I love you and I love being your pastor!