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Spiritual Development July 2016

I’m very excited for the rest of the year and the new emphasis that our church is putting on discipleship.  Part of this plan is a new strategy that we are going to have called The Growth Initiative.  The Life Change cycle is a model that has served our church well as we think about what genuine, Spirit-provoked life change looks like in the life of a believer.  This new push is our attempt to be more faithful to the “Grow” aspect of the Life Change Cycle. 

The Growth Initiative will replace the Life Enrichment classes that we have offered in the past on Sunday nights in the fall and spring.  Instead of meeting over a series of weeks throughout the year, we will be offering equipping sessions one weekend each month on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings in order to give focused attention to important concepts that will work to strengthen your faith and equip you to be an effective disciple of Christ.  Listed below is the schedule for this upcoming fall.

Truth: Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth - Sept. 9^th -10^th

Learn how to understand, interpret, and apply the truth of the Bible to your life and the lives of others. 

Story: God’s Grand Redemption Story - Oct. 14^th-15^th

See how the Old and New Testaments are one story of God’s workings to
redeem people from the power of sin and establish his everlasting kingdom.

Beliefs: Theological Triage - Nov. 11^th-12^th

Learn why our beliefs about God and his interactions with us are valuable and important for the maturity of our faith.

Action: How to Be a Disciple Maker - Dec. 9^th-10^th

Understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and learn how to effectively share your faith and disciple others.

Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

It is our hope that many people at Oakhill will participate in these opportunities and see the value in investing in their own spiritual life so they are more effectively equipped to minister to others.  These larger categories of Truth, Story, Beliefs, and Action are explained in Pastor Alan’s article and will be addressed on Sunday mornings through the month of July.  These categories will serve as the framework for the future discipleship opportunities that our church will offer.  Within those categories, new topics will be covered each year.  Please plan to be a part of these weekends!

Our desire behind all of this planning is summed up in the tagline of The Growth Initiative’s logo.  We want to be a church made up of disciples making disciples.  This is the mission that Jesus has left for the church to complete in the power of the Spirit.  By God’s grace, this new emphasis will aid our church in completing the Great Commission by reaching the lost and making disciples who make disciples.

Speaking the Truth in Love,

Nick

Worship July 2016

Church Family,

I hope you have all had a great start to you’re summer!  It has been a great season of ministry here at Oakhill, and I have thoroughly enjoyed worshiping with you all.  We have seen God do great things, and we are looking forward to seeing what God does as we push forward towards the Fall!

I wanted to share one great memory from the last few months with you, as I see God moving throughout our Church.  A few weeks ago, our worship team here at Oakhill was leading the worship song, “Cornerstone”.   As we approached the last verse of the song, the worship team was able to back away from the microphones, and all across our congregation, a swell of voices lifted these words,

                 “When He shall come with trumpet sound,

                  O May I then, in Him, be found,

                  Dressed in His righteousness alone,

                  Faultless to stand before the throne.”


I remember standing onstage in that moment, and praying to God, “Thank you God that our Church loves to sing.”  As your Worship Pastor, it’s such a joy to join in with your voices Sunday after Sunday to proclaim God’s truth, and sing his praises.  Psalm 100:1-2 says, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness, come before Him with joyful songs!”  I want to encourage all of us, keep singing, keep worshipping, and let’s use our lives to point to the Glory of God.  Come and join us on Sunday, as we join our voices, to glorify God together.

In Christ,

Jared