Mid-Week Memo

Dear Five Oakers,

I have ELEVEN things I want to share with you today:

#1- I want to strongly encourage you to use the Commitment Cards we passed out this weekend for your personal giving planning. They are not to be turned in. But will you trust God more this year with your resources? Will you seek his leading in this area of your life? God owns it or it owns you.

#2- Loved the opening song for response this weekend. It was written by Dan Lukas, a meditation based on Psalm 139.

#3- We have a choir this coming weekend. You can sing in it if you come to rehearsal on Thursday evening from 7-9pm at our building. Email Justin if you plan on coming (jschaap@fiveoakschurch.org).

#4- We've got about 18 people in our Story of God small group experience at our house! We're going to find creative ways of getting everyone involved in the dialogues, which are so crucial for learning. This is so much fun. And I recently found out that one of our members is leading a Story of God experience at Stonecrest retirement community in Woodbury. More people reading the Bible with greater understanding and deeper impact.

#5- Got a very funny message on my voicemail from a friend of someone who signed up for Story of God. Wanted to ask me to cancel on the Super Bowl weekend so his friend could come to his party! Didn't leave a number. By the way, we're meeting earlier on that Sunday. I guess I'm not spiritual enough to miss the Super Bowl for a small group. :-)

#6- Here are some of the results from our last quarterly survey (the first one we've done online):

• 63% participated in an Impact initiative in the last three months.
• 67% volunteered in ministry at Five Oaks in the last three months.
• 55% invited someone to Five Oaks in the last three months.

#7- Some responses from first-time guests:

• We would have appreciated more information about the stations before the service (maybe on the website?).  Everything else was great.  We will visit again.
• We enjoyed the service.  Very good sermon.

#8- The Diaper Drive for New Life Family Services brought in 4007 diapers + $50 cash donation! Thanks for your generosity. Check out their ministry here.

#9- Matches are being made right now for our Five Oaks trained mentors and the children in our partnership with Woodbury Elementary (Kids Hope USA). Woodbury Elementary identified 10 kids to participate. We had exactly 10 mentors go through training! And as of this past weekend we have exactly 10 prayer partners!! Simply amazing. I can't wait to get started. 

#10- LifeWay Christian Store in Woodbury has a sale going on right now for the ESV Study Bible for $24.49. I've not seen it that cheap anywhere. Go out and get it. Remember, if you buy the hard copy, it gives you access to the whole study Bible online. 

#11- This weekend we're continuing in our "EVERYTHING" series. We'll be looking at how EVERYTHING includes our influence. We're focusing our worship response on Communion with the small group leaders handling the elements. Music for the weekend includes:

• "All Because of Jesus"
• "How Great Thou Art"
• "Here I am to Worship"
• "Awakening"
• "With Everything"
• "Draw Me Close"
• "Awesome is the Lord Most High"

I have a quick update from the orphanage in Haiti posting tomorrow. Some GREAT pictures.

I hope I get to see you on the weekend. Blessings to you,

Pastor Henry

Mid-Week Memo

Hi Five Oakers, I have EIGHT things I want to share with you:

#1- The special Feed My Starving Children offering on Christmas weekend was over $17,000!!! Yes, your generosity blows me away.

#2- We kicked off the new EVERYTHING series. I was super nervous before just before teaching on Saturday night, partly because of my excitement for what I wanted to share and partly because of using the whiteboard (that extra element can be tricky). If you missed the message, I highly recommend getting in online or through iTunes before next weekend. You'll get more from the series and I think the insights we get from the Creation account are stunning. Here are some of the ideas shared, just as a reminder:

• We were designed by God to find peace, joy and our purpose by orienting EVERYTHING in our lives toward him.
• EVERYTHING includes:
  • The BODY you occupy
  • The TIME you inhabit
  • The PLEASURES you relish
  • The INFLUENCE you wield
  • The SUCCESS you’ve achieved
  • The POSSESSIONS you hold
  • The WORK you perform
  • The STRENGTHS you possess
  • The CHILDREN you raise
• God created all so he owns EVERYTHING. Think "go to your room."
• The movement of creation toward God and rest. The frantic, bored or meaningless life we choose when we reverse the flow and turn our backs on God, focusing on what he created instead of on him.

• It's not either God owns it or I own it. It's either God owns it or IT OWNS ME.

#3- Here's a more complete list of what our students did for the second annual Student Service Project Overnight during Christmas break (I'm so proud of our Students and Student Ministries leaders):

• Red Cross Hands Only CPR training.
• Poverty simulation exercise where students were put into "families" with a very limited income and sent around to various stations where they were required to make decisions for their family on housing, transportation, childcare, insurance and more.  This was eye opening for many of the students.
• Served the homeless by making 600 sandwiches that were delivered to two different place in the area for distribution.
• Served the Karen Refugees by making 26 fleece tie blankets to warm them in body and soul.
• Labeled all the new "pew" Bibles.
• Prepared bags for "10 Minute Connect."
• Prepared Group Life to be picked up at the Small Groups table.
• Took down many of the Christmas decorations.
• Cleaned toys in the children's wing.

#4- Here are some of the Impact activities reported by different small groups from the fall:

• 3 Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.
• 10 grocery bags for Union Gospel Mission and a "change" jar for Christmas donations.
• Donated and made 600 sandwiches for 363days.org. Raked and removed leaves for an elderly neighbor. Pained and cleaned a rental unit for a SG member.
• Helped out at the Gary Reinhardt Benefit and helped a family in need.
• Salvation Army Bell Ringing.
• Catered a lunch/bingo event for 40 residents of St. Christopher's Place. Sponsored two families for Christmas through Adopt-a-Family.
• Helped pack 1000 grocery bags at Union Gospel Mission. Send care package to missionaries in China. Volunteered at One Starry Night.
• Adopted a family in need--repaired car, helped with bills.

#5- Lots of folks commented on how much they liked the whiteboard and the outlines. I'll be using a flip chart this week in a way that I think will be helpful in much the same way. We'll also have outlines for the rest of this series.

#6- We have a new EVERYTHING station for this series where you can lay something at the cross that you want to offer back to God as owner of EVERYTHING. Bring something from home or write it down on a card. 

#7- The worship team did another GREAT job leading us in worship. Love the new song and glad we're singing it this week again. Here are the songs we're planning for worship this weekend:

• "Age to Age"
• "Because of Your Love"
• "Oh Lord You're Beautiful"
• "Holy Holy Holy"
• "Your Grace is Enough"

#8- This week we're looking at what might be the hardest thing on the EVERYTHING list to entrust to God: our kids (or our most prized relationships). I think you'll come away with a clear understanding of why this is crucial for the spiritual development of your kids and for your own relationship with God.

That's it. Love you all and blessing to you, Pastor Henry