Wednesday Memo

Hi Five Oakers,

Every Wednesday the Elders meet at 6:30am to pray through all the prayer requests from the weekend. Our Prayer Team and the Staff Leadership also pray through all but the designated Elder requests during the week. I think we received more prayer requests this last weekend than I've ever seen, and I don't know why. But I want you all to know that we are praying for you. And I continue praying through all of them in my own daily quiet time.

Here's the sermon from last weekend in 10 tweets: "The Heart of a Parent," Deuteronomy 6:5-9, Galatians 5:22, Hosea 11.

1. God has no grandchildren. Children have to choose to become Christians. But parents can be the greatest factor in helping them choose God.
2. You lead best when your heart burns brightest for God.
3. “Teach them diligently.” Love God with all your heart. Let his word be on your heart. Then you will teach from your heart.
4. When you lead your kids with a heart that burns brightest for God, you will be a Steward Leader. Your kids ultimately belong to God.
5. It’s not about what you want out of your kids; it’s about seeking what God wants for them.
6. When your heart burns brightest for God, you will be a Joyful Leader. Condoleezza Rice: “No one wants to follow a sour puss.”
7. Joy is a crucial fruit for spiritual leadership. Your faith will be more compelling when your home is marked by fun and laughter.
8. You will a Reflecting Leader. They get a taste of what it means to live under God’s parental leadership.
9. God is not a permissive parent. Every threat of wrath against his wayward children came down on himself on the cross.
10. God’s loving parental leadership took him all the way to the cross. We reflect that love to our kids the more we reflect on his love for us.

This weekend we talk about teaching the heart. Invite a friend who needs to hear about God’s grace.

Blessings, Pastor Henry

Tuesday Memo

Hi Five Oakers,

I’ve got four things I want to share with you today. 

#1 – This weekend is our last week (for now) of the “To Raise a Family” series. The subject is “Teaching the Heart.” We’ll be talking about making God’s grace our curriculum.

#2 – This weekend is not the final week of the series. I plan to return to it at least two or three times throughout the year. Most likely on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but maybe one or two other times.

#3 – We launch our “For” campaign series the following weekend (September 28/29). On that weekend we will be distributing a daily devotional book written by several members of our Group Life team and me. We need you there for the launch of this series, and we’d love for you to start on the devotional on the very next day.

#4 – The “For” campaign is based on John 3:16—“For God so loved.” Campaigns at Five Oaks are about spiritual growth, but the “capital” portion of the campaign includes raising funds for three areas of ministry.

FOR Land [Expanding our local ministry capacity]

We are raising funds to pay for 9.5 acres adjacent to the south side of our property. We want to be good stewards of the future. As an estimated 20K people move within a 5-minute drive of the campus, we want to be ready. This purchase accounts for the majority of the money we need to raise, and we want to pay for the land without incurring any long-term debt.

FOR Impact [Extending our global ministry reach]

Part of the money raised will be dedicated to global Impact so we can extend our reach over and above the annual Impact budget. We are still weighing our options, so more information is forthcoming, but our criteria include working with existing ministry partners and a hands-on opportunity for serving within this project.

FOR Ministry [Empowering our church’s ministry potential]

If you’ve seen the upgrades to the Children’s wing, you can imagine what our designer is planning for weekend Children’s ministry in the CLC. He is also working on information kiosks and wall displays that tell our story of local and global impact. Our offices are over capacity and need an upgrade. The furniture is about 30 years old (it was used when it was donated to us in 1999). And we need to strategically staff for future growth.

We'll have a lot more details when the campaign starts in two weeks, but for now, please commit to join us for this five-week journey. Pray for God's continued direction, empowering and guidance.

Blessings,

Pastor Henry