This is Us

We are the church, whether we are gathered or scattered--each one of us, a part of the body of Christ, wherever we go, whatever we do.

So, where can you find us, and what are we doing? 

Chris Evans has been serving in our Five Oaks Kids ministry for many years. It's a passion of his. This year, in addition to serving with the kids, he's leading a Five Oaks Students small group. At the first small group meeting of the new ministry year, Chris recognized a bunch of the guys assigned to his group, so he asked,  "How many of you remember me from 4th grade?"  They all kinda smiled, looked around at each other, and slowly raised their hands--eight out of eleven had been in his 4th-grade group! 

Five Oaks Students' fall retreat, Camp Getaway, has been going on longer than I've been pastoring here. My kids loved it when they were in middle and high school. This year was Chris' first Camp Getaway, and it looks like he was having some fun.

Have you ever been confused by the Bible?

by Pastor John Eiselt

Have you ever read something in the Bible that left you scratching your head, trying to figure out what on earth it meant? Perhaps you understand the story itself, but it’s bewildering to try to apply it to your life today.

Photo by Evan Dennis on Unsplash.

Even more difficult and disturbing is when we read a story or passage in the Bible that seems to reveal something about God that is troubling and inconsistent with the loving God the Bible seems to be pointing to.

The story we’re looking at this weekend has all of these things. The book of Hosea holds some beautiful truth about who God is, but it's packaged in a story that may leave us scratching our heads. That is until we look at it through the lens of the bigger story God is telling.

When we read this weekend's story in the broader context of God’s story, it reveals an incredible truth about who God is, what he is doing, and what that means for you, me, and the entire world. 

This weekend we’ll dive into this story and discover the truth it's pointing us towards, and how this truth impacts how we see God, and how we live our everyday lives.