Our Blog

March Pastor's Points

Dear Church Family,

First, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has made UPWARD such a huge success this year.  There are about 80 volunteers every week that make this ministry possible and I am so
thankful for each and every one of them.  I need to say a special thank you to Jacob Townsend and April Sharp for making it all possible.  Their leadership is what allowed all of the 80 volunteers to come together and make an eternal impact on the lives of the families that we ministered to.  Thank you for all of your dedication and sacrifice!

Also, as we begin the month of March, I want you to be thinking about those that you can reach out to during the upcoming Easter season.  This is one of the times of the year that people are very open and receptive to a personal invitation to come to church.  Ed Stetzer shares in one of his articles the power of a personal invitation:

“Whatever happened to the strategy of simply inviting a friend, co-worker, or neighbor to church? According to our research, an invitation to church is still an effective way to reach the lost.

A few years ago LifeWay Research conducted a survey of 15,000 adults for the North American Mission Board to try to determine which of 13 approaches is the best-received when a church wants to be heard. The research showed us that best-received means of seeing new people walk into one's church is, well, a personal invitation.

• 67% of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church.
• 63% of Americans say a personal invitation from a friend or neighbor would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church.
• 63% of Americans are very or somewhat willing to receive information about a local congregation or faith community from a
  family member.
• 56% of Americans are very or somewhat willing to receive information about a local congregation or faith community from a friend     or neighbor.

So, people ARE open to an invite from church, particularly if it is from someone they know. But one simple invitation isn't necessarily going to result in subsequent attendance. Neighbors may come because of an invitation, but they'll stay for the community.”

Community is the last thing I would like to touch on this month.  We have been blessed with numerous people visiting our church!  Many are returning guests and we need to assimilate them into a small group so true community can happen.  Please make an extra effort to reach out to those that you may not know and invite them to your 2:42 group.  Ask their name, introduce yourself and help them to feel a part of what God is up to at Oakhill!!  God is moving and preparing us for what He has for us in the near future!!  I am so excited to be a part of what He is doing!!!!

I love you and I love being your pastor

Pastor Alan

March Music Notes

Children’s Musical and Drama Event

Our 3 year olds to Kindergarten group is having a great time on Sunday nights as they continue to prepare for our April 3^rd
Children’s Musical Program.  Last Sunday night we had 26 kids in this group.  Wow!  Our 1^st – 5^th grade group is also having a great time on Sunday nights as they continue to prepare for our April 3^rd Children’s Musical Program.  Last Sunday night we had 33 kids in this group.  Wow!

Please continue to pray for the kids as they prepare to lead us in worship.  Also, please pray for the leadership team as they continue to invest their time and talents into the lives of these kids.  It is such a blessing to see and hear all of these kiddos praise God with their gifts.  The coming weeks of preparation culminates on Good Friday Night, April 3, 2015 at 7:00 PM, when our children will be leading us in a special night of worship and celebration of the Risen Savior.  Please come out and support our kids and be sure to invite your friends and family.  It is going to be a special night!

Welcome New Team Members

In the past few weeks we have added several new team members to the Audio/Video Team, Vocal Praise Team and to the Worship Band.  I want to welcome Austin Smith, Bethanne Martin, Chuck Venditti, and Steve Gore to the Worship Ministry of Oakhill Baptist Church.  It is such a pleasure having you on the team!  When you see one of these folks up on stage or back by the sound booth, please take a moment to welcome them.

Oakhill’s Online Media Center

Have you recently visited the Oakhill Baptist Church website?  Our all new website is a great
resource for finding out general information about the church such as service times, monthly
calendars, upcoming events, and schedules for church ministries. 

Go to www.oakhillbc.org, and check out our website.  While you are there, please take a moment to click on the resources tab.  There you can download or listen to sermons for free.  While there you can find a catalog of sermons and you can now search by sermon topic or scripture passage.

To find this part of our website, simply go to www.oakhillbc.org, click on the Resources tab and then click on the Sermons tab.  It is that easy! 

This page of our website is a great resource to use when you are out of town and want to get caught up on the latest sermon series, or you can use it as a tool to communicate with your friends, family, and co-workers when you want to share a message with them that encouraged you when you heard it on Sunday.

Blessings,

Jason Woolsey