4 ways you can make a difference this Thanksgiving
Did you know that many families in the Twin Cities won’t have enough food at Thanksgiving this year? You have provided literally TONS of Thanksgiving food for them over the years! Thanks! You can do that again starting today by picking up a shopping bag & list at the ministry cart in the Commons. These shopping bags provide an opportunity for you and your family to provide the staples for a Thanksgiving meal for another family in our community. Go ahead and take as many bags as you’d like to fill! Filled shopping bags are due back to church by November 4.
Union Gospel Mission also has several serve opportunities to meet the people who receive Thanksgiving bags. These opportunities are easy to fit into your busy life. You won’t be the same after meeting the people who receive your food bags.
There are various opportunities from October 24 through November 19 to see the faces of those that the Union Gospel Mission serves. Click one of the following links to register:
Questions? Email impact@fiveoakschurch.org.
Help make the FUN happen!
In less than a week, families and friends galore will walk through our doors for the Fall Fun Fest! We need 150+ volunteers to make this an amazing event. Whether it’s supervising a game, or helping set up/clean up, serve dinner or even bake cookies, we have many options! Super fun fact – ALL volunteers have a chance to win a $100 gift card to Marcus Theaters! Join the FUN by writing clicking here find a volunteer role that fits your schedule.
Do your friends want a new Nintendo Switch?
Besides FREE fun with friends new and old, know what else is great about Fall Fun Fest? Those who show up may enter a drawing for a new Nintendo Switch! So invite all your people to join you this Friday, October 26, 6-9 pm. Games, pumpkin decorating, movies, Bingo ... and be sure to come early, from 6-7 pm, for free dinner! More invite cards are available at the ministry cart this weekend.
It just takes one hour!
Right in our community, many school-aged kids lack the support at home to perform their best at school. These kids need a caring adult to invest in them. KidsHope USA pairs adults with kids who need something extra, offering kids one hour each week with their mentor. Since 2012, Five Oaks has partnered with Woodbury Elementary to work with kids in need. These students often say that the hour spent with their mentor is the highlight of their week. Please consider showing up for one of these kids. Can’t mentor but want to help? Let us know by emailing khusa@fiveoakschurch.org for more info. There are many ways to support KHUSA’s work.
Juniors, seniors & parents…
Join us for our Preparing to Launch class on October 28 at 11:00 in room 101. Our newest milestone, this class will help juniors, seniors and their parents prepare for their final years in high school. To register, please click here.
Nacho normal costume party
Middle and high school students! Mark your calendars and get your fake mustaches ready for a party! On Wednesday, Oct. 31, Five Oaks Students is throwing a “Nacho Libre”-themed costume party with plenty of games, food, and the first annual ‘Pumpkin Flugtag’. Bring your friends, bring a snack, and come dressed as the greatest wrestler of this generation!
Helping you love your city -- Dorothy Day
Do you and your busy family want a simple way to be a blessing to the needy, while having a great time of fellowship? Come join us on November 3 from 8:30-1:15 as we prepare and serve the noon meal at Dorothy Day. Minimum age is 13. To participate, please write “Dorothy Day” and your email on your communication card. We’ll reach out to you to confirm your spot for November 3.
Calling all HEROES!
Heroes do amazing things — leap tall buildings, move mountains, and some even help produce our worship services each weekend with consistent, faithful service. Without these heroes, we wouldn’t have lighting, sound, or screens on the weekends.
Join us as we celebrate these heroic actions at the first-ever Five Oaks Tech Open House. Come have lunch on us and learn about the roles in worship tech. If you like what we do and/or want to see us do it better, help out by just increasing your own awareness of our tech needs in the time it takes to have a nice lunch. Yes, by showing up, you can be our HERO!
Sunday, November 4, 12:30pm.
• Learn what we do
• Learn why we do it
• Ask questions
• Hear from those who do it
• Behind-the-scenes tour
• Enjoy yum-o dessert at the end
To RSVP, please email Harold Ennulat, hennulat@fiveoakschurch.org or call/text him at 651-442-5691.
Lost something at church?
Our Lost and Found, located at the Welcome Center, is overflowing. If you are missing something, please stop by the Welcome Center to see if it has been living there. All unclaimed items will be donated November 4.
Women: we need each other in fellowship
Our culture has lots of ideas about how many plates women should juggle, how they should balance home and work, and how much guilt they should carry for not measuring up to the highlight reels on social media.
Women, let’s take a break from the pace of everyday to share some fellowship, guided conversation, and a meal together at our November TABLE. This month we have two options: our usual Wednesday morning, November 7, 9:15 am at Five Oaks with childcare available, and an evening option: Tuesday, November 6, 6:30-8:30 pm at the home of Kathleen Miller (no childcare). Both are great opportunities to invite neighbors, friends, and other women in your life to join you!
To register for the Tuesday evening TABLE, click here.
To register for the Wednesday morning TABLE, click here.
Please RSVP by October 29.
Save the date: Worship night November 8
Running on empty? Slow down and fuel up at our Prepare Worship Service on November 8 at 7 pm. Be encouraged and equipped as we spend time worshiping through music, prayer, and scripture in a less structured format. Family and friends of all ages are welcome! Join us as we Prepare together for the work God is doing in and around us!
Save the date for our Annual Congregational Meeting
You may be thinking, “Annual meeting? Ho hum…” Well, ho hum no more. Join us November 11 at 4 pm for worship, community, a short business meeting, and shared vision from Pastor Henry and ministry leaders. Heavy appetizers for all following. Definitely not the annual meeting you remember from your childhood…
Do you love to get lost in a great book?
If this resonates with you, join us at our book club to discuss our monthly reading choice and meet others from church who also love a good book.
When: Second Tuesday of every month
Time: 6:45 pm - discussion at 7 pm
Where: Five Oaks Church, Fireside Commons
New members are welcome throughout the year. Join anytime. Please message Carie Jorgenson on Realm to find out what our upcoming titles will be and to ask any questions about joining us!
Who’s excited about Christmas?
Even though the leaves on the trees say “autumn,” Christmas is right around the corner! We’re already prepping for Jingle Jam, a program for elementary kids and their families. Mark your calendar for December 7, 7 pm! We need teens and adults to help sing with the worship team, plus people to help with set design and construction. To volunteer or learn more, please email Kelly Bauman, kbauman@fiveoakschurch.org.
We are ‘identity amnesiacs’
We are forgetful people. And we need reminders of who God is and who we are because of him. Get a daily reminder by signing up for our DailyLife daily devotional, written by a team of Five Oaks volunteers. This is one way to read and reflect on scripture to engage in your relationship with God. Click here to sign up to receive DailyLife.
Five Oaks Runners Provide Precious Water for 78 People in Africa
A big thank-you for those who trained for and ran in the Twin Cities Marathon for Team World Vision. Over $3900 was raised, enough to provide water for 78 people in arid regions of Africa where water is, literally, life. Even more important, those who build the wells in these areas also share the living water of the Gospel. THANKS, RUNNERS!!
New member candidates
Stephanie Kiel
Chad & Britt Peterson
Community News
Help wanted: Your home!
Perhaps you’ve considered hosting an exchange student, but you’re worried about a long-term commitment, or a bad match, or maybe you think you’re too busy to adequately share our culture with an exchange student. Here is an opportunity to bless a college student for less than a month. You can invite a Japanese college student studying at Bethel University this winter (February 16th - March 12th) to be a part of your family! Many of these students are hungry for the comforts of home, and they want to participate with your family in your own kind of “busy!” Share your love and faith with your student, and you'll plant a seed. Your student takes classes during the day and spends the evenings with you. Transportation help to/from Bethel is provided as well as a stipend. For information contact, Lisa Bekemeyer, lbekemeyer@me.com or 651-253-9498.
Community Thanksgiving Eve service: fellowship with your neighbors
Join in fellowship alongside your neighbors as Christian churches in Woodbury gather together to celebrate this Thanksgiving season. We’ll hear from a representative from the Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf as well as a representative from the Woodbury Mayor’s office. Your whole family is welcome! We’ll even have a message for children during the service. Wednesday, November 21, 7 pm, St. Ambrose Catholic Community, 4125 Woodbury Drive.