This winter we're cooking up some Five Oaks FUN!
From the very people who brought you 5 years of the amazing Game Café and Fall Fun Fest…comes FIVE OAKS FOUR WEEKS OF FUN! This January and February, we’ll provide FANTASTIC, FUN events for you to enjoy at home OR in person, and it’s going to be SUCH a blast! Whether it’s virtual trivia & game nights, OR outdoor, wacky, winter, wonderland fun, OR even the latest, greatest Five Oaks Staff craze – pickleball tournaments – we’ll help you survive and thrive this winter, whatever age you are! Our first Fun Night will take place the weekend of January 22. We'll have more specifics soon, but for now, mark your calendar and get out your fun socks!
RSVP for Christmas services by December 15 (that’s next Tuesday!)
The best news of 2020: Celebrating the birth of our Savior cannot be paused! As you make plans for Christmas, here is our schedule for Christmas worship:
December 23, 5 & 6:30 pm
December 24, 2, 3:30 & 5 pm
Nursery & pre-K programing will be available at all services. The Retreat, for our differently-abled students, available at the 5 pm service on December 23.
All services will be available in-person and live streamed. Please RSVP at www.fiveoaks.church/christmas by December 15 for the in-person service you plan to attend. This will help us plan well.
Giving Tree: One week remains!
You can still contribute to the Kids Hope USA Giving Tree! This year, in addition to providing gifts and gift cards for families in need at Woodbury Elementary School, you can do the same for the families in our Kids Hope program, get encouraging packages for the teachers, and contribute to the school’s gift fund. Stop by the KHUSA Giving Tree in the commons this weekend to pick up a gift tag for this family-friendly serving opportunity. Or, click here to access some giving options if you’re worshiping at home. Return contributions or gifts with their tags to church by December 20.
Every time you serve with kids, an angel gets its wings
OK, so we can’t prove that. However, every time you serve, you are sure to be blessed and know that you truly are a blessing to others. Along with helping at our regular weekend services, we’re looking for individuals to serve at our Christmas services, which will be for preschool age and younger. Little kids dressed up and excited for Christmas? Now that will get you in the spirit! Please click here for December and Christmas serving options in Five Oaks Kids, and know that you will be a life changer when you do so.
How would you like to be a Christmas blessing?
As we prepare our hearts and homes for what may be a very different Christmas this year, we all want to bless others in any way we can do so safely. If you’re planning to worship at Five Oaks for Christmas Eve services, please also consider at which service(s) you could also share your talents and gifts by serving as an usher, greeter or similar role. We may have some brand new visitors at Christmas, and your serving will help their first visit feel even more comfortable. Click here for December and Christmas serving options in our Connections Ministry.
Deepening students’ faith for the long haul
Research shows that faith grows and “sticks” if students have a circle of adults who invest in them around faith, purpose and calling. We’ve teamed up with Encircled, a local ministry that gives students an opportunity to grow in their strengths and partner with their circle of adults as they transition to life after high school. This spring we’ll start a new group of juniors and seniors with Encircled. If your junior or senior student is interested, or if you have other questions, please email Peg Benson, pbenson@fiveoakschurch.org.
Capture a Christmas memory at Five Oaks
The Decor Team wants to serve you and your family with a self-serve Christmas photo station in our commons space this season. We invite you use the couch and Christmas tree backdrop in the commons to snap a family pic. All we ask is that you please keep this photo opp safe by limiting the pictures to immediate family. Maybe you’ll love it so much that this pic will make its way onto your 2020 Christmas card!
New here? You can ask Pastor Henry ALL your questions
If you’re new-ish to Five Oaks, you likely have questions about what we do or why. Join us for Pizza with the Pastor, December 20, 10 am in front of the fireplace near the Acorn Café. There you can ask those questions and meet several of our pastors. Sadly, we cannot serve pizza at this time due to the most recent mandate from Governor Walz, but we’ll provide you a gift card you can use to buy pizza whenever you want. We’ll have activities to keep your kids busy while you attend. This is also a great opportunity to meet others who are also new! To register, please click here.
Global Fingerprints: Help a child and plant a church
Do you long to ease the suffering of children? Do you wish people in countries closed to the Gospel could hear about Jesus and find a vibrant church? Global Fingerprints, the child sponsorship program of the EFCA, does both by providing for basic needs of children in the context of planting vibrant local churches, often in tough countries. Blessings like these are a gift you make to Global Fingerprints of $35/mo. Want to learn more? Email impact@fiveoakschurch.org.
Financial peace?
This time of year can be stressful as we think about finances. Maybe we feel handcuffed to be as generous as we would like to be for Christmas or with those in need. Financial peace and increased generosity is possible, and the Financial Peace University class can help you get there. Come gain the tools and confidence you need to end the cycle of worry and frustration around finances. Classes are virtual this year and begin January 17. To register or for more info, go to fiveoaks.church/FPU.