Jingle Jam and Advent: Merriment around the corner!
Staying focused on Jesus during the chaotic Christmas season can be challenging. Join us as we shine his light this season at our Advent services. We will kick off with Jingle Jam (an interactive experience for the whole family) on November 27 at 4:30 pm. Other Advent services will be on December 4, 11, and 18 – all at 4:30 pm. Register for Jingle Jam here. (The December Advent services do not require registration.) Every service is family-friendly and each week we’ll have interactive activities for families following the service. See you there!
Annual Congregational Meeting this Sunday!
Our annual congregational meeting is Sunday, November 13 at 4 pm. This includes worship, a short business meeting and vision from Pastor Henry and our leadership team, plus tacos for supper afterward. We’ll vote on elder and governing board candidates too. (Five Oaks members may vote, but all members and regular attenders are invited to attend and participate in discussion.) Childcare available up through grade 5. Candidate bios and agenda details available here.
UGM Thanksgiving bags are due this weekend!
You may have noticed the grocery bags filled with Thanksgiving staples in the commons once again this year. After a two-year season of monetary donations only, Union Gospel Mission is now welcoming donations of grocery bags filled with the essentials of a Thanksgiving meal once again. This is a great way to teach our kids about providing a holiday meal to our neighbors in St. Paul who can’t otherwise afford it. Grab your list in the commons this weekend, or print one off here, and please return all filled bags to Five Oaks by November 13.
Please pray for our high schoolers this weekend
It’s Camp Getaway this weekend at Ironwood Springs Ranch for our high schoolers. We ask you to pray for these students, some of whom are friends of Five Oakers, some of whom perhaps don’t know Jesus. We ask for your prayers as they play hard, worship and learn together, and grow stronger in their faith this weekend. Please pray for seeds to be planted, roots to take hold, and for kids to see Jesus reflected in their leaders and in each other.
Do you love to decorate for Christmas?
If you have a keen eye for decorating, a love for all things Christmas, or just like lifting heavy things 😂, please join our decor team to make our plans a reality as we transform Five Oaks to be Christmas-ready! We'll meet Saturday, November 19, 9 am-noon at Five Oaks. We need your help to bring trees and boxes down from storage, set up all those beautiful trees, and make our building festive and ready for the Advent season. Coffee and lunch are provided. Email Stephanie Kiel to register.
Pickleball for all
Have you wanted to try out this new pickleball craze but feel intimidated because it sounds like everyone you know is already super good at it? Or maybe you've been playing, but everyone around you is just way better and you need a place to just work on your skills without so much pressure. Then Pickleball for Everyone would be a great thing to try! Starting November 7, we will host an open pickleball gym time each Monday from 12 pm-3 pm. We have two guides, Jim and Deb Propes, to help show you the ropes (get it?) and increase your skill in a no-pressure environment! If you are interested, go to www.fiveoaks.church/pickleball today!
Shoes that provide meals!
We’re excited to work on the Shoe Away Hunger project again this year with a local non-profit, Good in the Hood. From November 28 to December 18, please donate gently used or new shoes to this cause by dropping them off at the ministry cart in the commons. For every one pair of new or gently-used footwear received, the Shoe Away Hunger program is able to feed one more person with up to seven days of essential groceries through their Feeding The Future programs. Questions? Email Dave at impact@fiveoakschurch.org
Help make a student’s holiday less lonely
International Students who are here in the Twin Cities often don’t have places to go for a holiday meal as they’re here for school and don’t have family nearby. The Hospitality Center partners with churches to serve a meal, have fellowship, and get to show love to these students. November 19th you can help serve a Thanksgiving Meal which includes the final steps of food preparation, serving, kitchen clean-up, set-up/tear-down of the dining room, and time around the table getting to know international students. Interested? Email impact@fiveoakschurch.org .
Thank you for packing meals with us at FMSC!
Many, many Five Oakers – 130 of you, in fact – helped to pack 33,264 meals at our Feed My Starving Children event on October 29! It was fun to see so many faces and ages spanning from our younger to more seasoned church family! There were families serving together, adult small groups, & Five Oaks Students small groups! It was a great day serving together and praying over the meals we packed that are being sent to Cuba! Be on the lookout for our next event in February!
Join Pastor Henry in Israel October 2023
Join pastor Henry and Five Oakers for a study trip to Israel next October 7-20. First informational meeting on December 4, 12:30 pm at Five Oaks in Room 101. Questions in the meantime? Email our office here.