“Know that the Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”
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“May the God of peace equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you every good thing that is pleasing to him.”
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“The Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name! But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice and wait for your God always.”
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If you already serve in some capacity at Five Oaks, you know when it’s the right fit: you grow in this role, and our church body benefits from that contagiousness. When you serve, it’s because of you that we can bring the story of God to life each week.
Finding the right serving fit may mean you try a few areas on for size — that’s OK! If you are looking to start serving but aren’t sure where to serve, consider trying out a new serving role or ministry for Christmas. We always need extra hands and hearts at Christmas time with several additional worship services. Another great way to help at Christmas time is to consider serving in a new area with your whole family, or with your small group.
To get connected, you may email Jennifer Clemens, our Serve Coordinator, at jclemens@fiveoakschurch.org. She will contact you and walk you through the process to begin serving at Five Oaks.
“Do not waver in unbelief about the promises of God. Instead, be strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. Be fully convinced that God is able to do what he has promised.”
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“May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, and keep you blameless until the coming of Jesus Christ. The one who called you is faithful and he will do it.”
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Have you ever laid on the grass on a clear summers night and looked up at the stars, trying to count as many as you could? I don't ever seem to get too far past 20 because I become so engaged in the beauty of the stars and the night sky, that trying to put a number on it all seems pointless.
Beginning in Genesis 12, we see the story of Abram begin to unfold. It's a rich story with lots of layers to it. We have Abram answering God's call to go, his separation and then rescue of his nephew Lot. The Lord making a covenant with Abram that began the amazing redemptive story of God's people. Then His name changes to Abraham and the Lord reveals to him that he would become a father with his wife Sarah. After becoming a father to Isaac, he is asked to sacrifice his son, but is spared from this event by an angel of the Lord who provided a sacrifice in Isaac's place and at this point, the angel of the Lord said, "Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand of the seashore. Your offspring will posses the gates of their enemies." (Genesis 22:17)
I can imagine Abraham sitting under the stars with his son, Isaac, safely next to him, in awe of the wonders of the stars and the promise given to him that all nations would be blessed because of his obedience. How overwhelming that must have felt, but what an amazing reminder of God's greatness!
However, the story doesn't end there. I wonder if Abraham ever knew the connection of his obedience with the sacrifice of Christ Jesus? How the covenant that God would make with him would cost God his only son, Jesus, who would die on the cross and be raised again so that we, today, could have eternal life through Him?
Take time this week to study for yourself the connection of the promises to Abraham and how those promises connect to Jesus. If you can, look at the stars with your kids and share the story of Abraham's obedience and how that obedience led to us all being a part of the countless offspring blessed through the Abrahamic Covenant.
Blessings~
Rhiannon
Hey Parents!
We are almost two months into our year and we have been having a blast with your students! We had such an amazing time at Camp Getaway and are looking forward to Pumpkinfest this Saturday, October 29th! Both of these fall events are great ways for us to get to know your students better and for them to get to know one another better as well.
Here’s what you need to know for November:
As a church and as a Student Ministry, we will focus on Impact. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with the abundant blessings that God has given to us, we seek to bless those who are in need. The Union Gospel Mission of St. Paul will be providing thousands of Thanksgiving dinners to people who are in need during this holiday season. Our goal in Students is to provide 75 of these Thanksgiving dinners through donations of food and finances. (Five Oaks has a bigger goal of 550 bags; we want to fill at least 75 of those bags in Students!)
Attached to this email is a shopping list of groceries that each donated bag should contain. The turkeys will be donated directly from a distributor, but we will be providing the non-perishable parts of the Thanksgiving meal. We need you to partner with your students to create an Impact in our community. We encourage you to get your student involved in any way possible.
On Wednesday, November 16th we will have each small group pack the meals and pray over them at youth group. If our students can provide 50 meals, Justin and Aaron will take a pie in the face. And if we reach 75 meals, one beloved mystery guest will be pied as well.
Need some ideas on how to create a meaningful Impact experience for your student? Here are a few ideas how you and your student can raise funds or collect food for those in need during this season:
1. Have your student do chores around the house to raise money.
2. Have them talk to neighbors and extended family members about what we as a Student Ministry are trying to do and ask for any possible donations.
3. Go to the grocery store and fill a bag as a family and bring it on Wednesday night.
4. Encourage them to think about donating their allowance or Wednesday snack money.
Our goal is to serve those in need during a season when many experience an abundance of blessings. It’s a time for us as leaders and parents to come alongside our students and provide an opportunity for them make a difference for the kingdom of God. Please pray for both our students and the people whose needs we are seeking to meet in these coming weeks.
If you have any questions or wish to partner with us, please email Aaron Parsons at aparsons@fiveoakschurch.org.
Blessings,
Five Oaks Students Ministry
“God’s promises are true. We have this hope as an anchor for our souls, firm and secure. He is faithful.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Every mid October, our family has a pumpkin carving contest. My husband, our 3 kids, and myself all choose designs, carve pumpkins, light them, and then post a picture on social media giving our friends and family the ability to vote for their favorite without knowing who carved which pumpkin. There's no prize at the end but the victory of saying that your design had won. As the kids get older, the designs get more intricate and every year we try to "one-up" each other. This year as I even went as far as the prideful moment that the picture I posted of them got voted on more than anyone else's pictures. A fleeting moment of victory!
Although this is just a fun family tradition that we do, it does bring to mind the many times and ways that we as humans try to not just "one-up" each other, but also "one-up" God. The story of the tower of Babel is just that kind of story.
After the flood, God told Noah and his children to fill the earth with people again. But the people stayed together and they united. In being united they realized that together they could accomplish anything THEIR hearts desired. So they decided to construct a temple to the heavens. In their hearts was a longing and desire to "one-up" God and show Him what they could do. They built for themselves their own personal kingdom and in doing so, continued the spread of evil that began with Adam and Eve. This continuation of sin with this tower troubled God and He came down and confused their language and spread the people across the earth. In God's judgement of their hearts desire to be great, He marked them with mercy. The mercy in the story is that His judgement brought a slowing of sin. Can you imagine the type of world we would live in today if for thousands of years, men were united in heart and language to accomplish all of their desires!
Yet, God had a plan. Thousands of years later, at Pentecost, God tore down the language barriers so that the people would scatter and make great His son's name! The name of Jesus. Take time this week to point your kids towards God's better plan: His plan not for people to reach up to Him, but His plan to reach down to people by sending His son Jesus!
“All the promises of God find their “Yes” in Christ, and he puts his “Yes” within us. His Spirit is our deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
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