outdoor baptism: register now
If you’ve been around our church for more than a minute, you know that we love to celebrate baptisms. Our outdoor summer baptism service will be better than ever this year! Join us on July 27, 10 am, at the island at the University of Northwestern. We have more than 20 people being baptized, and we’ll get to hear their amazing stories and sing some worship music together to celebrate. After baptisms, we invite you to stay for lunch and social time. Northwestern has a policy of no outside food, but we’ve made it easy and affordable for you to order boxed lunches when you register for the event. Details and registration are available here. Please note: Our baptism service is the only worship service we will have the weekend of July 26+27.
Join us in prayer on Sunday - missionary prayer
Missionary prayer is this weekend! Join us as we pray for our mission partners between the services on Sunday, June 29, from 10:15-10:45 am in Room 102. We’ll pray over specific requests sent from our local and global missionaries and mission partners. If this Sunday doesn’t work for you, we do it every month on the final Sunday. Not only is the power of prayer important, but also this is a great way to help make our mission partners real to us and get to know them a little better by partnering with them in prayer. Questions? Email Dave Baar, impact@fiveoakschurch.org.
Summer youth group begins July 2!
Our fun summer programming kicks off on July 2 with a theme of Capture the Flag – Water War Edition! Summer youth group starts at 6 pm for middle and high schoolers. Every week we’ll have a different theme: a worship night, a movie night, a slip & slide night, a student variety show, and more! All plans are weather-dependent, so keep your eye on social media and email for more info. Questions? Email
students@fiveoakschurch.org.
Serve your neighbor in Need at Dorothy Day - JULY 5
If you’d like to make a difference to our neighbors in St. Paul, join us to prepare and serve a meal at the Dorothy Day Center on Saturday, July 5, 9:30 a.m.- 1:15 p.m. Because this is a holiday weekend, we’re getting the word out early - so you can sign up early! Interested? Email Tim Wiant, wiynts4riverfalls@gmail.com. Tim will get back to you with details on how to sign up. Volunteers need to be at least 14 years old.
Undie Sunday (or Saturday) coming soon!
Starting the weekend of July 5+6, we’re having a sock and underwear drive in the commons. We are partnering with a local non-profit called The Drawer. Their mission is to “provide warmth and dignity through new socks and underwear.” They work with partners like Five Oaks to collect new socks and underwear, and then they send out teams to deliver these resources to our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness and those without the resources to buy these essentials. Be ready to drop off your contribution in the commons during the drive, through the end of July. Questions? Email Dave Baar, impact@fiveoakschurch.org.
Our young adult ministry is growing
If you’re between the ages 18 and 24, you may be looking for community with others your age. Our Young Adult ministry meets most Sundays this summer at church. You can look forward to a time of connection, prayer, and a dive into scripture and discussion each week. More info on our Young Adult ministry at
www.fiveoaks.church/young-adults. Questions? Email Melissa Kloetstra, ginjakloetstra@gmail.com.
Please pray for ministry partners in the Middle East
The escalating war between Israel and Iran is impacting the lives and ministry of many of our Impact partners in that region. In addition to safety risks, times of conflict like this result in travel restrictions and heightened levels of scrutiny for people who are there from other regions of the world. This week, please pray for safety and boldness in the face of these new challenges and that the situation will open doors to conversations about finding hope in Jesus. For more ideas on how you can support these partners, email Dave Baar, impact@fiveoakschurch.org.
Are you a word nerd?
Our church has an email devotional called DailyLIfe, written and edited entirely by volunteers. We currently have openings on our editing team! If you love to edit and want to help shepherd our readership in their walk with Jesus, please email Peg Benson, pbenson@fiveoakschurch.org. This is a great way to serve from home - or from the cabin!
How might God use you?
As we prepare to send over 50 amazing kids volunteers to Oaks Church starting in September, we realize this opens up many opportunities to plug in at Five Oaks. Please be praying about how you will be able to help keep the ministry strong at Five Oaks. Soon we will be asking many of you to step up into new and important roles. If you already feel like God is calling you to serve with kids and impact the next generation, please email Kelly Bauman, kbauman@fiveoakschurch.org, to find a good fit for you.
Want to help point students to Jesus?
If you’ve been around our church for the last several years, you know that FCA Sports Camp in July is one of our more popular events with kids. A large part of what makes this camp so amazing is the volunteers who raise their hand to help lead kids through the activities each afternoon. We have a variety of roles available, so “being athletic” is not a requirement! Interested in helping out the week of July 14-17, 1-4 pm? Go to www.fiveoaks.church/students .
Curious about leading a small group?
If you love people and the idea of encouraging them in their faith journey energizes you, or if you’re someone with a gift of hospitality, we’d love to talk with you about what’s involved in leading an adult small group at Five Oaks. Join us to learn more about small group leadership, meet others in this role, and ask all the questions you might have. We have trainings in July, August, and September (only one is required!) that will equip you to lead a small group. Interested? Email Steve Johnson, sjohnson@fiveoakschurch.org, to get started.
Christianity Explored
Do you or someone in your life have questions about Christianity, big or small? Or perhaps have turned their back on their walk with the Lord? If so, we have a seven-week class starting July 12 and 13 that will allow participants to ask all of their questions, read the Bible, and learn more about Jesus’ gift for each of us. (Yes! You may take the class with that friend!) More info and details can be found here for the July 12 class or here for the July 13 class. Questions? Email Bob Musser, rcmssr@gmail.com.