We interrupt this regularly scheduled programming!

Every once in a while at Five Oaks, we have what we call, "Family Worship Weekends". During these weekends, we close our regularly scheduled programming for the 1st-5th graders and ask them to join their families in the Worship Center.  This weekend,  we will be holding these services.

Now, I know the habit that says, "my kids have to come to church with me? I won't get anything out of service. Let's just stay home!" I know, because I've been there. I have chosen to miss out on the experience and opportunity to share the service I attend, with my kids.  I want to take a minute to encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and to also give you a few ideas on how to maximize this time with your kids. 

First, talk about it before hand with them. Let them know they will be joining you and what the expectations of that time will be. Be sure to set expectations that are realistic to your child's specific age and needs. Give them an order of service so they know what to expect and when. We have this available to them on the back of the sermon notes provided. It will allow them to check off where we are at in the service time. 

Next, make a game plan. If you have little ones who may need a snack, or something to color, be ready with needed supplies. One idea I have found successful with my 7 year old, is that the night before service, I have her pack a bag that contains her Bible, a pencil, paper and a small snack. She is within the age that service might become a little long for her and having just these few items will help keep her occupied and engaged a bit longer. Also, if you have a 1st-4th grader, during the worship time, have them listen for the song that they have been learning in their classroom and have them sing it out loudly! 

Lastly, we have provided for your kids special sermon notes just for them! Have them bring their favorite set of colored pencils and grab a sermon notes sheet from the worship center. Take a moment before service starts to read over the questions with them so they know what they need to be listening for. Also, help them find the book of 1st Corinthians and mark it so they can easily find it when the time to listen has begun. After service, they can bring their filled out sermon notes to the Welcome Desk in The Tree House Children's Wing, show us their notes, and receive a small prize. They will get to take their notes home with them, and be sure to go over the notes with them. There are specific questions to discuss at home together as a family. 

We look forward to having the families in service together and we pray that you will find this time  fruitful for your family. This is such a great time to model the response stations to your children, to take communion together and light a candle to pray for the light of Christ to shine in someone else's life. 

Next week we will resume our normal scheduled programming!

See you in service!  *Rhiannon*

The hope that blooms...

Per our normal tradition, my family took me to the greenhouse to pick out a new hanging plant for Mother's Day. This event tends to kick off my spring flower collection.  A collection of which, by mid-summer, shows the true nature of the fact that I don't really have a "green thumb," even though I tend to convince myself that, "this year is different!"

As I walked around the greenhouse, unable to find the perfect plant, I finally choose a beautiful purplish-red  flowering plant, (that I will research what to actually call and how to care for it), and I found myself hopeful for this season of growing and the blooms that would spring forth from this plant!

I have had the honor of working in the children's ministry here at Five Oaks for almost 2 years now, and I love having the privilege to watch the kids grow and watch their hopes bloom. I love watching them in the classroom sing the songs and read the scripture. I love hearing them answer the questions that their leader has asked and I love watching their excitement grow. 

This weekend and next, we will have sign-up sheets available for summer help in the children's ministry.  I hope that you will take time to pray about how you can be part of the hope that blooms in the hearts of the kids  in the Tree House Children's Ministry.  

Just as I find myself hopeful for this growing season for my plants, I am also hopeful for this season of growing this ministry! 

~Rhiannon

 

Five Oaks FUN Team celebrates moms

She's part chef, part cruise director, part doctor, part psychologist and ALL mom.  You've got to have a special day to honor someone like that, so the Five Oaks FUN Team got together to thank moms in a special way this past weekend.  The FUN Team worked with Children's and Youth Ministry leaders to have kids fill out "You Are Special Because..." cards prior to this weekend.  The team took the completed cards and posted them on a display for the weekend.  Many kids also just filled out a card on the spot to give to mom or a motherly figure in their life.   

 

Additionally, the FUN Team got together and baked 800 cupcakes for all Five Oakers.  We hope you had a chance to enjoy these delicious treats while you were here.  Thank you to the following FUN Team members and helpers:

Pam Hawley
Jenna Freidman
Peg Benson
Shawn Grams
Aimee Thornton
Meleah Miller
Liz Andretta
Kristen Bryant
Kristin Sellers
Jennifer Clemens
Deb Johnson

Make Summer Count: Parent Workshop!

Hands on ideas to make the most of your summer!

Hands on ideas to make the most of your summer!

Parents! You are invited to join us for our spring parent workshop: "Making Summer Count", on May 22nd during either the 9:15 or the 11:00 service in the gym! Rhiannon Rutledge will be sharing fresh and fun idea's on how to make the most of your summer with hands on ideas and activities. Everything from rainy days to fun in the sun... from family activities to date night... even road trips to stay-cations! 

We will also be joined by Five Oaks new Family & Discipleship Pastor, John Eiselt, for a time of teaching and sharing his heart for families! 

We hope you will join us for this exciting workshop and time of learning with John & Rhiannon. 

*No need to RSVP* Just show up! 

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FMSC Meals to Our Haiti GVCM Orphanage

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We have wonderful news! Five Oaks is sending a full container of food (272,000 FMSC meals) to the GVCM All God's Children Orphanage outside of Mirebalais, Haiti!! This past March, Feed My Starving Children designated the All God's Children Orphanage as an official food distribution site.  Five Oaks Church will be sponsoring the shipment of one full container of FMSC meals to the orphanage each year. The circle is now complete. We will pack the food at Five Oaks Church during our FMSC events, ship containers to the orphanage, and finally send teams of Five Oakers to help distribute that food to malnourished children in Haiti's Central Plateau. The first container is scheduled to ship May 2016.

A little history and background: Back in 2005, Five Oaks Church began its partnership with Global Vision Citadelle Ministries, led by Pastor Yves Prophete. At the time GVCM was renting some land and a small shack to house orphaned children from the area of Fedja, Haiti. The conditions for the orphans was deplorable. The one room shack served as sleeping quarters, school and pretty much everything else for the kids. We committed helping GVCM acquire land and to building an orphanage building. Here is a photo of the old orphanage:

Bedroom.JPG

Between the first building mission in January 2006 and August 2009, when we cut the ribbon of the main orphanage building, over 200 different Five Oakers traveled to the building site in Haiti and gave of their TIME, TALENT & TREASURE to make the orphanage building a reality. Many of those people volunteered several times over several years.  

The mostly complete main orphanage building.

The mostly complete main orphanage building.

We continued to send building teams for a couple more years building the orphanage wall and support buildings. The All God's Children Orphanage is now a complex of buildings serving newborns to 17 year-olds. There are, as of today, 106 orphans housed there. The orphanage is the main school for 225+ local kids, and a school of 14 deaf orphans was moved to the campus. Five Oaks has since transitioned from sending building teams to sending teaching and evangelism teams. That effort continues to this day. Our next Haiti Mission will be from July 30 - August 6, 2016. Five Oaks Church has also supported the welfare of the children, the orphanage / school operations, and staff with ongoing financial support.  

The All God's Children Orphanage campus.

The All God's Children Orphanage campus.

Approximately 3.5 years ago I started working with Yves Prophete, and various FMSC staff to forge a partnership between FMSC and GVCM. Five Oaks began packing meals with FMSC in 2008 and it seemed like a natural partnership to get those meals to the GVCM orphanage in Haiti. Haiti is the poorest country in our hemisphere and indeed, many FMSC meals go to Haiti. The bulk of those meals, however, go to Port-au-Prince. The orphanage is in Haiti's Central Plateau and we could not find a local distribution point near that area. I will not bore you with the details and red tape, but now that partnership is a reality. With the 272,000 meals the orphanage will receive, we know that the orphans and school children in the area are protected from the recurring famines that sweep through Haiti. The food also gives GVCM pastors and missionaries license to enter villages throughout Haiti to spread the Gospel.  

I consider this development the most important brick we laid since we set out to Impact Haiti back in 2005. The orphans are housed and now we know that they are fed. Glory be to God for orchestrating all of this!!

- Jerry Meras, Director of Outreach

  

The Little Hand

It was Easter weekend and this little guy was having a rough time after his parents left for the worship center to hear the weekend's message. I left my post at my hostess stand and walked to the nursery to see if I could help in any way. Seems my new little friend just needed a walk, so, we walked. We looked at the bulletin board, decorated with Easter items, and the table that had different art forms depicting the story of what Jesus did for us all so many Easters ago.  As we walked through the halls, I couldn't help but feel the tight grasp he had on my finger. He didn't care that my hands were cold and stained with paint; he just knew that he didn't want to let go!

As we sat and talked...actually, I talked as he awkwardly stared at me.... and he held my finger, I thought about how quickly in life we can loosen our hold to Jesus and we can become comfortable with letting go. My new little friend's grip reminded me of the importance of holding on to Jesus and His promises when it becomes easy to want to let go of Him. 

Our hearts, in the Tree House Children's Ministry, are to help kids tighten their grasp with Him, so that they will never want to let go and to help equip parents to maneuver through that journey with them, according to God's word. 

I challenge you to pray for our kids as they learn what the word of God has to say about Jesus and that their hearts would always be willing to grasp tightly to Him.

My little friend's parents came back after service, and his little hand was back in mom and dad's (as well as was the blood flow to my finger tip) and all was well with his world again! But, I hold that precious time with him and the faith he had that my hand was there, as a reminder to hold tightly to our Heavenly Father's grasp of us!

 "he didn't care that my hand was cold or stained with paint..."

 "he didn't care that my hand was cold or stained with paint..."