Counting stars!

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

Student Ministry Food Drive

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  

Marked by Mercy

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! 

The Promises of God

“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.”
— Based on 2 Corinthians 1
 
 

Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Sin and Rescue

Two by two....and then the door closed....then the floods came.... the dove found land and a rainbow of promise lit up the sky! 

That's the gist of the way I grew up knowing the story of Noah and the great flood. Every time I heard the story, it felt the same.. two by two, flood waters and rainbows. It's a beautiful story of God's rescue of Noah and his family. A courageous story of Noah's obedience during a time of such ridicule. A gracious story filled with a promise, the hope of our ultimate rescue represented with a rainbow. Although always presented with cute animals and colorful rainbows, the backdrop of sin rarely seemed to be the point of the story. The rescue was rarely presented as THE story within the story. Yet, when we add in the Christ connection to this story, we see it brilliantly with sin and rescue at the very core of it. 

The story of Noah and the great flood is such a rich picture of the greater rescue to come. "Jesus, the only perfectly righteous person, came to take the punishment for sin. We trust His act of obedience and are saved from the punishment our sin deserves." (The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook). When Noah and his family stepped out of the ark, on to dry land, instead of condemning the world again, God gave hope! A hope that would come through His son, Jesus,  who would come in the form of a rescue to all sinners. 

As we continue through the Word of God, using the Gospel Project, we pray that the Lord would help you clearly communicate THE story within the story. The story set with a backdrop of sin where Jesus would give up his life to rescue all sinners and give hope for all to come! 

Blessings~

Rhiannon

This weekend in Tree House Children's Ministry: The Tower of Babel

Do not be Afraid

“God has come to save you.
Trust in him and do not be afraid.
The Lord God is your strength and your song; he has given you the victory.”
— Based on Isaiah 12:2
 
 

Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Real-life discipleship

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A short thought inspired by Matthew 4:19 and Jim Putman's, Real-Life Discipleship.

Jesus says in Matthew 4:19, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."

                                 Follow Me

                            ^          /\        v
                            ^         /  \       v  
        Fishers of men  /__\    Make You
                                     < < <

Discipleship starts with deciding to follow Jesus. Then, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is the one doing the "making." He says, "I will make you." And into what? "I will make you fishers of men." We are to bring people into following Jesus as fishers of men and continue the process of allowing Jesus to "make" all of us into who we were meant to be.

And we were not intended to do this alone.  If you aren't in small group right now, I would love to help you get connected! Send me an email!

Jonathan
Small Groups Pastor

jhaage@fiveoakschurch.org

Connections Ministry … what is it, and what do we do?

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Connections exists to help make the weekend services happen, to create a warm and welcoming place for all who attend, and to continue to offer our lives to God in worship in many different ways. That includes caring for others around us, and to love one another as we love ourselves. When we make the time and effort to meet each other’s needs, we are creating space in our lives to see Him work in amazing ways.

Connections is made up of teams of volunteers in the areas of:

  • Greeting Team
  • Information Center Team
  • Ushering Team
  • Acorn Cafe Team
  • Security Team
  • White Glove Team (light housekeeping between weekend services)
  • Tour Guide Team (offering information to visitors)

  If you have ever been new anywhere (and everyone has), you know how much it can mean when someone sees YOU and makes an effort to make you feel comfortable / special / noticed / cared-about / heard / appreciated……you get the idea. YOU have the ability to give that gift to someone else, and Connections Ministry would love to help you do that. 

    To talk more about how you might like to be that blessing, talk to someone serving on a Connections Team at church. They can tell you how to get more information, or they can invite you to serve with them for a service time to see if you like what they do. Or contact the Serving Coordinator at Five Oaks Church. Her name is Jennifer Clemens, and her email is jclemens@fiveoakschurch.org.  Either way, you have some really great conversations ahead of you, and you’re about to see how God is going to use you in ways you may not have imagined. 

Thanks for reading,

Carol Jorgensen, Connections Manager
cjorgensen@fiveoakschurch.org
651.459.7485

 

Fall Fun Fest features Friday night fun, friends…fr-eats!

Remember how much fun you had at last year’s Fall Fun Fest?  It’s back this year — new and improved of course, brought to you by your Five Oaks FUN Team.  The Fall Fun Fest will be on November 4, 2016, 6:30-9 pm.  This carnival-style event (geared for kids pre-K-grade 5) will feature Minute-to-Win-it, Cake Walk, Ring Toss, face painting, and crazy hair,  plus NEW this year: Giant Jenga, donut on a rope, mountain dice, and prize wheel, to name a few. This is an easy invite for your kids (or moms and dads) to offer to friends and neighbors.  

Are your kids too “old” for Fall Fun Fest? Consider coming to volunteer at the event, or with set-up or clean-up. This is a great way to serve as a family.  Questions, please contact Pam Hawley, phawley@fiveoakscurch.org.  

VOLUNTEER AT FALL FUN FEST

Love One Another

“Since God so loved us, we must also love one another. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.”
— 1 John 4
 
 

Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Who's Sid?

Mom to child: "I hear you learned about sin tonight at church!"

Dad: "Who's Sid?"

Isn't that, so often, how the conversations go on our ride home from church? You hope for some deep meaningful dialogue about the lesson your child learned, only to be derailed by 'Sid'.  'Sid' comes in many different forms and many times with the label of too busy. But can I take a moment to encourage you? Continue the conversation! 

I heard an example this week of how the brilliance of the Word of God and our need for Jesus shines brightest against the backdrop of sin. Like a good fireworks show that needs a blackened sky to show its true radiance. 

It's scary to have the conversations with our kids about sin, especially our little ones. I remember feeling like as soon as I had the conversation with them that then they would be aware of that sin and I wanted to protect them from that part of the world. Yet, without the reality of sin, we can't see our need for Jesus, and I so desperately want my children to understand their need for Jesus. It's so important to continue having the conversations with our kids. 

Each week in the Tree House, your kids will be given a take home activity sheet and a collectable card. These resources are available for you to continue the conversations at home and throughout the week with your kids. 

I don't know how the family conversation ended, but needless to say, I am sure their conversation about 'Sid' continued and explanations were made. 

Take time this week to observe and talk about the radiance and brilliance of who Jesus is against the backdrop of a sinful world and keep the conversation going!

~Blessings,

Rhiannon