At
Oasis, we believe that being a Christian is more than simply having
faith and sharing the Gospel--we also believe that God wants us
to serve our community, to show His love in a practical way. Indeed,
Jesus frequently commanded us to do so!
Every
community group term (August - May), the community groups in Oasis
are involved in at least four community service projects. In addition,
there are special service events like Super Saturday. Read below
to see some of Oasis' 2007-2008 service events!
August
11, 2007: Super Saturday
Super
Saturday is an annual outreach event sponsored by Oasis, taking
place just before school starts each year. During this event,
we target several locations in the Morgan/Maumelle area where
we can be a blessing to young children through games, puppets,
and clowns. At the end of each session, we pass out free school
supplies to all children present.
This
year, Oasis has passed out over 100 school-supply packets. Each
packet contained basic school supplies as well as a salvation
tract and a pamphlet about our church. When you consider that
each child has at least one parent or guardian, we were able to
touch the lives of at least 200 people in one day.
September
17-21, 2007: Homeless Ministry
For
our first organized Community Group service project of the year,
Oasis partnered with Without Ministries to minister to the homeless
of Little Rock. Over 80 Oasis church members, over a period of
five days, went to Little Rock and handed out shoeboxes with some
basic essentials for the homeless in our area--new tee-shirts,
canned peanuts, bug spray, and hand sanitizer.
It
was an eye-opening experience for all, and a great opportunity
to share God's love in a practical way for those less fortunate.
Less than a mile from Little Rock's growing cultural center, the
Rivermarket, these 200+ homeless Arkansans gather near the riverbanks,
hoping to avoid the thick Arkansas heat. Bug spray to battle the
mosquitos, new clothing, healthy food, and sanitizer goes a long
way. The Oasis church-members began under the Broadway Bridge,
and walked along the river to the Salvation Army, handing out
boxes and meeting our homeless brothers along the way. All of
the people we met were polite, kind, appreciative, and touched
by our help.
It
was a great opportunity to show God's love, and if you are interested
in helping out, we would be glad to put you in contact with Without
Ministries. Simply email us at mike@oasischurchwebsite.com
December
9-15, 2007: Serving our Vocational Leaders
With
Christmas nearing, Oasis Church community groups held an event
to reach out to pastors from other churches and let them know
that we support their ministries. Too many churches today see
themselves as being in competition with one another; in reality,
we are all brothers and sisters, and the success of any church
is a success for all of us.
In
appreciation for the hard work and sacrifices that ministers in
our area have undertaken in the previous year, each community
group raised money to purchase restaurant gift certificates for
a pastor of another church which meets near their community group
location. We presented these certificates to the pastor and his
family, and prayed with them for their ministry.
February
10-26, 2008: Serving Those Who Hurt Us
For
our first spring community service project, we at Oasis are reaching
out to those who have offended or hurt us. With this service project,
every member of the church is responsible for reaching out to
someone who has offended us, hurt us, or someone who we just simply
do not get along with. It will be our purpose to go out of our
way to show this person or persons how much we love them, and
that anything that has come between us in the past is forgiven
and forgotten.
