Volume 5 ~ Issue 4 February 20 – March 5, 2010

IN THIS ISSUE: (click on the article title to go to that article)

Seeds for Growth Membership Reception Prayer Time Family Fun Night Child Dedication Staff Commissioning Women’s News Youth Support Our Troops Sweetheart Dinner Missions Moment Haiti Relief Health Screenings Czech Republic English Camp Spring Forward General announcements

Seeds for Growth

What is the Condition of Your Soil?

I recently finished re-reading a Bible study given to me by a friend about the

“Parable of the Sower” from Matthew 13:1-9. The study made me re-thinks this

story from Jesus and look at it from another perspective. In the story the Seed

represents the Word of God and the soil represents possible conditions of the heart.

The seed (Word of God) is cast onto a number of different types of soil (heart

conditions).

It is either cast upon:

a. The Road, the seed gets trampled and is lost, and the soil is hard to God’s

truth, this is the heart disinterested in or antagonistic to the things of God,

this heart condition leaves us eternally separated from God

b. Rocky Soil: An initial enthusiasm to the Word but without a root that

sustains, the root of new birth is absent, again there is no eternal life

c. Soil infested with Thorns, congested, the Word gets choked by earthly

worries and pleasure, lukewarm, again... eternal life is questionable

d. Fertile Soil, the Thirty fold Christ-Follower: has a saving relationship with

Jesus Christ but is a half-hearted follower

e. Fertile Soil, the Sixty fold Christ-Follower: bearing fruit, but without full

obedience

f. Fertile Soil, the Hundred fold Christ-Follower: Living fully in the light

given, Full surrender, faith, and obedience are predominant. Although not

perfectly sinless, they live a Spirit-filled life that continues to mature over

time. Hundred fold should not be an unusual yield for my life.

When God’s seed was thrown on your heart was it lost, crushed, did it wither or

was it choked or is it producing fruit? I see myself in this story and there is room

for me to grow! What is the condition of your soil? Knowing may have eternal

significance for you. For those of us whose eternity is secure, re examining our

heart condition may help us to become the Hundred Fold Christ-followers the Lord

desires us to be. That is my personal prayer.

Chris Lehmann

Director of Worship Arts

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Membership Reception

Are you interested in finding out more about Oakwood Community Church and

considering membership? You are invited to join us immediately following the

Worship Service this Sunday, February 21, in the Education Center Library for

approximately 30-45 minutes. You will have opportunity to meet the elders, hear

about our vision and learn about the process of becoming a member of Oakwood.

Light refreshments will be served.

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Prayer Time

We don’t often know how prayer works but we know that it changes things. God

directs us to talk with Him regularly. Linking with God and other believers is even

more powerful. The Bible talks about where two or three are gathered to pray, it

takes on a more significant meaning. We encourage you to spend some time with

other Oakwood family members on Saturday mornings between 7:30-8:30 AM

asking God to do “far more than we could ever imagine or guess or request in your

wildest dreams” (Eph. 3:20, The Message).

Beginning March 7, we will be moving Prayer Time to Sunday mornings at 8:00

AM. We will meet in the church library to pray for 40 minutes leading up to the

family time of worship. Again, plan to come earlier on Sundays beginning March 7

and join us as we ask God to help us love Him more.

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Family Fun Night

Movie Premiere

Veggie Tales

Pistachio, The Little Boy

That Woodn’t

Everyone is invited to join us for an evening of

fun this Friday, February 19, 7:00 PM in the

TreeHouse.

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Child Dedication

On Sunday, February 28, we will have a Child Dedication Service during our

Worship Service. Any parents interested in dedicating their children are asked to

contact the church office by noon on Monday, February 22.

Information on the meaning of Child Dedication can be obtained by clicking the

link below.

http://www.oakwoodfl.org/wp-content/uploads/Child_Dedication_Information.pdf

Pastor Paul will meet with any parents planning to participate in the Dedication

Service on Tuesday, February 23, 7:00 PM in the Education Center – in the Quad,

the classroom at the end of the hallway. Participating parents need to read the

Child Dedication Information prior to this meeting.

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Staff Commissioning

On January 31, the members of Oakwood

overwhelming approved the recommendation

from the Elders for Dave Dorsey to join the

church staff as Director of Ministries. He

began work on February 1 and on February 14

was publicly commissioned to serve in this

position.

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Women’s News

Ladies Bunco Night

Friday, Feb 26th 7:00 PM

Oakwood TreeHouse

Bunco is an interactive game that’s easy to learn and

fun to play.

Bring a snack and a friend!

Upcoming Women's Event in Tampa

Living Proof Live Conference featuring Beth Moore will be coming to Idlewild

Baptist Church on April 16-17, 2010 (Friday evening and Saturday morning). This

event will include live teaching from Beth Moore and worship led by Travis

Cottrell. Cost of the tickets is $60 and can be purchased at lifeway.com (click on

“events”) or by calling 800.254.2022. Oakwood attendees are invited to meet

together for lunch after the Saturday session (location to be announced). Come and

hear God's message for you!

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Youth

Student Leadership

Any high school students who would like to be a leader should let Pastor Mike

know. We are in the process of building a team of student leaders.

________________________________________________________

Challenge

2010 Conference

June 28 - July 3, 2010

Columbus Convention Center

Columbus, Ohio

Revised Information

Go to www.challengeconference.com for all the current information on

Challenge ‘10

Total Cost: $682 per person includes housing, transportation, conference

meals (does not include travel meals or spending money)

Registration begins Jan. 4, 2010

Transportation Deposit: $50 due January 17

Theme: UNDO: You cannot follow Jesus and remain the same. Jesus guarantees

to change both your life’s desires and trajectory. Life that is truly life flows from the

soul that has been "undone" by the all-consuming love of Christ. His burning

presence leads to an undoing of all that has defined your place, purpose, and

priorities in this world. And yet, it does not merely expose the artificial but also

awakens your imagination to dream of a way of life and love that cannot be

confined by the systems of this world. To be undone is both a desperate cry and a

costly call. UNDO!

CHALLENGE 2010 exists to help students redefine what it means to love

God and love others as seen through the lens of the Beatitudes.

Challenge is an every other year growth level conference for junior and senior high

students. Each day it combines great worship and challenging speakers with youth

group dynamics for ministry outreach in the site city, training sessions on pertinent

topics and recreational activities. It is an opportunity for youth groups to travel

together, to worship and learn together, to serve together, to play together and to

be challenged to grow in their faith as individuals and as youth groups - to become

effective Christ followers who impact their world for Jesus Christ.

Challenge's Compassion Project this year will be making and filling 5,000

backpacks for kids in the Congo. Find out... http://fb.me/45Uv1Ew

________________________________________________________

Youth Band Worship practice…

Every Wednesday from 2:00 – 5:00 PM in PowerHouse.

High School Guys Basketball

Every Wednesday afternoon from 5:00 – 7:00 PM in PowerHouse.

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Support Our Troops

Remember to pray for our troops. One of our own, Geoff

Andrews, son of Bob & Karen Andrews, is currently

stationed in Afghanistan. He has very limited internet

access: 30 minutes at a time on a military PC after waiting

in line. Anyone who would like to write to him can use

http://www.motomail.us. Your email will be printed at his

base and delivered to him. His address information for

MotoMail is FPO AE 09510-3873, B Co. LSP, LCpl.

Andrews, Geoffrey Ross. Once you've set up your free

MotoMail account it's very easy to use.

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Sweetheart Dinner

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We played games -- we ate -- we

had fellowship! The Fourth

Annual Sweetheart Dinner was

held last Saturday, February 13,

with our largest crowd ever.

Thanks to chef Luke Piazza for

providing a wonderful meal.

Missions Moment

Philippines Missions

AETAs are an indigenous people who live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts

of Luzon. They are considered to be Negritos, and are thought to be among the

earliest inhabitants of the Philippines, preceding the Austronesian migrations.

There is a three-year project established to help the Aetas with their health issues

as the Wycliffe Bible translators continue to work in translating the New

Testament in their dialect. Medical Ambassadors Philippines, Inc. (MAPi), a non-

government organization, will assign a nurse who will live with the Aetas in the

mountains of Tarlac. The nurse will not only provide medical care and health

education but will also share the Gospel. Roger and Vangie Stone of Wycliffe are

thankful for this program, an answer to prayer!

Feeding program for children. Out of a tragic loss of an adopted daughter age 5,

the parents of this child started a feeding program for their daughter's friends. The

feeding has grown from a small group of 5 friends to 200 children coming every

week to get a meal. A few months later, a local church duplicated the feeding

program in the other remote barrios of Tarlac. This program has a captive audience

who can use the “waiting time” (as children wait in line for food) to be told of how

Jesus loves them. Two portable television sets equipped with DVD/speakers were

provided for the feeding programs. The “JESUS” film will now be shown in their

own dialect this month. More DVD videos are needed to proclaim the gospel to

these children.

Shekinah Christian Academy of Bulacan (SCAB). Scholarship money of $25 a

month will sponsor a student covering 50% of the cost of tuition and books/year.

The school provides good (private) Christian education from kindergarten to high

school. The goal is set to have 50 sponsors for 2010. Without the scholarship, there

are fewer and fewer students who can afford the Christian education.

Short- term medical mission, January 2011. “Squatters” in the province of

Pampanga were relocated by the government to a resettlement area. Now, these

8000 families, each family living in 200 sq ft rooms may be served well with a

Medical Mission with emphasis on evangelism.

If you are interested to know more about these ministries, please contact Maria

Cariaga (813-977-3246).

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Health Screenings

The Blood Mobile will be at Oakwood on Sunday, February 28 from 8:30 AM

– 12:30 PM. If you are at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, are in good

health and haven’t donated in the last eight weeks, you are eligible to donate.

Blood pressure checks can also be done at the Blood Mobile.

Blood pressure checks Sunday, March 7 in the kitchen following the Worship

Service. Don’t miss this important health screening.

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Haiti Relief

In response to the devastating earthquake in

Haiti, many are looking for ways to help.

Below are some organizations that we are

currently aware of that are accepting

monetary donations to help with relief.

The Elder Team is also encouraging the

Oakwood family to fast one meal per week

and set aside the money that you would have spent on that meal. We will have a

donation bucket at Church that you can put your donation in and it will be sent to

the EFCA to help with the relief effort. The EFCA has already received over

$543,000 from individuals and sister churches. PLEASE NOTE – THIS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, WILL BE THE LAST DAY WE ARE

COLLECTING THESE FUNDS.

The purpose of the fast is to use that time to pray for those whose lives have been

forever changed by this disaster and to pray for those who are ministering to help

these Haitians.

Evangelical Free Church of America

Donate online through the EFCA to help the people of Haiti at:

https://my.efca.org/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=359&des=Earthquake%20Re

lief%2021709-3970

Donations can be mailed to:

EFCA

Earthquake Relief #21709-3970

901 East 78th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55420-1300

If you use a Bill Pay service, you can set up to give as follows:

EFCA

Account #21709-3970

Biller Phone: 800-745-2202

901 East 78th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55420-1300

Bible Basics International

http://www.biblebasics.org

Campus Crusade through Global Aid Network

http://www.gainusa.org

Wycliffe Bible Translators

http://www.wycliffe.org

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Czech Republic English Camp

Outreach English Camp

The Czech Republic

July 17-24, 2010

Would you like your life to be changed?

Consider serving as one of the 12 members of

the summer 2010 Outreach English Camp team

from Oakwood and Candlewood Community

Churches. Since 2000, Oakwood Community

Church has partnered with the Brno

Evangelical Fellowship in the city of Brno,

Czech Republic, by providing English teachers

for their outreach English camps. Candlewood

Community Church, a daughter church of

Oakwood, has participated since its birth in

2007. The teachers have been people like you

who stepped out of their comfort zones in order

to serve fellow Czech Christians as they witness

to their family, friends, co-workers, and

neighbors.

The purpose of the English camp

The Brno Fellowship wants to see the Czech Republic impacted for Christ. The

Czech Republic is a country with a rich Christian heritage, and was the site of

much fighting between Catholics and Protestants during the 30 Years War. After

WWII, however, the Czech Republic came under the influence of Russia and

communism. The Czech Republic now has more atheists per capita than most

Eastern European countries.

The Czech Republic gained its independence in 1989 in the Velvet Revolution.

Since then it has looked Westward, to Europe and the United States, joining the

European Union in May 2004. The attempt to become a Western democracy has

made knowledge of English vital for academic, political, and business reasons.

English camps give the Brno Fellowship an opportunity to meet a felt-need of their

compatriots, and the opportunity to share about Christ.

What the team members do in the English camp

The American team arrives a few days before the week long camp to meet the

Czech team and to acclimate to the new country and time zone. During the camp

the team teaches classes in conversational English, from the entry level to the

advanced level. The Czech team provides each class with a Czech speaking

language helper. The language helper can translate English into Czech when

needed, and also helps the English teacher be aware of cultural issues or spiritual

opportunities. Each day the American team also provides two hours of

conversational English practice to elementary school children, and one hour for

younger children. These classes consist mainly of games and fun activities.

Because the English camp is advertised as an opportunity to learn English and to

learn about Christianity, we also have an opportunity to share our own faith, when

culturally appropriate. We do this formally when we provide content for an evening

meeting. We can also do this informally, as God leads, and with the help of our

Czech team language helper. Our first priority, however, is to provide excellent

conversational English teaching as our service to the Brno Fellowship.

What preparation is required

Few of us are teachers, let alone teachers of English as a second language. For this

reason, all lesson materials are already prepared. Team members only need to

gather the teaching aids (such as pictures, objects, and so on) and practice teaching.

Team members will meet for 12 training meetings between March and July. During

these meetings, we will learn about the Czech Republic, learn about the Biblical

basis of short-term missions, practice teaching to each other, prepare an evening

evangelistic program, and grow together as a team.

The cost of the trip

Depending on travel costs, the cost of each team member going is between $1500-

2000. Team members are expected to provide for some of the cost from their own

resources and from fund-raising letters. Both Oakwood and Candlewood will hold

special collections for the English Camp trip.

Signing up

Pick up an application packet, available at Oakwood and Candlewood. The

application process will involve writing about your reasons for being part of the

team, writing about yourself (the gifts and experiences you bring to the team). You

will also need to write a short description of your faith journey and provide a

recommendation from someone who knows you and your spiritual life well—a

pastor, community group leader, accountability partner, and so on.

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Spring Forward

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 14. Remember to

turn your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed on

Saturday night.

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General announcements

The Oakwood ACORN is a bi-weekly E-newsletter from Oakwood Community

Church, published to keep our church family and friends informed about events

and people at Oakwood. Articles may be submitted via e-mail to

Office@oakwoodfl.org. Article deadlines and publication schedule is:

Deadline Publication date News for dates including…

Feb 26 Mar 3 Mar 6 – Mar 19

Mar 12 Mar 17 Mar 20 – Apr 2

Mar 26 Mar 31 Apr 3 – Apr 16

Do you know someone at Oakwood with a noteworthy achievement? Send the

information to Office@OakwoodFL.org and we’ll include it in a future article.

If you have received this email in error or want to be removed from our e-

newsletter distribution list, please hit the reply button and put “unsubscribe” in

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11209 Casey Rd � Tampa, FL � 33618-5306

phone: 813-969-2303

facsimile: 813-969-0468 email: office@oakwoodfl.org

web: http://www.oakwoodfl.org