Pastor's Message

June 2018

This is what the Lord GOD showed me—a basket of summer fruit. Verse 2: He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” (Amos 8:1)

Summertime is here and there is nothing sweeter than the fruit of summer. Watermelon is one of my favorites. Sophia Grace and Jacob were so excited to be able to plant their very own watermelon plant in the garden at the parsonage. It’s

incredible to see how quickly the plant will grow. In just a few short weeks, our little four inch high plant will become many feet long and will probably try to take over the entire garden!!

Who knew such incredible growth and fruit could come from just a tiny seed? We are experiencing the same kind of growth at Oak Forest. We are celebrating 50 years of growth at Oak Forest, Praise God Hallelujah! We are who we are today because of God’s great work through all the hard work and generosity through these fifty years.

In the church, summer takes on different meanings. Historically at Oak Forest, summertime is one of our least productive times. I would venture that most churches face the same challenge. There are obvious reasons for that, but this summer I want us to remember that some of the best fruit that we can produce for the church can be summer fruit.

This summer, I want Oak Forest to produce as much summer fruit as we can. I need you to be part of this garden. What can we start growing this summer that can bear fruit? I challenge each of us to find and start new programs that will bear fruit during our most dormant time. How can we make our church more active during this time? What can we do to engage ourselves in ministry? I have a few ideas that I will be challenging us with over the next few weeks, but I want us all to challenge each other to stay as active in the church over the summer months. Sure we will be gone more than we are the other seasons, but if we get creative, we just might start some things that will remind us of this time no matter what the season is.

HERE’S YOUR CHALLENGE!

FROM PASTOR JULIE AND THE FINANCE COMMITTEE

A first step is participation in the programs we already have in place. Volunteer for Vacation Bible School, teach Sunday School, start a Bible study, volunteer with our children on Sunday morning, bring a meal for the youth, visit some of our homebound members. Be involved when you are here, and spread the fruits wherever you go. Summer fruits can be some of the most unforgettable fruits we can produce. We just need all of us out there making sure that the seeds are planted! Help us to make summer fruits that will last us every season of our lives!”

The second step is to continue to faithfully tithe throughout the summer months. Our challenge is to receive a weekly giving of $5,390.00 for a 12-week grand total of $64,680.00 . There are many ways to give at Oak Forest! You can give though online banking, through the offering plate, or mail in your tithe. The safest and most flexible way is through online giving. You can schedule a recurring or one time gift. Go to our website or donate here:

Beginning June 17th we will plant the seed. Watch the seed grow every Sunday for 12 weeks. Every week, we will watch our watermelon grow

with help from our children. This cannot happen without your help and participation.