We are ending our I AM A WORSHIPER CHALLENGE with a night to focus on Jesus and all that He has done for us.
JESUS SAYS:
‘But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ‘ John 4:23-24
Why here?
Keep Austin Weird. The City of Austin’s motto is lived out through its artistic culture and love of food trucks. But with any rapidly growing big city, there are also underserved neighborhoods. Through our local partnerships, students will learn how the church is responding to these needs in very real ways. Your team will serve in a variety of local ministries, ranging from a food pantry to a rescue mission. Students will also get the opportunity to explore Austin during our Mission Race and they’ll hike local outdoor adventure spots.
Why so close to home?
We understand that the location is not too far away. Given the current circumstances and the freedom to plan a trip, Austin seems to be a great match. Our heart at the Oakwood Student Ministry is to discover new ministry opportunities that might arise from this trip.
Ministry Outreach
Through our various partnerships, students will gain insight into what ministry in an urban environment really looks like. Opportunities include: soup kitchen, working at a neighborhood outreach center, and more.
Adventure Opportunities
Students will have the opportunity to explore downtown Austin during the Mission Race, explore local parks and conservatories, and go hiking.
Logistics
Weather: Summers are hot and temperatures frequently average 90°F.
Transportation: Rental Vans
First Aid: Most LeaderTreks staff are First Aid and CPR certified. Please bring your own team first aid kit.
Typical Schedule
Day 1: (Sunday) Arrive at site by 4pm- Settle in
Day 2: (Monday) Serve with local community ministry
Day 3: (Tuesday) Serve with local community ministry
Day 4: (Wednesday) Mission Race
Day 5: (Thursday) Serve with local community ministry
Day 6: (Friday) Outdoor Adventure Day
Day 7: (Saturday) Departure (by 8am)
Check out the Video Below
The simple game involves a nerf bow and arrow, a long distance, and the perfect shot… that’s why it’s called IMPOSSIBLE SHOT!
Reality is, we have all missed it. The accuracy required to perfectly hit the target of the Godliness expected from the Father is unobtainable or IMPOSSIBLE.
Take the Rich Young Ruler that encountered Jesus and seemed to have a successful life with wealth to back up his claims. He seemed to hit the target with resources and following the guidelines setup by the Ten Commandments. You could say he was a “good guy.” However, Jesus challenges him to give up all his wealth. It seems that the ask to follow Jesus went deeper than outer appearance. Jesus was going for the Rich Young Ruler’s heart.
Even the disciples questioned Jesus about eternal things. It seems that they could not wrap their minds around what Jesus was aiming at. What they saw with their eyes and heard with their ears seemed to make salvation itself… IMPOSSIBE.
That is why we need Jesus to take the bow and arrow, line up the shot for us, and nail it right in the target. PERFECT SHOT!
As fully God and fully man, Jesus aimed at the target of the cross. He lived as a perfect example and died in our place on the cross to pay for the overwhelming debt of sin that makes eternal salvation impossible. What seems to be impossible for mankind to pay, Jesus took care of by not only dying, but raising again to give us hope for eternity.
The man we know as St. Patrick was born around 389 AD in England. His father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest.
The Roman Empire was still in titular control of Britain, but their demoralized armies were unable to protect the island from Irish invaders. Farms were pillaged and teenagers enslaved. Patrick was taken at age sixteen. An Irish farmer bought him as a slave and put him to work tending sheep.
Somehow Patrick came to personal faith in Christ in the midst of his tribulations. He later wrote, “The Lord opened to me a sense of my unbelief, that I might be converted with all my heart unto the Lord.”
Patrick received a vision from God when he was twenty-two, a clear signal to run from Ireland for his home. Risking his life, he was able to evade his captors and return to his family. But his heart was heavy for the spiritual condition of his Irish captors.
Following another vision, Patrick devoted himself for seven years to Bible study, then he returned to Ireland as a missionary. The Irish were almost completely without Christ, worshiping the elements and spirits in trees and stones and engaging in magic and even human sacrifice.
Patrick got to work.
When his career was done, he had established some two hundred churches in Ireland and led more than one hundred thousand people to faith in Christ, despite more than a dozen attempts on his life. He is today the patron saint of Ireland. His death on March 17, 461 is remembered each year as St. Patrick’s Day.
However, there’s even more to his story.
In the following century, Irish Christians who were spiritual descendants of St. Patrick’s ministry sailed back to Britain, where they evangelized the heathen who had overrun the country. They established monasteries and copied books being destroyed elsewhere.
According to Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization, these men “single-handedly refounded European civilization throughout the continent.”
You could make the argument that St. Patrick deserves to be on anyone’s top-ten list of all-time most influential Christians. But you’d have a hard time getting Patrick to agree.
In his Confessions, Patrick wrote, “I am greatly a debtor to God, who has bestowed his grace so largely upon me, that multitudes were born again to God through me. The Irish, who had never had the knowledge of God and worshiped only idols and unclean things, have lately become the people of the Lord, and are called sons of God.”
He closed his memoirs by explaining the secret to his history-changing ministry:
“Do you judge, and let it be most firmly believed, that it was the gift of God. And this is my Confession, before I shall die.”
Below is a repost from Pastor Ray’s written statement and a link to the original post.
This past week the Governor of Texas rescinded the mask mandate that Oakwood has been observing in accordance to the Scripture’s direction to obey those in authority (Romans 13:1, Titus 3:1). Beginning Sunday March 14, 2021 masks will not be required at Oakwood. However, wearing a mask is highly recommended by the CDC and health professionals to help stop the spread of COVID-19. For the safety of our volunteers in the children and student ministries areas, we will continue to require masks while in those facilities. Throughout this pandemic, it has been my prayer that we—as Christ’s followers —remember our Lord’s instruction in Mark 12:30-31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Let’s continue to work together to keep those attending safe.
Blessings, Pastor Ray
OakwoodMS Parents 