The spring edition of the Oakville News is now online! Click below for a full .pdf version of the newsletter, or scroll down for a text version.
Oakville Church Changes Denominations
On March 10, 2012, the Presbytery of the Cascades, [PCUSA] voted UNANIMOUSLY to dismiss Oakville Presbyterian Church to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church!
We had 26 folks from our congregation of 90 active members, drive nearly two hours to be at the Presbytery meeting in Portland. They were invited up front after the vote for a prayer and commissioning. That was impressive!
This step came after nearly a year of extensive exploration, study, discernment, and prayer following a change in ordination standards by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) which Oakville Church has been a part of. While this issue, and others, have been divisive for many congregations, the Oakville family was “in full accord and of one mind” ( Philippians 2:2) and voted unanimously in favor of the Disaffiliation Agreement in a Congregational Meeting on March 4, 2012, prior to the presbytery’s unanimous vote.
The EPC is a better fit for Oakville because of its strong stand on Biblical authority, its commitment to the Essentials of our Faith, which describes core beliefs of the Christian faith, and the fact that church property is owned by the local congregation, not the denomination. [There are many other reasons Oakville chose to leave the PCUSA and join the EPC. If you would like to read more about it and the process, you can visit our website: www.oakvillechurch.org ]
We will celebrate our denominational transition this Sunday, Palm Sunday, April 1st, following the worship service.
We will be officially received into the EPC at their presbytery meeting in Nevada City, California, May 3-5, 2012.
We are grateful to God for guiding us through this transition and we look to a bright future serving Him!
Beyond Oakville: Reaching out
Oakville members are making a difference in communities nearby and around the world.
Rachel Gerber recently returned from a trip with a group from Youth With a Mission that included work in Australia, India, and Bangladesh. To hear more about Rachel’s work abroad, mark your calendars for an Oakville family night at 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 15. Bring a favorite dessert to share.
Lauren Hughey is currently serving in the Peace Corps, working in the country of Guyana, which is located on the northern coast of South America.
Jon and Flip Anderson recently spent three months in Haiti on a Mercy Corps Mission where they worked with local villages, teaching them to build a new kind of stove that will improve their cooking methods.
Here in the mid-valley, Oakville members donated to the Options Pregnancy Resource Center as part of their Baby Bottle Boomerang program. Options PRC representatives dropped off empty baby bottles and challenged Oakville members to return them filled with donations. Of the 50 bottles, 45 were returned, and more than $350 was raised. “The response was simply amazing,” said Tina Mills, director of outreach at Options PRC.
Celebrate: sacrifice
We will gather together at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 5th, for a Maundy Thursday service. This marks the day that Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, then gave himself up to be arrested, tried and condemned. We will share a soup supper, then join for a service focused on reflection and remembrance of Jesus’ last day with his disciples.
Celebrate: transition
On Palm Sunday 2012, the Oakville community will celebrate not just Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but also Oakville’s entry into a new denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. On Sunday, April 1st, we will gather for a worship service and then share a potluck meal, followed by a time of looking at the past, present, and future of Oakville Church through pictures and stories. There will also be an opportunity for members to sign as Charter Members of Oakville Presbyterian Church, EPC .
Celebrate: resurrection
Join us as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, April 8th. We will begin our day of worship with a sunrise service at 6:30 a.m., followed by a potluck breakfast. Easter Sunday worship service will begin at 11 a.m. After church children of all ages are invited to join in Oakville’s annual Easter Egg hunt on the lawn in front of the church.
Making a difference at Oakville
Oakville is looking for volunteers who can contribute to the life of our church body. If you want to get involved, here are a few places to start:
- Children’s Church. You’d be leading a group of kids ages 4-8 in a lesson and a craft activity during the sermon portion of the worship service. Joining the rotation mean’s you’d take a turn as leader approximately once every 6-8 weeks. Helping with Children’s Church is a great way to minister to our young families at Oakville.
- Nursery. Oakville’s nursery workers care for babies and toddlers during the sermon. Nursery workers generally take one Sunday every 8-10 weeks. This is a wonderful way to give parents of infants and toddlers a chance to focus on the sermon and worship each Sunday.
- Communion preparation. We need volunteers who can help prepare the bread and juice prior to the worship service each time we celebrate communion. This is normally held the first Sunday of each month.
If you can help in any of these areas, contact the church at 541-758-0647 or email@oakvillechurch.org.
Spring clean-up time
As spring arrives, it’s time for Oakville members to roll up their sleeves and get to work sprucing up the church building and grounds.
Work days are planned for Saturday, March 31st and Saturday, April 7th, at 8 a.m.
Projects include tree trimming, flower bed work, and general cleaning inside the building and out. Bring tools if you have them, and contact Rex Watkins if you have questions.
Getting to know the EPC: “Seven Essentials of Our Faith”
All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation we affirm these additional Essentials of our faith:
1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!
2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.
3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.
4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
5. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.
6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth-personally, visibly, and bodily-to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20)
7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)
You’re invited….To taste the Fruit of the Spirit at Vacation Bible School 2012
Spread the word!
June 18-22
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Kindergarten-Fifth Grade
Oakville Presbyterian Church
29970 Church Dr., Shedd
541-758-0647
email@oakvillechurch.org
www.oakvillechurch.org