Oak Hill Baptist Church © 2008-2009

Last winter fifteen people were recruited to “think and pray and discuss” about the future of Oak Hill. Leadership had recognized the large amount of work our Lord had done here in the last ten years: Awana, building addition, constitution revision, and so much more. They thought it time to do some forward thinking about the next five to ten years. So a Vision Team was assembled and given permission to do a lot of brainstorming.

 

The group came up with 65 ideas in the first Saturday session. The next week they came back and did some evaluating and prioritizing. They broke down the suggestions into categories to reflect our leadership structure. Eventually the list was given to the entire congregation for further discussion and feedback.

 

 A year has gone by and some of the suggestions, large and small, have been implemented. Some are: 1.) The south parking lot has been paved, and the older part of our building has new windows. (We owe about $17,000 or the $65,000 bill for these upgrades.) 2.) Valet service is available and used every Sunday for our senior saints and others. 3.) Almost monthly pot-lucks are shared on communion Sundays. 4.) Visitor parking spots are reserved. 5.) Training for leaders in practical areas of service has been through a “test” class. 6.) We had our first simple, family-oriented Christmas program.

 

A year has gone by and some suggestions are in the planning stage: 1.) quarterly evangelism activities with the next scheduled for the 4th of July parade, 2.) a new audio/visual package for the sanctuary including wireless mics, hearing helps, digital recording equipment, and other changes. 3,) a system to track skills offered by our many volunteers, and 4.) a short-term mission trip or trips.

 

The lists do not end here. We have baptized eight people and welcomed new members and started new small group Bible studies and gone on motorcycle rides and played in the church softball league and nominated new leaders and continued Sunday Nite Lite and enjoyed all-church game nights and committed to help the new church plant in Mason City and simply enjoyed our Lord’s continued work in our congregation.

 

My own favorites are people growing. I have really enjoyed being part of three new Bible studies. God’s word is such an essential part of our growing spiritual lives! How good it is to sit together for an hour or so and chew over His thoughts to us in the Bible! I have also really enjoyed watching other people doing the same thing. You lead Bible studies. You take people out for coffee and some spiritual conversation. You plan events that bring us together for fellowship. You think about how to improve God’s life in us and how to call others to take part in that life. A variety of words are appropriate. Take your pick of cool, neat, hot, awesome, righteous...

 

We do not want to exhaust ourselves, making too great demands on our time and energy and money and abilities. A frenzy of activity is not healthy. We also do not want to just move on from one thing to another without evaluating and establishing what is good. A lot of ideas sound good but may have a spiritual downside when implemented. We always want to “follow the pattern of sound words…in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13).

 

 Yet vision in the sense of hope is an essential part of church life. It energizes us to love sacrificially and speaks of a different kingdom and a different King. May we always look ahead anticipating His work until He comes again and all our work is done.