Author Archives: Oak Chapel UMC

A Matter of Life and Death One of the more difficult but also rewarding responsibilities in ministry isproviding comfort to those whose journey in this world is coming to an end. It is a time ofdeep sadness but also great joy for the person who has lived a life in Christ. Last weekend, I visitedContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 26, 2021”

Snapshot of a Growing Church For many years, USA Today has published a “Snapshot” poll in the lower left corner its front page. The poll measures the preferences of Americans on a particular topic each day. Last week, the newspaper published a poll about what activities Americans have missed most during the pandemic. Not surprisingly,Continue reading “In A Nutshell | March 19, 2021”

A Tribute to the ‘Tower of Power’ As I approached the church late last week, I was greeted by three largeAmerican Electric Power trucks and a host of workers in bright lime green vests. It wasclear that they were on a mission to replace one of the existing poles with a new one onchurch property.Continue reading “In A Nutshell | March 12, 2021”

‘Drive-By’ Observations of Oak Chapel It never ceases to amaze me the things I encounter in the parking lot of ourchurch. I mentioned a few weeks ago that the Coroner’s truck was parked there forseveral hours, which was unnerving to say the least. Last fall, a couple of young men drove up and were takingContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 5, 2021”

Is Our Long-Awaited Youth Movement Finally Here? Three cheers for Erica Boyer! She has been a real champion in sharing her faithand her love for Oak Chapel with others. She has been inviting many of her peers toexperience our church and perhaps become actively involved with our ministry. This past Sunday, she brought four ofContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 26, 2021”

Keep the Faith: A Revival is Coming I had a conversation last week with a longtime friend who asked me if I thoughtrevival was coming anytime soon. I wasn’t sure how to answer, especially given thecurrent circumstances, which would lead us to believe that we are nowhere close to anysort of spiritual awakening. In fact,Continue reading “In A Nutshell | February 19, 2021”

Ash Wednesday Symbolizes Death to Sin, Life in Christ It’s been almost a full year since we last opened the solemn season of Lent withthe imposition of ashes. As you may remember, we gathered in the sanctuary with ourfriends from New Pittsburg United Methodist Church to mark the 40 days leading up tothe epic eventsContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 12, 2021”

Let Us Break Bread Together Celebrating communion on the first Sunday of each month is a sacred andlongstanding tradition at Oak Chapel and many other churches across the country andaround the world. It is a deeply personal sacrament that unites us as one with Christ. I had forgotten just how intimate communion was intended toContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 5, 2021”

Billboarding Our Faith Scripture tells us to boldly proclaim our faith. It makes no mention of putting it on a billboard because, well, to the best of our knowledge, billboards did not exist in Biblical times. Still, we thought, “Why Not?” so we are moving forward with the project, planting the seed and waiting patientlyContinue reading “In A Nutshell | January 29, 2021”

Sleep Tight and Then Actively Bring the Church to the People             What keeps you up at night? We all have something that occasionally causes us to toss and turn. For me, it’s not so much about falling asleep — I can do that pretty much anywhere at any time. My problem is that ifContinue reading “In A Nutshell | January 22, 2021”