Hey White Oak, my name is Nathan Hinkle, I serve as the Lead Pastor here.
Over the past year and a half, our church family has been on a journey that we have called, SHAKEN.
We took this idea from Acts 4 where a group of Jesus followers were gathered asking God to do powerful works in them and through them so that the Good News about Jesus would spread throughout their city. As they were praying, the room was SHAKEN by the power of the Spirit, and they moved boldly out into their spheres of influence with good news about Jesus.
We’re asking God to do the same thing here at White Oak in and through us.
I want to give you an update on how things are going and some of the ways we see God moving.
Our Primary Goal for SHAKEN is that 100% of us would be engaged taking deeper steps of trust.
Our average attendance this year has been more than 1300 people. That means there are more guests experiencing White Oak for the first time and more people engaging in our services every week.
This is an incredible force of individuals who are moving out into our city, our places of work and school, and into our homes equipped with the message of Jesus.
Many of you are engaged in using the gifts that God has given you to impact the lives of others both here at White Oak and throughout our communities. Hundreds of our White Oak family are stepping in and stepping up serving in various ministries helping create environments for people to connect with Jesus.
Since January of 2024, 41 of you have given your life over to Jesus recognizing him as King and Savior of your lives through baptism. That’s 41 people who have said I am in! I believe Jesus is who he says he is. I need forgiven and set free!
Our Secondary Goal with SHAKEN is trusting God to lead us to deeper steps of trust in our generosity. We’re asking God for $6.2 million dollars over the two years of SHAKEN.
And White Oak, your generosity has been strong!
To date, you have given more than $4 million dollars toward our goal!
This has allowed us to pay down our original loan (to build the Ross Twp. facility) from $4.5 million dollars to, now, under $3 million dollars!
Because of this, we have saved $1.5 million dollars of interest over the life of the loan!
Thank you, White Oak. This is an incredible season of generosity watching God do what only he can do in and through us.
Stories like John, who last year decided to go on a mission trip for the first time and now is leading the trip this year to go back and serve those in need.
Or like Andrew and Sydney who found a church home and are putting down roots for their family to have a community.
Then there’s Justin and Allie who in the midst of the Shaken journey accepted a new Job that would move them to a new city taking them away from their church family but trusting God through the process and deciding to be faithful to seeing their commitment through to the end.
Because of the many stories of generosity and faithfulness like these, we’ve trusted God to lead us in Three Bold Moves:
Bold Impact… has allowed us to fund our local and global ministries. These are the backbone of our work in the lives of students, kids, and adults. We are partnered with local organization who meet real needs of those who in our communities as well as funding Gospel-impact with partners around the world. Last month we gave a gift toward a building project with partners in Kenya for a discipleship training center to equip local pastors and Christian leaders for ministry.
We also are moving with Bold Hope. We want to use the facilities God has given to us to serve as a light of hope to our surrounding communities. We have outfitted portions of our buildings so that like-minded community partners can use our spaces and have the resources they need to serve others. Not only that, but we are actively talking to groups like Colerain HOPE, Matthew 25 Ministries, and City Gospel Mission about what potential partnerships with these groups might look like in our Colerain Twp. building.
We want to move with Bold Stewardship… using every resource God has given to us: our money, our spaces, our time, and our lives… to connect people to full life in Jesus! We will continue to pay down the debt of the Ross building. In 2025 and beyond, we will move forward with plans to multiply ministry impact in every space where White Oak is located and in new spaces as well! By being good stewards now, we’re ready to move when God leads us to what’s next!
If you’re newer to White Oak, or perhaps you’ve yet to join us on this journey, I invite you to do so. I believe we are loved by a Heavenly Father who is eager to shake us up with his power to move in and through us in incredible ways! You can check out how you can be a part of SHAKEN at www.SHAKENCHURCH.com or stop by the Shaken basecamp at either of our campuses.
I want to thank those of you who have been on this journey. We have seven more months of this SHAKEN season ahead of us. We know that there have been and will be challenges and bumps along the way. And like with any journey, we also know that there have been and will be amazing views and God-size adventures. White Oak, I want to encourage you to finish strong! Let’s keep asking God to shake this place with his power and to move us out connecting others to full life in Jesus!
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