Oasis International Church

Five Reasons why Oasis will definitely NOT be like your previous church community

1)       You are in Macau. The emerging New Macau is a rapidly changing environment-unique in the world. Answers that worked in Malaysia, USA,Canada, etc. do not work here- even the Hong Kong ones struggle to appropriately fit the Macau scene. We believe the Holy Spirit works to customize what are the ways and means to reach people in Macau- that one size does not fit all.

2)       Ministry Philosophy: Many people today want a religious authoritarian figure to tell them what to do- this smacks of avoidance of responsibility as a follower of Jesus, and is a deficient model of personal discipleship. We believe in the priesthood of all believers- that everyone is capable of connecting to God for themselves, and to serve him with what they have. They grow in the knowledge of Christ, and forge Christ-like character in their conscious- so they are able to deal with complex situations and people with mature wisdom. We will not rob you of those opportunities to grow in hard circumstances, nor prematurely rescue and solve your problems for you.

3)       Evangelism strategies: We do not often practice a hard, confrontational style of evangelism- we respect the work that God does in drawing people to himself, and give people time and space to reflect on what He is doing in their lives, and gently love people into the Kingdom. We accept people as Jesus accepted people- no preconditions and hoops to jump through before one can encounter Jesus for themselves.

4)       “Churchy” language and hype - we use plain speech and vocabulary that everyone can understand, and explain certain Christian terms when appropriate. Hype is not received well in many cultures outside the USA, and can send a wrong message. Using excessive religious language just to appear more “spiritual” is wrong, and ultimately does not fool God. We also have many people to whom English is a second language, and will go the extra mile to ensure more understanding is taking place.

5)       More anger and frustration- potentially will be present in Oasis than a church in one’s home culture. As many people experience the ups and downs of cultural adjustment, this process can cause all kinds of frustration and anger, and few places can exist for one to express these strong feelings. Often one cannot express this to one’s boss or co-workers at the job site, or at home, so often a perceived safe place is at Oasis. This can be healthy, or can simply be a dumping ground. Sometimes, Oasis will be blamed- “if this church was more like back home, then I would not struggle so much” can be consciously or unconsciously acted upon. There will always be the challenge of taking responsibility and owning one’s feelings of frustration and anger, and appropriately dealing with them in Macau- and we can be there to help one another in community.

Sometimes what is subtle needs to be written and clarified for greater understanding- these trends and dynamics are not readily perceived, but we need to be aware of them as we journey together as the Oasis community.

Home Groups- Preliminary feedback: Connecting with people and cultivating stronger relationships is best done in small groups. Leadership and co-ordination will mostly be a Peer Leadership style. We have received many responses to the survey so far, and ask you to consider being part of these proposed groups;

1)       Weekend Home Group: Tony is the contact person for this- please contact him directly at 6678-9802.

2)       Weeknight HG: Des, Rachel, and Steve are starting a HG in Taipa, probably on Wednesday PM. Contact: 6266-2390

3)       Shift-workers: weekdays late AM HG- contact: Ryan 6653-4753.

We are looking at potentially two more HG’s to start- will finalize this coming weekend.

Worship Team development: Doreen has done a great job of recruiting and organizing a new team of worship leaders- please pray for them as they begin a new phase of the worship ministry at Oasis!

In Him,

Steve and Lyn Davis

Pastors

Oasis International Church