Pastor's Blog

WOW!

Darrell Henry — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:44:26 +0000

Oakwood is in the middle of a movement of God that has not been seen in this area…period. As one seasoned saint said, “I have not experienced anything like this in my lifetime.” The tangible results are that to date over 300 people have been baptized in an 8-day period, with the results from the final weekend still to be added. The final count could be between 350-400.

There’s an ancient Greek expression for that…..WOW! More importantly, people are experiencing a sense of God’s power and presence as they follow Jesus completely with the first step of getting their baptism in the right place. The days ahead will be truly amazing. I can’t wait to see what our Lord does next. To Him be all glory, praise and honor.

Signs for the Summer

Darrell Henry — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:27:43 +0000

We are in a new Summer Series called “Signs of Life” based on the book of John. During this series we will explore the 7 sign miracles that Jesus performed as recorded by John in the fourth Gospel. As you know signs point to something else rather than themselves. These sign miracles point to the fact that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God.

Let me encourage you to be present when you’re in town and really make an effort to invite your unchurched friends as we sow the seed of the Gospel through the summer months and expect a wonderful harvest at the beginning of the fall.

Exciting New Growth

Darrell Henry — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:59:08 +0000

Exciting New Growth is happening all around Oakwood. Specifically at our Gateway campus with the new Saturday night worship service. In only 2 short months, worship attendance has consistently been in the 120 range, with total worship attendance nearing the 500 mark on a weekly basis. This truly is a God-thing.

While the numbers are exciting, the real thrill is seeing the changed lives and spiritual growth taking place week in and week out on all of our campuses. God truly has his hand on Oakwood and as someone said to me recently, “Something really big is about to happen in this place.” You don’t want to miss it! Tell your friends to come be part of what God is doing.

Easter in the Park Praise!

Darrell Henry — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:05:11 +0000

This past Sunday we experienced what many have said was the best Easter in the Park service to date. God smiled on us with perfect weather and thousands of people came to celebrate the greatest event in history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. More importantly, people made decisions to receive Christ and to recommit their lives to Him anew.

Jason Thurman, our missionary to Romania, told me of a man from Monticello, Kentucky, who prayed to receive Christ. We are now in the process of helping him find a good evangelical church in his area. This is just one of the many stories that have come out of Easter in the Park 2010. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Oakwood family and the Oakwood staff for all their hard work and prayers that made this the best celebration in 5 years of doing Easter in the Park. Obviously all the glory goes to God, because without Him we can do nothing, for He is the one who gave us the great weather and only He can change lives. I can’t wait until next year to see what God does!

Easter in the Park – 5 Years

Darrell Henry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:18:53 +0000

For many years, Easter Sunday at Oakwood was held on our Chickamauga campus. It was a struggle every year to fit several thousand people into 3 or 4 worship services. Then about 6 years ago as I was walking in Chickamauga Battlefield, God inspired me with a thought that we could conduct our Easter services at the venue below the Wilder Tower. I had attended previous events there such as Pops in the Park, where thousands of people would come and enjoy an evening of music, picnics and fireworks. The next step was to contact the park service and seek permission to conduct our services there. That permission was granted. We were informed that it was our First Amendment right. And the rest is history!

This year we will celebrate the 5^th anniversary. I believe that Easter in the Park was birthed in the heart and mind of God. During these years, over 31,000 people have attended this event and countless lives have been changed for eternity.

I believe this year’s Easter in the Park will be the biggest and best we’ve ever had. We are praying for beautiful weather and that God would send 10-12,000 people to attend. Let me challenge you to make a personal commitment to invite at least five of your unchurched friends. People are more open to attending church on Easter Sunday than at any other time of the year. In fact, studies have revealed that 12% of atheists will attend church on Easter Sunday. So please make every effort to get your friends there for a day that could change their lives forever.

Anticipation

Darrell Henry — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:57:23 +0000

…That is the word that comes to mind when I think about 2010 at Oakwood. As we move ahead on our mission of Loving God, Loving People and Making a Difference, I believe it will be the most catalytic year in the history of this great church. We began the year with a 40-day prayer emphasis called “Connect; Plugging into the Power of Prayer.” Hundreds of you are praying for me, the staff, the church and one another; and for God to move in an unusual way.

Two important events will occur in April that will help us in fulfilling our mission. The first will be Easter in the Park on April 4, as we anticipate the opportunity to share the gospel with 10-12,000 in attendance for that amazing time of celebration. This will be the 5^th Easter in the Park, which is an amazing milestone. In those 5 years the weather has not prevented it and approximately 40,000 people have heard the gospel. Wow, all that in Chickamauga! God is amazing.

Secondly, we will be starting another Worship Service at our Gateway campus the weekend after Easter. This new service will provide us the opportunity to reach as many as 1,000 per week on that campus, which is currently reaching 450 weekly. True to form, we will do things differently. The service will be on Saturday evenings at 7 pm. This will also provide a great opportunity to reach the 37% of people who have to work on Sundays.

Please pray that God’s power would be demonstrated and His glory revealed as we anticipate His blessings for 2010.

Loving God, Loving People, Making A Difference

Darrell Henry — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:52:45 +0000

New Post Coming Soon

Merry Christmas!

Darrell Henry — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:25:06 +0000

Christmas at Oakwood has always been an exciting time, with the Academy programs, the Choir Concert, and this year with the addition of the full length feature movie called, “Side Order” which has turned out to have a huge impact on our church and community. 3500-4000 people attended 5 showings of the movie, with 700+ DVD’s already sold. Several churches have asked about showing the movie at their church as well. The team has also been contacted by a major theater chain and a major production company.

It would be safe to say that Side Order has exceeded many of our expectations and that God is going to use it in the future to impact lives in a dramatic fashion. I want to personally thank all the people involved in the production of the movie. It amazes me how God continues to use people in so many creative ways to spread the good news of Christmas.

On January 3, I will begin a brand new series called, “Connect; Plugging into the Power of Prayer.” This is like no other series of messages that you have heard on prayer. It will be a time of not only getting information about prayer, but actually learning how to pray more effectively. I can think of no better way to begin a new year than this. So let me encourage you to be present beginning January 3, and invite your friends to attend.

Pastor Darrell

Celebrate Recovery

Darrell Henry — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:17:16 +0000

Five years ago a layperson, Don Stephens, came to me about the ministry called, Celebrate Recovery. He believed that were a lot of people out there with hurts, hang-ups and habits that could be helped through a God and grace based recovery ministry. Today hundreds have found healing and hope through Jesus Christ because of the ministry of Celebrate Recovery. I have to admit that it is one of my favorite ministries that God has given Oakwood.

Oftentimes people are confused about the ministry of CR, believing it is only for people who have issues with drugs and alcohol. While it is effective in helping people who struggle with those problems, it is so much more than that. CR helps you discover who you are in Christ, helps you deal with relational issues; emotional issues such as anger, worry; abuse issue, physical and otherwise; and the list goes on. One of CR’s slogans is “Life Hurts, God Heals.” Another slogan is “God never wastes a hurt.” I would like you to encourage you to pray for the ministry of Celebrate Recovery and consider it for your own personal benefit. The following is a list of possible hurts, hang-ups or habits, while not exhaustive, if you find your issue on this list, CR can be helpful to you.

Overworking , Overeating, Alcohol/Drugs, Overspending, Grief, Guilt, Anger/Rage, Fear/Anxiety, Divorce, Abuse, Sexual Addictions, Codependency, Insecurity, Perfectionism, Hypochondria, Gambling, Hurtful relationship, Lying, Procrastination, The need to control, Legalism, Denial.

Thank God for five great years from Celebrate Recovery!

Celebrate Recovery Meets

Every Friday night at the Chickamauga Campus at 7 pm

Every Sunday night at the Germantown Campus at 7 pm

Oakwood Making A Difference

Darrell Henry — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:23:42 +0000

Once again God is using Oakwood to make a difference in our community. When the largest radio station in the area, US101, planned a good neighbor project to help flood victims, they began to brainstorm about who could help them. They listed a handful of businesses and one church; that was Oakwood.

The opportunity came at the close of our series called “Simple Life,” in which we reset our mission statement to “Loving, Loving People and Making a Difference.” God in His sovereignty gave us a real-life opportunity to make a difference through our Ministry of Hope. Mrs. Linda Davis heads this ministry, and just happened to have an empty warehouse that would serve as a clearinghouse for people to bring their goods and for those impacted by the flood to pick up the things they needed. To date, hundreds of families have received a helping hand through this time of crisis, and 2 precious people have prayed to receive Christ. Wow!

It is good to be part of a church that really does make a difference.