GuyMelton.com: What Were You Thinking?

Homeless are staying in our Buildings at our Pines Campus.....

For the 3rd year our Women's ministry has hosted Homeless families in December. There is a ministry , Coalition to END Homelessness that has a Church Based ministry where they sign up churches various weeks of the year to host Homeless Families. The Womens Ministry started doing this 3 years ago and have continued to do so.

This is a wonderful time when so many women mainly come up and bring food, gifts, play games and sleep overnight with the families .  In the suburbs we don't know much about traditional Homelessness , but this is a good way to learn more about it and those who are homeless. They aren't all drug addicts and emotional and mentally ill people.

These are men and women who have lost a job, had financial set backs and found themselves living in cars and the street. The previous years have been women and their children. This year they are finding whole families with men also.

Tonia through this week of hosting 3 years ago, found herself burdened to go beyond this week and started volunteering at the Downtown Fort Lauderdale, home called The Way with the Ministry each Thursday. It is unbelievable the stories she hears each week. Many are whole families living in their cars with children who have to go to school the next day. Parents some of who have to go to work in the morning after sleeping in a car. Its heartbreaking. Many have been professionals, school teachers, secretaries and folks who are hard working but have been laid off in these tough times.

As a church Im glad there are women who are willing to stay up most of the night, ministering to families and making make shift rooms and bringing some Christmas cheer and love for this week.

I am blessed  by Debby Brown, Helen Chisholm, and all the women who have worked so hard this year . I have only gone up to say hello and to hassle our ladies for a few minutes, but I got to get in the picture with the wonderful families. Tonia has been up sleeping at Church the last two nights. I love her. She is awesome!!  Shes my Hero!! I cant complain about eating Canned soup at home while she and others are making great sacrifices for those that Jesus loves and came to die for and love the "Least of These" of the world. 

1/10/2010 is officially out...................

This weekend the announcement I have been dying to make for several months now was finally let out of the bag. Im so excited I could hardly contain myself as I shared the announcement  in three of our Services.  This historic day in the Life of Oasis Church will be one of the highlights of our 18 years.

For the first time in 17 years we as a Church family will all meet together. Since we were just a year old and had to go to three services in our little trailer , the original building, we have never met together under ONE ROOF!! On January 10, 2010 at 1:10 P.M. we will all meet together for our Weekend service.

All 3 campuses, all 13 services including all our 7 Nights of Worship services will be meeting together. Up until now we have not been able to find any building that will hold our entire church. Several months ago we relieved permission to use the actual church that birthed us 18 years ago. At the time the name was First Baptist Church of West Hollywood, now Hollywood Community. Its located at the corner of 441 and Taft Street.  It is where I grew up, got married, graduated from High School, saw our kids born, accept Christ and Baptized. I served on Staff 13 1/2 years before they sent Tonia and I out to Pembroke Pines to start Oasis Church in September 15, 1991.

Following the service on January 10th, we will use the facilities, gym , football field and parking lots to have a large Dinner/Lunch together.  You'll hear all the details in the weeks ahead.

It will be one of the great days. The auditorium seats more than 2,000 for our adults and our children will meet in their children's classrooms. 

I cant wait !!!! Mark your calendars!

P.S. Today in our Noon service, one of the first 8 people to be baptized in our first ever baptismal was in attendance. Nancy King now one of our Church Council members was part of the night at the church in West-hollywood, when we baptized our first new believers. Right in the auditorium we met in 18 years ago for our first Baptism. We are coming back. Who knows we might even do another Baptism at the service.

I want to thank the Leaders of Hollywood Community Church who have graciously allowed us to use this wonderful facility for no charge. What a blessing.

 Click Here to see what this is all about.

Some thoughts on Thankfulness in the "Fog" of War............

Below is a portion of what I shared with our Prayer Partner Team/Inner Circle, in my weekly Prayer email today. May God be close to you and your family and you feel His presence this Thanksgiving Season....

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I know this is almost just a "cliché" in our day. But it really is something that we must stop and really ponder. While it's true, everyday should be a day of thanksgiving, the reality is that many days we are not very thankful. I mean it isn't easy if you've lost your job, had pay cuts, losing a home, car or even a family member who is sick or suffering. Thanksgiving season always tends to make us at least try to take some time and ponder, even in the midst of tough days, to count our blessings. We really are a blessed people. We are a blessed country. The Apostle Paul said it best when he said "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I find myself". Now that is a context of what Thanksgiving is really all about.
 
Please try to take some time this week to count the many things we all can be thankful for. So when someone in the next day says, "Happy Thanksgiving", stop, and think about it!! What is there to be thankful for in your life. I have so much that I tend to overlook in the fog of "War". Meaning in the day to day stress and busyness, I tend to just see the darkness of all the things around me. Last month, I took some time off of watching the constant "dooms day" news  channels, and even my Facebook posting, just because it's easy sometimes to allow the circumstances of life to keep me from really realizing how much God has done for me.
 
When our boys were in kindergarten they all memorized Psalm 100 in their class at the church we attended. They would proudly quote the entire Psalm at the Thanksgiving Table that year. I think maybe all of as adults this Thanksgiving need to go back and read Psalm 100. I know I'm going to do it.
 
You are one of the people I'm thankful this week. Thanks for praying for me. Thanks for praying for our staff, Oasis Church and the many who are on our Prayer Digest each week. I know so many families who count on you to pray for them as they go through some tough storms of life. Thank you. I'm grateful.
 

Deliberate Simplicity

(The Post below is a portion of my weekly Prayer Letter to our Prayer Partners and Inner Circle Prayer Partners at Oasis Church. )

Last week I began reading a book titled, "Deliberate Simplicity".  It had lain around my house for several months, and the title just didn't intrigue me enough for several reasons which aren't really important or germaine. Finally I began to read. As always, it's a journey for me to read a book. Actually I'm reading 5-8 all the time. So I've skipped around, and gone back to the beginning, but honestly, it has caught my attention.

Why do we make life so complicated? Why do we take the "Simple" and complicate it? Why do I know this, yet constantly I move in the more complicated, complex path? I feel like such a failure so often when I know what to do and how to do it, yet at my age, I still take the opposite path!! Does anyone else ever feel like that?

 

Jesus was such a great example to us about living a "Deliberate, yet Simple" life. Listen to how He summed up the whole goal we should have in Matthew 22:37-39 - " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'."

 

Two things!! Is that "Simple Enough"? He was speaking to the Spiritual elites, the Arrogant "Religionists" who were empty and void of Spiritual Relationship. They were all about making the simple things complicated, rigid and hard.  How many times does this creep into our lives?

 

Today as I challenge us to Prayer, I guess my only message is, let's not get so complicated that we can't "love the lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And to love my neighbor as myself". I think Prayer is the one simple, uncomplicated way to begin to develop this type of living out Christ's two simple Commands. How to we learn  to love Him? It's to know Him. How do we know Him? Spend time with Him. How? Prayer!!!  How do I love my neighbor? Well, I don't know about you, but it takes prayer on my part and God's working in me on His part, for me to love lots of people I know. I really don't love, without His love being in me.

 

As we go about very complicated lives today, can we pause to ask God to help us to "Simplify Deliberately", in order to be more obedient to His two Commands?

The Intangible "X" Factor.............

This weekend at Oasis , Pines Campus I brought the final Message in our "Reel Life" Series on the  Book of Luke and the Parables of Jesus. Since I had some Church family news to bring and an update on our Budget status I had to shorten the message and mentioned I would put some of the things on Pride and in the Message on my  blog.  So below Im just sharing some random thoughts on the theme of Humility and Pride from Luke 18:9-14, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Once the full message is up on our website, you can access it to watch or listen to it HERE.  Also, make sure you catch the Video that was produced by our Tech Director Joel Collins . It will be on the Website also. There are 3 he has done for the series and you'll want to check them out HERE. 

• In the Bible, the original meaning of Pride has the meaning most often proud or puffed

up, to breathe, to blow up, or puff up, inflate.

It is seen as actually being our normal instinct or our nature as Humans to be full of

Pride.

In our World today, we would say that person is so Arrogant (like Florida Gator Fans) conceited

-- They are delusional/blinded by their own Pride

Ever know someone like this? To be swollen with pride (I Tim. 6:4) - 4he is conceited

and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels

about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions

Pride is very deceptive.

Pride is the desire for attention and praise from other living beings.

It means being at the center of the world and having everyone look to us, and

acknowledge us as superior.

It means raising a finger in the air and saying, "I’m number 1", "I’m the greatest."

Beyond a football team doing this. That’s in fun!!  For a pic of Pride and Humility in a Sports analogy, its like Gator Fans are the Pharisees , full of pride and arrogance! Miami Hurricane fans are a picture of the Tax Collector and show humility!!!

  God says repeatedly that He detests this pride.

"I abhor the pride of Jacob" (Amos 6:8).

It is a self-centeredness; I am the center of MY OWN little Universe!! We actually

displace God in favor of MYSELF

We don’t normally say this!!! We just act like it!! When Pride is in our Life it is not

always seen by us. We are blinded!!

God is to be acknowledged, not our own selves.

I Corinthians 8:1 states, "knowledge puffs up (makes us proud), but love builds up."

Pride goes before a fall, Proverbs tells us. 16:19-19

Pride brought down the most powerful Angel in Heaven!!

WE KNOW WHAT PRIDE DOES. IT KILLS RELATIONSHIPS,

IT ALIENATES, AND GOD HATES IT.

Ill share some thoughts on the Theme of the Message, Humility, in a day or two.

Do you have the "X" Factor?????????? Oasis Weekly Update for October18, 2009

For those who are not on our Local Oasis Email I am sharing this weeks update I sent to our local Oasis Family. I know we have hundreds of folks who we call our extended family who are friends of Oasis, members who have moved away or just friends of mine or family. This way I can keep you up on whats happening here in South Florida and hopefully as you think about us you will be praying for the ministries and peoples of Oasis here in South Florida and around the world. Sometimes you wont be able to open the links below or there is a word or two cut off a line because the format of my blog is different than our email update. Sorry if its an inconvenience. Guy

Dear Extended Oasis Family: So many times we talk about the "X" Factor in sports, business and even in human relationships!! It’s always that special something that person has. Well, this week as we conclude the "REEL Life"series in the book of Luke, we will find out the "X" factor that few people have but every one of us should! I bet you’ve never heard this before. If you want to try now and figure out the "X" factor before this weekend and next week’s 7NOW services (nightly @ 7 p.m.), you can read the passage in Luke 18:9-14.  Once again this week I have been amazed at all God is doing in and among Oasis Church. But especially I love what so many of our folks are doing outside the walls of Oasis Church. That is what Mission is all about. We Worship, we connect through Community, but the third value at Oasis is Mission, and normally that means you take the Gospel out of the building and into the world. Just a few things lately I noted by some of our ministries and individuals who have taken the Value of Mission very seriously.  I won’t mention some of the ones we’ve noted before but want to mention some I’ve just recently noticed. Surge/Youth Ministries is teaming up with His House Ministries of Opa Locka in ministering to orphaned and displaced children in South Florida. For more information on this great Christian ministry to the least of these, and updates on what our Youth are doing you will want to go to our Students Page on visitoasis.org. Women’s Ministry is sponsoring a Food Drive for Single Women in South Florida, along with Sheridan House Family Ministries.  KidsWorld is gearing up beginning in November to partner again with Samaritan’s Purse through "Operation Christmas Child". I hope all our families who have children will get involved. What a great way to teach our children how to give and minister to "the least of these". Marla Tallant of our Hollywood Campus, serves at the Daily Bread Food Bank,which has been in the news lately about their building burning down. This is a huge feeding group that churches and families get so much blessing from all year round. I heard that Ben Windle, our Hollywood Campus Pastor, and John Adams, the Worship leader at Hollywood both went over on Monday and helped Marla clean up the incredible mess after the big fire that destroyed not only the building but the 92,000 lbs of food that was in the building. You might want to learn more about the Food Bank and how to get involved by contacting Marla or Ben at the Hollywood Campus.  One of our Community Groups helped a grieving family recently with a very unselfish act. Check it out --  now that’s community at its best! Our North Miami Campus is doing a food drive also in order to stock their shelves with much needed items for those from the community coming in for help.   One of our long-time members, Angel Betancourt is also involved in a feeding ministry to the homeless that will be hosting a special Thanksgiving meal and service at our Hollywood Campus next month. Some of our people might want to get involved in this.    These are just a few of the exciting things happening among our folks who are "going" on Mission. It’s not all about coming to Oasis, but going to the World!! There are hundreds of exciting stories about what God has done in the lives and families here at Oasis Church. I never get tired of hearing of them and celebrating them. If you want to hear about two incredible stories, of two very special people - a single dad, and a miracle mom, then you can go here, and here at visitoasis.org now and see pics and stories of these incredible people. Over 80 adults attended our first Tuesday night 7NOW study on the Purpose Driven Life. You don’t want to miss this! It is a 7-week study and you can come this Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Hope to have you there.  Childcare is also available for those who are attending the service.   Don’t forget, Monday night we are still studying the Book of Acts. It’s not too late to attend this night of worship or any of the others --  7 Nights a week.  Now I can’t touch on everything, but this is just a little bit of what God is doing this week at Oasis.  If you have not worshiped in giving God His tithes and offerings this week, you can give online here right nowin a secure and very quick way.  Try it out and let me know how you liked going online to give. Have you ever done it before? Do you use envelopes regularly? I would like to have some feedback on how you prefer to give.  This weekend at our Pines Campus, I’ll be sharing live in all the services not only the teaching message, but a very important message and announcement to our Oasis Family.  You do not want to miss it. It might be one of the most important announcements I’ve made in a long time. The campus pastors at Hollywood and NoMi will also be sharing a little along the line of my announcement.  Guy Melton/January 10, 2010 Pastor Oasis Church http://www.guymelton.com http://www.visitoasis.org

Multi-Site Churches, Wins in 7 Nights of Worship...........Part 4

In this final Post of Multi-Site discussion I want to share some Wins we've had the last two years in doing Church "365" days a year.  While there have been many lessons learned and still being learned, there have also been some great wins. At this point this is the only Multi-Site model in the United States doing "7 Nights of Worship"  I believe using the Millions of Dollars of buildings and resources will finally be done by thousands of churches like ours in the next couple decades. Most churches fear the unknown and are more focused on large numbers and large services at this point. I see a new generation of leaders coming on the scene that will reach the large numbers but also realize the young generations are looking to do Church in small intimate venues. Its already happening in houses and urban areas. Why leave millions of dollars just sitting 6 nights a week? it doesn't make sense. Even using buildings for many other programs is just rearranging the deck chairs among those who are already on board. Why not use those same resources sitting idle to reach out to the community who does not care when they worship. Below are some things that we believe have been "Wins" in our first two years.

Wins of doing Worship 7 Nights a Week, 365 Days a Year!!!

 

1. You immediately bring new leaders and volunteers into your ministry from day one. We added about 100+ new volunteers who had not been serving anywhere. New leaders EMERGE!  
2. You build more Worship Teams -- leaders, bands and musicians who can be used throughout your other services and other campuses. (Farm teams)
3.  You’re making good use of multi-million dollar buildings and investments…most churches sit empty all week. Or they have meetings anyway for other things that don’t really open the door for the community and those who have special needs. This is much more cost effective than starting a new campus or building new buildings and buying new land. WHATEVER IT TAKES!
4. As with Multi-Campus staff, you need people who can be utility players and move from one ministry to another.
5. Great TEAM building and relations are built among the workers, and those who are committed to the night. High ownership by the volunteers.  Much more intimate, and not as rushed to get out.
6. KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID (KISS)!  The smaller venue and congregation allows you to keep it simple and intimate. You don’t need to have all the same elements as Sunday. You have the most important -- some things are just hard to reproduce each service, drama live, live specials, full children’s ministry.
7. You give people options in a very busy life. Lots of medical, and law enforcement work on weekends.  There is no excuse for not being able to worship. Our urban society is not 9-5 pm anymore. “Can’t make it Sunday morning? Come any night of the week!”
8. Different themes, personalities and needs can be addressed on different nights. (Book Studies, Discipleship, Christian Growth Track, Teen focus, and worship led, children’s discipleship night) Teaching can be Video from the weekend or live with one of the Teaching Team.
9. A true Oasis every day of the year for those needing to pray, worship, fellowship, have a listening ear and just have a Third place always there. (Some might actually come several nights a week when they are going through a difficult time).  Meeting people where they are.
10.  The main reason we began to discuss 7NOW was providing space to grow and a path to move folks out of the crowded Sunday services.  But now this is just one of the reasons it is working, and not necessarily the most important.

Multi-Site Church Conf............. 7 Nights of Worship Part 3

This week I have been sharing some of the ideas I shared at a conference in Jacksonville on Multi-Site churches. I was amazed that only one church raised their hand that they had a second campus site, out of probably 75 different churches represented. But when I asked how many were considering it, about 70% of the hands went up. After I spoke frankly and passionately about how you better be Called to do Mulit site or 7 Nights of Worship I imagine there were significantly less churches considering it.

I believe if by telling the truth about ministry and how hard it can be that if you can talk someone out of it, then they shouldn't be doing it. If they are called to do it, no matter what you say they will do it, because God called them to do it.  Below Ill share the Lessons we've learned from the first two years of doing Church/Worship 7 Nights a Week, 365 days a year. Once again,the list of 10 came from our Ministry Leaders . There were almost 100 given on 7 NOW, and I will give 10 Lessons Learned today. Ill share the 10 Wins we've had in a day or two.

Thanks again to our staff who have done such an incredible job of doing whatever it takes to continue to fulfill the Mission and Vision God has given us at Oasis Church. What a great team.!!

7 Nights Of  Worship  (7NOW)

 

Acts 2:42-47

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the

fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their

number daily those who were being saved.

 

Lessons Learned

 

 

 

1. Success has to be re-defined (mainly among the staff). We like it all BIG, people just want to experience Worship and God when they come.
2. There is a lot of Education about what 7NOW is…not only to your church family, but to the community.  “Worship Nightly at 7 p.m.” -- Simple and to the point in promotions.
3. The backbone of the 7NOW has to be Lay Leaders and servers and not staff and full-time Pastors. Leaders must support and have total buy in of the Vision and DNA of Oasis Church. (Children’s Ministry will need some paid workers, hard to keep enough lay workers in this area). No Pastor is out more than 2 nights a week.
4. Equipment gets a beating, and the budget needs to be adjusted to buy equipment on a regular basis…especially in the tech area.
5. Host Pastors are the key each night. They need to have charisma and strong leadership skills. (Or be able to develop them on a fast track.)
6. It takes months of planning, recruiting and training before launch.
7. DON’T DO IT IF YOU DON’T FEEL GOD IS CALLING YOU!
8. It takes at least a year to evaluate and then to begin to tweak and make needed changes -- (Themes, leaders, etc.)
9. Good, live Worship is important, but it doesn’t take a full band and worship team as it would on a Sunday morning with several hundred people in a large auditorium. Good quality of venue, music and childcare is still important.  
10. Before starting a new campus, experiment with another night or two. At least start a second service at some time before starting a new campus. There are lots of lessons to be learned from multiple services before you do an off-site campus.

 

Multi-Site Conf - Part 2 WINS

    Yesterday I shared the first part of what I am sharing on Thursday to a Conference on Multi-site churches. I'm sharing our Story as Oasis Church, and our journey.  Tonight I am sharing the Wins we've seen since we began our 2nd and 3rd Campus.  Yes, we have learned a lot of things through our failures and mistakes, but there are also a ton of WINS!!

I will do two more posts on the 7 Nights of Worship part also.

Below is the list of wins taken from about 50 different Wins given by our Leadership Staff. These men and women are the ones who have done most of the leading out on this huge effort and continue to lead it. They are an awesome group along with all our Lay Leaders involved.  I distilled down the many Wins given to just the 10 below.

Wins with Multi-Site:

1. Gives the Church a Missions mind-set, you find the missional and missionary

persons.

2. Gives greater opportunity to more people to be developed in leadership, and

the Arts/Worship.

3. Gives greater opportunity to reach people where they live. Culturally more

diverse than all coming out to the suburban campus, or vice versa.

4. Expands your church’s Vision outside the four walls of the present campus.

5. Gets much of the church involved in a Vision, Project, Mission larger than

yourselves.

6. A large, healthy Central Campus, gives a new campus the resources and

momentum that a new church plant does not normally have. Support is more

than just finances.

7. Opportunities to grow beyond a limited campus/parking and location.

8. Combine efforts of outreach, communications, missions etc. without recreating

the wheel in so many areas.

9. Gives gifted laymen and young pastors the opportunity to Teach/Preach. We

use a team teaching approach, of between 7-8 teachers. Rotating around to the

campuses. NO SUPERSTAR!! No name attached to the Sign, TV, Bulletins!!

10.Campuses begin to complement each other. It’s not all from one way -- it’s a

two way street. (For a suburban campus, with little homeless and benevolent

opportunities it gives us an outlet to expose our people to the urban setting).

__________________________________________________________________________

Multi-Site Conf -- Part 1 Lessons Learned

Thursday Ill be sharing our Oasis Story at a Multi-Site Conference in Jacksonville. Im looking forward to sharing. I told the key note speaker/and staff who authored a book recently on Multi-Site when they interviewed me about a year ago,  that Im happy to share but your going to get the brutal truth from me about our story. The good bad and the ugly. We've learned lots of things not to do!!

Multi-Site is hard work, and you better be called to it. Urban /Downtown Campus ministry is 5 times harder than suburban Multi-site in my opinion. God has led us to start both of our newer campuses in the urban setting. There aren't many churches doing this. 

Below I share some of the Lessons we've learned Ill share on Thursday . They actually came out of my question to our ministry leadership staff . I asked them to give me their input. Out of about 100 items listing Lessons learned and Wins achieved, I distilled it down to 10 Lessons Learned. The next several days ill share the "Wins" also. I will also share the Lessons learned in starting the 7 Nights of Worship . (7NOW)  I wish I could explain each one, but that must wait until the book is written. LOL!!

Lessons Learned in Multi-site:

1. Must have a Campus Pastor who buys into the Vision, Mission and DNA of the

Church at large. (Original Campus) Pick within if possible. If not, bring them to

central /original campus for 6 months to a year first.

2. Make sure you’re called to the Area!! When times get tough it’s only the Calling

that keeps you there. (Give it at least two years’ commitment)

3. A merger is not really a merger…it’s a TAKE OVER, hopefully a friendly one.

4. It takes at least 6 months to prepare, and preferably a year.

5. It doesn’t take a million dollars, but it will cost more than you expected.

6. Equip the campus as much as you can to be like the original, especially in the

tech side of it.

7. All ministry Directors of each Campus -- Kids, Worship, Small Groups etc.

operate along-side of the Central Campus with same values, standards and

objectives. They can’t operate as Silos alone and unto themselves.

8. Clarify the Roles of leaders prior to recruiting or hiring.

9. Campus should be self-supporting in a specified length of time. This might vary

according to the location, etc.

10.Launch as Big as you can and get momentum as soon as you can. Don’t wait

until you’re ready or it won’t happen. But do your best to do all you can to put

yourself in the position to succeed.

Thanks to our Leadership staff who gave so much input in order to share this summary of what I feel is the bottom line of the top 10 on my list.

Thanks to all of you that are part of the Oasis Family who have made this a reality. Without you and your support and sharing of your gifts , none of this could have ever been a reality. You guys bless me every-time I am around you.