GuyMelton.com: What Were You Thinking?

Sabbatical Update......... Pastors Weekly Email.

Dear Extended Oasis Family and Friends, 

I want to spend my weekly Pastor’s Email sharing in a different way than normal. I want to give an update on my Summer Sabbatical. For many in our church, you have experienced this, but for others who are new, you might think it strange for a Pastor to be gone all summer. Sadly, it is ‘unique’ for a church to give a Pastor a sabbatical. 

Let me give a little background on the ‘why’ of a sabbatical. For those in the education field, healthcare and hospitality professions its not that uncommon in some way or another to have sabbaticals for those serving long term in their roles. Sabbaticals are very biblical and can have a duration of only one day to an extended period of time. God even implores us all to take a sabbatical once a week on the sabbath; the 7th day. Unfortunately, a lot of the burn out, moral scandals and other issues in the church stem from a Pastor and church that do not make the investment in a sabbatical. Most every major local church in our area has had Pastors with moral failings in the last 20 years. That is a sad commentary. Most Pastors stay at a church for less than 5 years. Just this past Sunday a mega church Pastor was removed from his position and it made national news because of alcohol abuse. I could go on and on. It’s worth pointing out that while a sabbatical does not guarantee the prevention of any of these failings, it can certainly be a hedge against them. Most long tenured Pastors who serve beyond 5 years, only stay for long periods because of having extended times away. 

After much research on the subject, and realizing that many of the Pastoral issues come from never taking a break or even a vacation, our Church Council set up a Sabbatical Policy for our Pastoral/Executive Team in 2006. This was to ensure that we had time to refresh, refuel and renew our emotional and spiritual selfs. This will be my third and many of you have been here through all of them.   

I could spend pages on what a sabbatical means and how they are lived out but most of you would be bored. It can be done in many ways. Our Council has put very clear guidelines into writing for myself and other Pastors who stay 5 years and longer and we are required to abide by and follow those guidelines. I believe that having served Oasis for 15 years before my first one, and now celebrating my 25th year this year, these sabbaticals have assured me the opportunity for a longer ministry to you, and for you to have a more healthy leader of our dear Oasis Church family. 

Most Pastors do not feel their church can do without them and most churches are too selfish to let their Pastor go away. Both are un-healthy and will lead to burn out and failings in all kinds. I like to tell Pastors, "You will get a sabbatical one way or the other.” Meaning it will either be forced through mental breakdown, physical burn out or you have to leave in order to have a break between churches you serve. I prefer the healthy and biblical way. We are blessed as a church to have a Church Council who saw the value in this back in 2006 and I thank them for loving our church and myself enough to offer this every 5 years. 

If a church is healthy, it does not rest on one man even though we want to believe it does. The only person the church should depend on is Jesus. If we are dependent on ONE man, then we are dysfunctional and the church is not being the biblical church. 

Our church has a teaching team, an incredible staff and several hundred committed lay leaders who are Oasis Church. Guy Melton or any one Pastor is only one piece. We are all important pieces to the body of Christ we call Oasis. But, no ONE piece is too important that we can’t do without them. 

I am proud to Pastor a church that understands this and is healthy enough to allow their Senior Leadership to have extended periods away. 

Each time I’ve gone, including this time, there are always those who want to think something is going on behind the scenes or I’m getting ready to leave. Just as at other times, several months ago someone said there was a rumor I was going on sabbatical and not returning. I just laughed out loud! Some always want to think there is more to it. I like to say, as I have for years when I hear rumors that aren’t true, "Time will tell.” If God allows me to, I hope to never Pastor anywhere else but Oasis Church. You are my calling and my love. 

Pastor Ricky, our Executive Pastor, has been doing a great job of leading us while I have been on our Bike for Haiti Ride. He will continue to lead our church and staff during the remainder of the summer. You have an awesome staff and I hope you will pray for them and support them in every way while I’m gone. They deserve your total support. 

I will be spending a few weeks with my Grandsons on a trip out west that I have been planning for them for several years. I can't wait. After we return, you will not hear from me very often until the end of the summer, and until our 25th Anniversary. Do not worry. In order to receive the maximum benefit of these days away, it’s good to go off the radar for a while. You need a break from me anyway. Our team will be doing my weekly emails and I will do little to no social media posting some weeks but I assure you I am resting, renewing and dreaming about our next 25 years. I have lots of books to read and will be visiting some unique ministries around the country that I will be able to learn from that will enrich our ministry in the years to come. 

I love you guys and I’ve missed you since I began our Bike for Haiti Ride. The love and support you have given me during that has been one of the highlights of my life. I can never tell you enough how much it’s blessed me and been appreciated. Please continue to support Bike for Haiti and if you haven’t pledged, please do it right now and right HERE online.

 

 

This weekend once again, we are sharing our own Jeremy Higdon who will teach another great Love Cities, Love Pastors message. Then, the next 2 weeks, we have our Partner Pastor from Detroit, Darryl Gaddy sharing with us. Both will be a tremendous blessing. 

Haiti Medical Missions Trip is coming up during the Labor Day weekend, September 1st - September 5th. I hope some of you who have never been to Haiti will join myself and other Oasisers for this life transforming trip. You can get more info from our Trip Organizer, Amina Dubbison via email at: [email protected]. Time is of the essence if you would like to join us so sign up now!

God bless you Oasis. I love you guys, miss you and see you in September. I’ll be praying for you everyday and missing you like crazy. 

 

Guy Melton

Founding and Senior Pastor

Oasis Church of South Florida

 

P.S. Don’t forget that Oasis Church only exists because of your giving to the Lord His tithes and your offerings. The worldwide and local ministries we do are only because of those of you who obediently and faithfully give to the Lord through Oasis Church. You can do it this weekend or like I’m doing today, giving online right HERE.

 

 

"Romance and U-Night" Coming to Oasis ........ Pastor's Weekly Email.....

 

Dear Extended Oasis Family and Friends,

"UNIGHT and Romance" — These two words go together in many ways but they are two very BIG separate events coming up at Oasis. Please check both of them out carefully. There is no better way to jump start your spiritual life than to attend UNIGHT — next Wednesday night at 7:00 pm and no better way to renew and refresh the romance just in time for Valentine’s Day than to attend the XO 2016 Marriage Conference we are hosting on February 12-13th. 

"UNIGHT” — First things first — Next Wednesday night at 7:00p.m. is a time of worship, celebration and unite as a church. This might be the most crucial service we have quarterly for those who OWN and share in the Vision and Mission of Oasis Church. Whether you have been in our church for 24 years or 24 hours you are invited. For the new comer, there is no better way to meet others in your church family and find out the behind the scenes of what is happening and coming up at Oasis. Even better is the time of extended worship we are able to have. 

So, I hope you will be with us next Wednesday night 7:00 p.m. at our Pembroke Pines campus. KidsWorld is providing childcare and a special time for the kids.  We will also be honoring some of our long time members in celebration of our upcoming 25th Anniversary. 

"Romance" — XO Marriage Conference on February 12-13th - how to rekindle the flame, refresh your marriage or prepare for your future marriage. This is for you! What perfect timing just a day prior to Valentine’s Day.  A small $25 per couple investment can assure you years of a better marriage.  I know Tonia and I have attended a number of Marriage Conferences over the years since we were a very young couple in our 20’s, and I have found whether you are in your 20's or 50's you can always use a tune up. Don't miss this incredible opportunity Oasis is offering our church family as we partner with Gateway Church in Texas. Sign up here! 

This will be great way to "FAST FORWARD " your marriage or future marriage.

Speaking of Fast Forward, I am praying for all of us who are fasting and taking the 21 day challenge. Keep it up you are half way there! We continue our series this weekend. I hope to see you at one of the 9 opportunities to worship together with your church family. 

Guy Melton
Senior Pastor
Oasis Church of South Florida

P.S. Thanks to all our Oasis families who continue to give to the Lord His Tithes and your offerings and allowing Oasis to be the conduit of your worship to the Lord through giving.  Just a reminder you can give online, 24/7 here as well as in each service and even the giving kiosks which are in the lobby at all campuses. 

"Its Hammer Time" .... this weeks Anniversary Pastors Email...... Sept 12, 2015

 

 

 

 

Dear Extended Oasis Friends and family,

It’s Hammer Time  - You would only understand this if you were at the UNIGHT gathering last night. No, it has nothing to do with the singer in the 80's. It has everything to do with Oasis Church’s past, present and future. 

I don't even want to begin to describe last night’s worship service. It was simply one of the most God inspired, led and attended services in the history of Oasis Church. I wish everyone of our Oasis family could have been there. I have to stop there but to say you might be hearing some "Hammer Time" talk soon and I might just mention some this weekend but this is no time to “pass batons" it’s time to “pick up a hammer" as we celebrate our 24th Anniversary this weekend, but really we launch our 25th Anniversary Year. It will be a year like no other in the past. It’s going to be sooo big; how big you ask? Sooo big that we are going to celebrate it this entire year leading up to our 25th Anniversary in September 2016. You better get ready and “pick up a hammer". It’s hammer time!

 

Afterlife begins this weekend. I am so excited! I have recorded the introduction of my message in order to show you some history of Oasis and I am burning inside to bring the message in ALL services this weekend. God totally changed my original message for this week on Afterlife and led me to go in a different direction and still introduce us to the Afterlife series. I’ll hold the original message for another week during this series. 

 

Fall Launch this week! What does that mean? Ohhh sooo much, but Ill try to keep it short. Just know you better not miss it this weekend. 

Fall Launch Means: 

* Brand New Community Groups and the restart of our present Community Groups. There is a group, day of the week and topic for everyone. You will get a chance to kick the tires and find out more about all our Community groups.

 

*A Taste of Community: Something we have never done before but you will want to taste and see this weekend at both campuses. 

* The First Time Guests you bring will receive the most popular gift we have ever had at Oasis. The "World Famous" Oasis T-Shirt. Our budget restrained us from continuing this last year but we are bringing them back this weekend for this SPECIAL LAUNCH WEEKEND. The ONLY ONES who will receive these are first time guests you bring. I hope you will make sure your friends come out for this very special weekend.

* A NEW BEGINNING of a new focus on spiritual things as Fall brings new homes, new schools, teachers and opportunities. Fall also allows us to refocus on our spiritual journey and the AFTERLIFE. 

God bless you Oasis Family. I am more humbled and honored than ever that I have had the privilege to Pastor this church family for the last 24 years; since we began with just 9 adults, Tonia and I and our kids.

It’s been a beautiful journey and the BEST is Yet to Come.  I love you.

 

Guy Melton
Founding Pastor
Oasis Church

 

P.S. I want to congratulate all of the 200 new families and individuals who just completed your 90 Day Tithe Challenge at the end of August. What a great blessing to hear all your stories. I hope many of you will go on and share your stories here where you can give God the glory and honor for the opportunity to give back to Him His tithe and your offerings. I am sure these last 3 months have now convinced you that you can't out give God and that this will now be a life long discipline of worship. If you want to give online right now or anytime, 24/7 you can do it right here. Also, did you know you can also go here to the same page and sign in and find out your giving for the entire year, just in case you ever need the information or just want to be amazed at how much God has given you to give back to him. God bless you and congratulations. 

 

"Seasons of Change" ....... Pastors Email for August 8, 2015

 

 

Dear Extended Oasis Family and friends;

Seasons Represent Change: You don’t have seasons without change. That is the cycle of life. I love the various seasons and the change they bring. I know we don't have them much in South Florida…wait…we don’t really have them at all. But we do celebrate them and we either go out of town or buy decorations to recreate them. Ha!

Just last Saturday I woke up feeling like it was fall. I told my wife, Tonia, that I felt like it was Fall that morning. Her comment was: “Step outside! LOL” I did and I realized “it ain’t Fall ya'll".  Seasons bring with them change as well as newness. The old season is past with its beauty, difficulties and its wonderful memories. We cherish seasons past with pictures and memories. We look forward to Seasons to come for what God has in-store for us.

For the last month, our Oasis Church staff have been discussing in meetings our next Season. "Fall Launch" - which I know if you are a parent you are not happy reading this since that means back to school and all that brings. Or maybe you are crazy excited that the kids are going back to school - I know I was a parent of 3 sons.  

 

Fall Launch is only less than a month away and we are "Crazy Excited" about this year. Fall leads to Christmas and then to our New Year. This year, our "Summer of Missions" will just continue right into the Fall season and culminate with “A Christmas of Missions".  God has led us to continue the emphasis of our "Value of Missions" throughout the rest of the year. After-all, Jesus came on mission and His whole 33 years were on mission for you and me. 

We will have a very different Christmas Season this year. It will be one of not bringing 50,000 people to our property to come and see the lights but to take His Love, His story, The Light and the Story of Christmas outside our four corners and into our communities of Pembroke Pines and North Miami. I am so excited that we will highlight what Christmas is all about in a very tangible way to our community and those outside our four walls.

 

As we gear up for our next season, I want to celebrate what God is doing right now in this Season of Missions. 

Worship Night last Friday was beyond words. It was a packed auditorium with 100's just worshiping God through songs of praise. It was amazing! Thank you Pastor Ricky and all our Creative and Worship teams for giving so unselfishly to make this night happen.

 

Lessons from My Toybox launched last week. An overview of the Book of Hebrews. Pastor Joe - our Student Pastor -brought the first message and as I mentioned in the services, it was one of the top five messages I have heard from our pulpit in the last 24 years. It was amazing! You can watch it here or share it with someone. Just go online now.

This weekend, I will be bringing the second message in this series from Hebrews 4-5 - “Simon Says”. I hope you will be here. We are going to have some fun and also get some rich food from these passages of Scripture. Don’t miss this weekend!

 

 

Detroit Missions Trip - Next week, 25 of us will be meeting in Detroit to partner up with Pastor Darryl Gaddy and other pastors for a time of serving. Legacy Ministries led by our own Ricky and Lily Garcia will be leading a "Tiaras Ball' for the inner city young ladies and will also have a leadership seminar for local inner city pastors called "Activate". Along with these events we will work on the new Mission House our partners bought and other neighborhood missions. If you missed getting in on this trip, you don’t want to miss out on the next one. These are life changing trips. If you are giving to "Love Cities, Love Pastors" outreach offering then you are the ones that make these trips and partnerships possible. Thank you for your sacrifice and generosity.

There is so much more to share about this special Season of Missions and the New Season coming but I just don’t have the room here and only the most hard core Oasis'ers have even read this far down. 

 

I love you guys and look forward to seeing you this weekend!

 

Guy Melton
Senior Pastor
Oasis Church

P.S. Thanks again for being so faithful in your giving back to God this Summer. Because of your giving we continue to have record summer offerings and are able to continue the missions emphasis into the Fall and Christmas. Your giving is changing lives! You can always give online 24/7 here or when you come to worship this weekend. Thanks again! 

"Amazing week"............ Oasis Church Pastors Update

 

 

 

Dear Extended Oasis Family and Friends,

Our NEW series “Lessons from My Toybox" begins Saturday night at the Pembroke Pines Campus at 6:00 p.m. This is going to be a great message series and I hope you won’t miss it. We will be taking a look each week at the lessons we can learn from the book of Hebrews - one of the richest books in the Bible for believers. 

Live Concert and Worship Night with Pastor Ricky and other guest artists last night was one of the greatest Worship moments in the history of Oasis. I have been here since the first day of Oasis and I know when something is Historic , this night was. I hope you did not miss it. It was a packed , jammed auditorium with the spirit of God filling the place and the people. My favorite picture is at the end of the Worship time Pastor Ricky gave everyone a chance to come forward for a time of commitment and a clear call for salvation to those who do not know Christ. The aisles were full and the altar full of those wanting to give away their lives to Christ and others. Thanks to our entire Worship and Creative Arts team for a night we will remember for a long time and a great way to enter our last month of the summer as we get ready for a Great Fall Launch in September.

Summer of Missions is winding down but I can't miss sharing two of the best Missions Projects of the Summer. They both took place last week with our ONE Student Ministry and our Drop Young Adults Ministry. I love our young adults and students and the passion and burden they have to serve God through serving others - as Jesus would put it - “…the least of these by the world’s standards, but not God’s.” All people matter to God.

 

Drop was able to be a part of such a rewarding community outreach! They partnered with Hope South Florida, HeartWay Church and Christ Church to serve, encourage and love on our brothers and sisters that are in current unfortunate living conditions. Drop served our community and exemplified what we mean when we say "Be The Drop!."

Laundry Love was such a huge success! We went to two separate laundromats in North Miami and were able to bless 32 families and wash over 129 loads of laundry.
A big thank you to everyone who donated quarters and came out to serve. We have so many great personal stories that can be found on our One Students Facebook page.


Summer of Missions might be winding down in August but Missions is not. Just this morning I had a discussion about some of the ways we will be making this Christmas a Christmas to remember. It’s going to be a "Christmas of Missions". That is all I will say right now but know that Christmas will not be the normal this year. It’s going to be more and over the top in serving and doing missions. I cannot wait. You are going to love being a part of this Christmas and serving others.

 

None of what we have seen God do this summer through Oasis Church in missions would have ever been possible without so many of you who give to the Lord through His tithes and your offerings. I have to share some INCREDIBLE news with you about the Summer giving. Traditionally, churches call this time of year the "Summer Slump" in giving to the Lord but also in attendance because of all the vacations…but not at Oasis Church. Not only has our attendance in our weekly services been over 2,000 several weeks recently but your giving to the Lord has been the best in our history. Because so many of you pledged to live obediently and test God on His promise that He would bless you as you trust Him through giving through the 90-Day Tithe Challenge - we have seen God’s offerings $6,000 more a week over the same Summer months as last year. That is amazing and all because so many of you are trusting and being obedient. I just had to thank you and share with you this incredible news. This allows Oasis to continue to reach out and serve our community here and around the world. I love you guys. I am so excited about our future as we prepare to move toward 2020 and our 20/20 Vision. God is good. Thank you for being part of His work here. 

 

Guy Melton
Senior. Pastor
Oasis Church of South Florida

Lessons from the Road for Young Pastors and not so young ones.... Part 4 Taking Time Off and Time Away

 

Having reached the halfway mark to New York in our Bike for Haiti it was perfect timing to have Tonia and her mom drive up to meet me for the weekend in Wilmington, North Carolina two weeks into the ride.

I had made a decision early in my preparation to take every Sunday off during my ride which I had planned to take at least 6-8 weeks. I never expected to finish the ride in 27 days and taking 4 days off.

Basically I felt strongly I needed to take a Sabbath each week. This Friday 4 years ago I actually decided to take two days for the Weekend both Saturday and Sunday since I was so far ahead of schedule and it was the weekend Tonia and my Mother in Law , Yvonne would be with me.

I am so glad I made the decision to not try to ride everyday. I think it would have been a mistake. Those days off gave me much needed time to recuperate not only physically but also mentally and spiritually. It was one of the best decisions I made during the preparation process.

If you are young church planter or pastor I would suggest you make the same decision early in your ministry to take a Sabbath EVERY week. BTW, God took a Sabbath. He commands us to. Now we have good reason our Sabbath wont be Sundays.

I planned to take the days during the Ride. I believe if I had not scheduled them and planned to do it, I probably would not have done so. By planning I was able to plan my weekend. Make preparations for the coming weekend. One weekend I had our support car have maintenance issues. I got to speak at our Mission Church we planted two years prior with Jeremy Higdon , at the Oasis Church of North Florida in Jacksonville. Planning to take the day off allowed the mission church to give me a much needed Massage for my aching body and specifically my shoulder and neck area that had become very painful and tight. That was a gift I was so grateful for. The weekend Tonia came to NC also allowed me to get another and my last massage of the continuing lingering Shoulder and Neck pain which totally went away after that and allowed me to have my longest rides of 100 miles the last week of the ride.

Pastors are notorious for feeling so pressured to work, to serve , to take care of their flock that we tend to neglect ourselves and our families.

PASTORS MUST TAKE A DAY OFF A WEEK. IF YOU DO NOT YOU SHOULD LEAVE MINISTRY RIGHT NOW. YOU WILL BURN OUT AND YOU ARE SINNING BY NOT DOING IT SO LEAVE THE MINISTRY NOW BEFORE YOU BURN OUT AND EVEN JEOPARDIZE YOUR HEALTH AND YOUR FAMILY. THAT IS NOT GODS WILL.

 If you are too busy or to needed to take a day off then you need to get out of ministry.

If God took a Sabbath, why do we think we don't need one.

Most churches will allow their pastors to work 7 days a week , take no vacations and always be on call 24/7 if we do it. They aren't going to be trying to get you to slow down. Maybe one or two good souls but most will not. They give us credit enough that we are smart enough to do it. BTW , if you burn out tomorrow or have to quit or drop dead, the church will grieve but then move on to the next pastor and where did it get you?

These are strong words but I think most pastors shorten their tenures in their churches and their own lives by not taking time off.

I don't have the time here to say alot about this, but we also must take vacation time. Our Church Council of lay members in our first year of the church gave our staff a very generous vacation schedule and 9 years ago set up a process for our full time Administrative team to have a paid Sabbatical every five years. I have had two of them and will have my third next year.

Pastors if you will teach your leaders the importance of a weekly sabbatical for themselves and ask them to hold you to it. They will. I believe EVERY pastor needs to also teach their leaders the importance of taking Sabbaticals. I don't have the space or time here to deal with this but I believe this is one of the biggest mistakes Pastors and churches make in not feeling like they can afford their pastor being gone for extended time. If you are teaching your people, training, discipling and building leadership in your church then you can do it. When we say we cant take a vacation or have a sabbatical, we are admitting we are not doing our job of equipping the saints and making disciples. Yes I said it.

Young pastors, please begin this now even if you have just planted a church and only have 50 people. Start it now. Teach it now. Practice it now. Its not just good for you , your family and your church but it is Biblical.

This in itself may not guarantee your church will grow or that you will end well after a lifetime of ministry but it will definitely make you a happier, healthier person and also your church and family.

I NEVER apologize for taking my full 5 weeks of vacation after 37 years of ministry. I never apologize for giving our full time staff a weekend off a quarter since they lead 5 live services a weekend. I never apologize for taking a Sabbatical that next year will be 6 months. I believe it makes our church and my ministry stronger and it will yours too. (I dont suggest you ask for 5 weeks after a year in ministry or your new church. We have a graduated vacation and sabbatical plan for the longer a person is in ministry.)

Note: The Reason I had the time to do the 1,500 mile Bike for Haiti and raise $150,000. for Haiti was because I had a 5 month Sabbatical and I only needed one month of it to do the Ride. I had the margin.

 

 

 

Lessons from the Road for Young Pastors and not so young ones.......Part 3

The last couple days since realizing this is the month 4 years ago I did my Bike for Haiti Ride to NYC has been nostalgic as I have read over some of my blogs of the ride, looked at pictures and thought about the many lessons I learned. During the rest of the month I thought I would tie in some lessons from the road 4 years ago with some lessons as a pastor I have learned over the last 37 years.

As I reflect back on graduating from College and beginning my first full time ministry position at my home church First Baptist of West Hollywood in June of 1978 I wonder how has it been almost 4 decades? How is this possible? How can I still feel so passionate and still have so many dreams and plans for future ministry. I have to admit most people my age in most careers and even ministry are beginning to talk about retirement and set dates. Even tonight at the small group I attend our leader opened his phone and pointed to a number of how many days until he retires.

I think one of the secrets that should not be a secret for pastors to make it over the long haul, to survive the battles and to not burn out is to "celebrate".

Celebrate the Big Victories, but celebrate the daily victories, celebrate the weekly ones. We all like to celebrate the high attendance days, the holidays of Easter and Christmas and special occasions but how about the daily victories.

One of the things I believe helped me stay fresh and focused on the 1,500 mile ride mostly by myself , most days was to stop and celebrate. On our 4th day in the Ormand Beach area, I found an Ice Cream shop and bought a cone. Just to celebrate I had made it 275 miles and almost 4 days. I was already almost a day ahead of schedule. That was reason to celebrate.

Every night that we were close to civilization I would drive for miles to find a great local restaurant to eat where the natives would eat. In North Carolina I had more Calabash Fried Seafood than I have eaten my entire life. Now mind you this is a guy who had a Heart Stent put in a year earlier and "fried" is no longer in my vocabulary. But honestly I decided it was more important to relax and enjoy the few hours each night eating anything I wanted and could not eat normally. I mean come on, I was burning between 6,000-8,000 calories day. I could afford to.

I remember the day I hit the 750 mile mark, 1/2 way to New York City in a little beach town called Carolina, NC about 30 miles south of Wilmington. I immediately stopped and Jeremy Higdon my partner who was shadowing me in the Stag Wagon, (Support Vehicle) pulled out my favorite soft drink when Im in North Carolina, "Cheer Wine". We stood on the side of the beach rode and celebrated with Cheer Wine. I then went to a little shack and bought a hot dog I think with everything they had on it. LOL I celebrated.

Yes, the Big Celebration was planned for New York City and the return back to Oasis Church that June, but it was those daily celebrations that kept me fueled and fresh.

One day I stopped in a little town of Cateract , NC just south of the Outer Banks and just laid down in the middle of  a large field of Wild Flowers. Just to drink in the experience.

Ok, you get the drift. Pastors dont celebrate enough. We stay too focused, stressed and busy to enjoy what God is doing around us everyday.

I want to challenge every young pastor out there that has an abundance of Vision and dreams to not stay so busy trying to achieve your goals to enjoy the "Journey along the way". To love those around you and to "PARTY". Jesus partied, Jesus Celebrated with his disciples. I mean remember He chose to do His first miracle at a Wedding celebration and believe me the Jewish people know how to party and celebrate weddings. I can only imagine why the Wine had run out.

Our staff has always celebrated the Big victories. We have not always done as well celebrating the little victories daily and weekly. I have learned in recent years to stop and celebrate every-time you get a chance. There is nothing I love more than having fun with our team. Partying with them. Two weeks ago they threw a birthday party big time for me but what I enjoyed the most was that they enjoyed making fun of me and seeing who could humiliate me the most. Its hard to humiliate me when I do it so well myself , not by design.

This Next week we say good bye to one of our long time staff and his wife who have served the last 10 years on on our team and attended our church even longer before coming on staff. We will have a BIG party this Tuesday. There are some really great things being planned. We are going to party. I love some of the ideas Ive heard. I cant share them since they are secret to the ones leaving but we are going to have a great time celebrating them and their next season as well as their last 10 years.

I am so blown away at our team and how much they love a party . Some days a party just breaks out in the offices and hallways and I have to go out just to see whats happening. Some churches would poo poo that. Some offices are just filled with staff hanging around with others laughing, singing, and playing loud music. I can hear it all the way across the building. But you know what? I could go out and say shut up, I'm in my office working or you are wasting time, but I love that they are taking time to unwind, party and enjoy each other.(BTW, it doesnt have to cost much to Celebrate. You can do it with a $1. McDonalds Ice Cream Cone or a $2. Dunkin Donut! Yeah, now we are talking.)

Celebrate with each other. One ministry team I came across last week out under our Picnic area was having their weekly lunch together. Just because they want to. I love this because they will be far more happy in their ministry and their long term journey if they stop to party, to rest and to have fun together.

Pastors , if you are not having fun. If your staff is so busy and running so hard they cant have a pool party, a picnic, go to a movie together or just go get ice cream then you need to re-evaluate why your doing ministry.

The reason I have  not said alot about older pastors here is older pastors who have not learned this have either left the ministry, decided to retire out of burn out and frustration or they are in such a rut they wouldn't know how to party and have fun if it hit them in the face.

ONE LAST WORD HERE. ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME OR HAS EVER BEEN ON OUR TEAM OR OBSERVED THEM KNOW WE WORK HARD AND I EXPECT THAT. I HATE LAZINESS AND BELIEVE ITS A SIN. IF YOU ARE LAZY YOU WONT STAY ON THE OASIS STAFF VERY LONG.

We have always for the most part been blessed by hard workers who are passionate. That is great and must be so, but that does not mean we do not need to take time to have Fun and to Celebrate.

If you can't think of anything to celebrate, Invent something and go Party.

"Ministry is a Journey, not a Sprint" If you plan to finish well. Celebrate often and Party hardy.

"I Work Hard, I play Hard" So should you.

Party on Pastor!

"Seasons of Ministry"

 Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: (NKJV)   

Yesterday I began what I am calling "Lessons from the Road, for young pastors and not so young pastors". Some lessons Ive learned in my 37 years of ministry but were reinforced 4 years ago on my 1,500 Mile "Bike for Haiti" ride to New York City.  (yesterdays post. http://guymelton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2015/05/seasons-of-ministry.html )

May 10, 2011 , my 10th day on the road and just entering South Carolina God showed up in one of the Biggest ways I had ever seen Him prior or since. In Chapter 12 of my book "Lessons from the Road" I tell the story of meeting 4 young guys , literally at a fork in two highways 40 miles south of Charleston. That morning neither I or the group ever expected this meeting. They were ending a 3,100 mile Bike Ride for "Haiti" yes, Haiti from California and I was just 500 miles into my ride going north to New York City.

That day was a special "Season" It was a short season but a powerful one. It is one that marked me for the rest of my life. We road 50 miles that day through Charleston, and to the Atlantic Ocean where they celebrated the ending to a phenomenal trip and accomplishment.

I got to be a fly on the wall that day as I watched the ending of an incredible journey of guys who I did not know but had the same heart for Haiti as I did. It was a short season but a powerful one.

As Pastors we will have "Seasons" with staff that are short and some long but all will mark us.

That short season of one Day I experienced what many of us do in ministry as we have seasons with various staff and ministry leaders.

* We celebrated each others stories and each others journeys.

* They elevated me, encouraged me and challenged me.

*We sweated together, we rested together, we had a brief time of community that only we could understand because of what we were doing.

* They marked me for life.

* We bonded in that short season of only 50 miles. We bonded as if we had known each other for years.

* I learned from them. I learned from their experiences.

* I got to celebrate their Victory and their accomplishments of their journey.

* They included me even though they did not know me.

* They celebrated me and my journey.

* I grieved having to leave. It was a lonely ride the rest of the day. It was hard to say good bye.

All these things happened in a day but it seemed as if we had been being prepared for a lifetime for this day.

As Pastors there are seasons with Staff and leaders just like this.

At Oasis we are just beginning what I have called my "3rd Season". The first 2 seasons, 23 years were incredible and were spent with some of the greatest men and women I could have ever served with. They are the ones who helped bring Oasis Church to where it is today.

But their season is over at Oasis. We have parted ways and now there is a new Team Oasis.

Every pastor must learn to deal with this . If you are young and in a church plant you might think those who are with you now will all be with you in 10 years. Very Unlikely more than a few will if any.

Our first team, in season #1 had members who helped plant Oasis and were with us for 14 years, 2 of them, one for 12 years and another for 10 years. Our second Season had team members with us for 7-10 years. Now as we enter into the transition of our 3rd Season of our Oasis Team I still find myself never getting used to saying good bye to a team member. Its always hard, its always personal and there is always grieving. (Ok some confession here, NOT ALWAYS, there have been a few Ive been glad to see them leave. But you will never know who they were. )

Why did I pick this subject to open with? Well #1 it fit with my Bike Day 10 story where I wanted to begin.

#2, this is one of the hardest things for a pastor and a church to deal with.

Most pastors fight it, get discouraged by it and many leave their church from losing staff and having to begin with new staff so they move on somewhere else where the same pattern will repeat itself.

I say once you grieve, you say good bye, you celebrate what God did with the person who left your team , pivot and EMBRACE a new season. If you are a pastor of one staff member , whether part time or full time or one of a 100 member staff. Embrace the Seasons. Seasons Change.

I would say while we have had incredible staff come through Oasis that cause me to be incredibly humbled and thankful God blessed me with them, I also know people need to move on. Seasons change and each person that leaves one field of service and moves to another takes with them lessons learned as a better person.

Each Season God has led Oasis through has been one that has allowed us to move to another level. What God uses in one season is not what He will use in another season. Don't fight it pastor. Embrace it.

This is hard for all of us as Sr. Pastors, lead pastors , church planters to accept but the average staff person stays 2 1/2 - 4 years. I feel blessed God has allowed Oasis to have our journey with most staff double and even triple  that tenure in some cases. But you show me a church who never has staff change and ill show you a church that is probably in a rut, complacent and is dying.

Don't get me wrong, I preach long term ministry and staying where you are "Planted". But the reality in a world where Social media and the lure of greener pastures is greater than EVER in history for staff members  it is going to happen more than ever and so a Pastor should be prepared that you will only be one Chapter in a Staff persons journey. So what do we do to cope with this Seasonal change?

*Embrace it

*Pray through it.

*Don't panic.

*Celebrate the time they spent with your church family.

*Thank them publicly and privately so your church can celebrate them and grieve over their lose.

* Understand you WILL lose people that love them , but understand the new team member will also bring new people with them in other ways. (Rarely is the impact of those that leave greater than the ones reached by a new team member. New members will bring new energy and passion too. Be patient. Its not personal. Its not about you. )

* Prepare your Church family that staff come and they go. God calls them and God leads them to other kingdom service just as most left somewhere else and came to your church.

* Its OK to grieve. Just dont stay there.

I truly believe as hard as every staff change is for me personally that Oasis would not be the church it is today if we had not been willing to let Go, celebrate and then move on.

Its not a time to change your Vision, Mission or DNA. Do not compromise your Calling just to keep someone or to appease someone.

Too many pastors are afraid to lose someone whether they are a lay person or staff member which is just the normal part of Seasons in all our lives including a churches life. If you aren't able to lose someone you aren't a leader.

So pastor, church planter, young or not so young. Prepare for it. It will happen and I hope for you that you can stay so long that you get to see multiple Seasons of change on your team , which means God is working and you and your church are richer for them being a part of your team.

Ill say more in another Day of the Ride about how to say good bye and why its only biblical, healthy and right to Give up staff and even to Bless their leaving. Healthy for them and your church.

One of the blessings of the 23 years of ministry as Pastor of Oasis is I have learned, Seasons change, its hard but you will survive and God will bring you new team members for just the "Season you are in". I know I have lived it, living it and hope to live it for many years to come.

 Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: (NKJV) 

 

 

"DTSOasis and more..........

 

Dear Extended Oasis Family;

#DTSOasis by now I think you probably know what this is about. This month is a great time to readjust our perspective of who we are, who God is, how God sees us and how we should see ourselves. HINT: You are a VIP to God and He wants you to live like it. I can't wait until this weekend when I get to bring the next message in the series, "Death To Selfie"

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You do not want to miss this weekend! We are continuing our momentum and excitement of all that God did and is doing since Easter. By the way, if you missed the services last weekend, let me share the update of Easter and all that God did through you guys as the Oasis Family. Click here to see our Easter Recap video.  You can also WATCH last week’s first message in our series "Death to Selfie" here!

 

If you have not jumped into the #DTSOasis selfie buzz, why not do it right now?! Click on this link and you can look like this! That means you are now putting your face behind what God sees. TRY IT OUT NOW! I got to get away a few days to the mountains last week and got to do the selfie thing in 30 degree weather on a ski slope. A little different than it is here today. It was 33 degrees then and it’s 85 degrees today. Make sure you hashtag it #DTSOasis so it is on our Instagram feed. You can also check out all the rest of the pictures there! 

 

 

"Community Groups" are also still going strong and it’s a great time to join one. By the way, there are some new ones for just this month that are tracking with our "Death to Selfie" series. You can find out about all of our Community groups online right here. You can find just the right one for you! Various nights, days, locations and times. You can find a group when you need it - where you need it.

 

ONE LAST THING: I’m still so thankful to all of you who invited your friends and family for Easter. As I share in the video update, it was the largest Easter in the history of Oasis Church but the most important thing is the many lives that were changed. 

 

I just dropped into my favorite Jamaican restaurant for lunch and the girl at the cash register asked me if I was a pastor!  I wasn't sure if I wanted to confess or not because you never know if you should duck or pucker when asked that question. With a big smile I said yes, and it just so happened I had my Oasis t-shirt on and she said, she was at the Easter service. WOW! That made my day! It was her first time and she came because someone invited her. I had a chance to invite her to come back again. Keep inviting! God will honor your faithfulness whether everyone takes you up on the invite or not.

 

Guy Melton
Pastor
Oasis Church of South Florida

 

 

P.S. If you are a faithful giver and you are giving to our "Love Cities, Love Pastors" missions outreach, be watching for an email in the next week with all the details about how you and your family can enjoy a few nights or a week at our NEW Oasis Beach House, Beach Campus and future Pastoral Retreat Center with special summer discounts. Watch for the email with all the info you need in order to book the special rates.  If you give or want to give back to the Lord through Oasis Church, you can do it as always - 24/7 here ONLINE.

 

 

 

Easter Update, WOW and #DeathtoSelfie

Dear Extended Oasis Church Family:

 

Easter at Oasis is over in some ways but in other ways...has just begun. Our new series #DeathToSelfie is coming up after our Easter Update.

 

I am not sure I can remember an Easter where God has shown up in a bigger way! I am always slow to say this but this year's Easter was one of  the best yet. Every Easter has a very unique and special place, but I have to say this Easter would definitely rank up there with the best ever at Oasis Church!

We emphasized this year on inviting your friends and contacts. It

was amazing to meet so many and hear so many stories of friends and people who attended. Our staff spent almost 2 hours on Tuesday just celebrating the many stories they had encountered during Easter. It was amazing and very moving! 

We do not talk a lot week to week about various attendance numbers.They are important but we prefer to focus on the ONE

Changed life at a time. When God looks down from Heaven, I know He rejoices at seeing so many gathered in one place worshiping Him. As the Bible says, when ONE soul comes to Christ ALL of Heaven rejoices. They party at one sinner coming to Christ in Heaven. This past weekend there was a lot of partying going on.

Here is a short snap shot to give a glimpse of how God used Oasis Church this past Easter:

* With over 100 new believers signed up to be baptized we saw 12 Baptized in North Miami and 12 teenagers among those who were baptized. It was amazing as we witnessed baptisms at all 10 Easter services. There were salvations at all services which means we were the"drop" of God's love to scores of people coming to know Jesus this Easter. Every face has a name, every name has a story and every ONE needs Jesus.

 

*Our North Miami Campus celebrated our 2nd Anniversary in NOMI with 394, a record attendance and 12 baptisms. They fed 415 homeless people on Easter Eve.

 

*Not only did we have a record all time attendance at Easter but even more exciting was that we had 1,000 more attend our Easter Services this year than last year. That was amazing to me!

*Our Facebook page reached over 15,000 people Easter week which was 10,000 more than the week prior. There were 1,214 people engaged on our page compared to 324 the week before. Why is this important? It shows your invites and posts on Social media created buzz, which translated into guests coming to the services and to our social media sites.

*More amazing than almost anything was how 100's of you, Oasis Volunteers gave of yourselves not just once, but many times, serving in multiple services. We could have never seen these results without you being the hands and feet of Jesus. You did not just serve, you served with passion and excitement to ‘be the drop’ to over 4,000 people. I thank you and congratulate you on being a major part of a huge God weekend!

#DeathtoSelfie begins this weekend! This series is especially designed to follow up Easter. I hope you will be back and also bring someone! Also, don’t forget to hashtag #DTSOASIS on social media so we can see your selfies! 

 

By the way, as I reminded our staff this week "Easter is EVERY weekend". Yes, every weekend! The Gospel of Jesus crucified and risen again is preached each weekend. That is the message of the Church. Every weekend the Good News is presented and there are lives changed for eternity. That is the spirit and message of Easter. 

 

God bless you and we look forward to having you and your family with us this weekend!

Guy Melton
Senior. Pastor
Oasis Church of South Florida

 

P.S. We had one of the largest offerings we have ever had last week. $56,000. This was a great blessing and will allow us to make up some of the $250,000. in our ministry budget shortfall. March was also a very good month in our giving of the Lord’s tithes and our offerings which also chipped away at our short fall. Thanks to all of you who have faithfully been giving to the Lord through Oasis Church, and for those of you who have begun to give. I am grateful and humbled that you have allowed us to be the conduit of your giving back to God. If you want to give online for this week, you can go online now and give. It is simple.Just click here.