theOasis Connection

Bi-monthly Newsletter of Oasis ChurchNovember - December 2014

A Sprint to the Finish Pastor Mike Costello

The last two months of the year feel like a track meet with a sprint tothe finish line which is December 31. The pace of life definitely picksup throughout November and December. There is so much to plan,so much shopping for gifts and decorations, and oh my, the partiesand family gatherings that on the calendar. It is no wonder we canfind ourselves forgetting the reason for the season.

Because the holiday season is so full of busyness and stress wehave to make a conscious effort to keep our eyes on the reason forthe season. Let me help you with this with these following sugges-tions.

· Do a devotional that will prepare you to celebrate the birth ofJesus. There is a good app called “Bible – LifeChurch.tv”.They always offer several Christmas devotionals.

(Continued on Page 2)

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Contents

Pastor’s Thought………...Pg 1

Outreaches….…………….Pg 2

Departmental News…..…Pg 3

Missions Highlight……… Pg 5

Ministry Schedules…..….Pg 7

Birthdays &Anniversaries…………….Pg 8

Calendar of Events……...Pg 9

A Sprint to the Finish (con’t from Pg 1) Pastor Mike Costello

· I can also recommend two books I have used in the past:

O “25 Days 26 Ways to Make This Your Best ChristmasEver” by Ace Collins

O “Stories Behind the Best Loved Songs of Christmas”by Ace Collins

· Do your own study on the birth of Christ.

o Look up the OT references to the birth of Christ.

o Take a portion of scriptures from Luke’s account ofChrist’s birth and look up all of the cross reference.Journal what you observe.

Doing one of these three suggestions will help you keep your focus onthe true meaning of the season. You will be built up and encouraged,prepared to sprint across the finish line of December 31st.

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Arnold Days and Kimmswick Apple Butter Festival

OutreachesWhat a fun day we all had passing out gospel tracts

along Jeffco Boulevard on Sunday, September 21! We

guestimated that we (17 of us) passed out somewhere

around 1000 tracts in a relatively short time. We all

agreed that people were open and friendly as a whole.

We only found one tract on the ground that we were able

to pick up and give to another person. Another aspect

of the outreach for next year will include trash pick-up.

As we made our way back to the car, we found some

bags blowing in the wind, enabling us to do trash pick-

up, which led to an opportunity to pray with a couple

about some unrest in their lives.

What a great time we had at the festival! We were

able to pass out about 600+ tracts, greet hundreds

of people, pray with around 75 people and accept

around 25 written prayer requests. Our presence

also served as a great encouragement to other

Christians from around the area. Many said, “Our

church needs to be out doing this!” We hope it will

spur others on to get out of the four walls of their

churches and BE THE SALT AND LIGHT.

Departmental NewsWe are down to the last two months of the year. It just doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true. Andquite possibly they are the busiest two months of the year. With that being noted, I want to take amoment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas.!

I want to thank my Oasis Family for their concern and their many prayers for my health. Your prayershave indeed made a difference. The very presence of your prayers has made it possible for me tocount it all joy. God is in this. Not that He is causing my infirmities, but that He is going to use this

situation to bring glory to His name. Amen!

Thank you for your help with the Church Directory. If you wonder what you did, it is simply your cooperation in makingsure your individual listing was up-to-date and contained no typos. So, as promised, the Church Directory is printedand available in the back of the church. (That should give you plenty of time to get those Christmas cards out.) If,during the coming months, your information should change, please let me know and I will be sure it gets passed alongto everyone.

I look forward to serving God, our pastors, and each of you in the coming year.

Office

§ §We are gearing up for our Annual Ladies’ Christmas Brunch on Saturday, December 6 here in Oa-sis Fellowship Hall. We are looking for some ladies who might be itching to do something creative.We will be meeting for the next few Wednesdays to make plans. The dates for the planning andcreative meetings will be Wednesday November 5th, 12th, 19th and December 3rd. We realize youmight not be able to come every Wednesday, but if you think this might be something you wouldenjoy helping with, please come.

LADIES (and gentlemen) we want your recipes! We are hoping to have each person submit at least 10 – 15 reci-pes within the next few weeks. We want to have the cookbook ready to sell by the Ladies’ Christmas Brunch onSaturday, December 6th. If you think you might be able to also help out with it, let Sherry Hahn know or call thechurch office to talk to Brenda. Please send recipes to office@oasischurcharnold.com orsherrybb60@yahoo.com. Thank you! We will be using the funds to help with our Spring Ladies’ Retreat and ma-terial for our chemo cap projects.

§ §

Nursery & Pre-SchoolWhile we were very sorry to say good-bye to Amy Carmen as the director of the Nursery andPre-School department, we are pleased to announce we have added two new teachers andfour new helpers. Our new teachers in the Preschool are Mary Beth Moreno and CindySmith; and serving as helpers with the preschoolers will be Christa Trayanoff and JuneSmith. In the nursery we have Tiara Washington and Heather Harden. Thank you to all whohave stepped up and said, ‘Here I am, Lord, send me.” I, Brenda, will be filling in as the

director until such a time as another director is found. All I can say is, THANK YOU, LORD, YOU ARE SO VERYFAITHFUL! Thank you to all who have prayed for this.

A word here about our children’s department…they are the future of our church, our city, our state and our nation.When we invest in a child’s spiritual development, we have no idea of the dividends we will gain. As teachers, helpersand the church at large, we have a mandate to teach and bless our children. You may not be a teacher or helper,but your love and encouragement goes a long way in their spiritual development.

Nursery and Pre-school

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SHARE PRAISE LOVE ACTIVATE SERVE HONOR

The year is speeding by! Have you been so crazy busy that you don’t know where the time has gone?Like most of us, we get so busy with our everyday routine that sometimes we forget to stop and enjoywhat God has given us. Look out your window. Be amazed at the beauty of the world God gave us toenjoy. This is one of the most beautiful times of the year. The leaves are turning beautiful shades ofreds, yellow, orange; all the rich colors of Autumn, sometimes all on the same tree!

Splash is also changing. Some of the former preschoolers have graduated into the Splash class. It’s always fun whenthe younger kids get to move up and join the ‘big’ kids.

Welcome to our new kiddos. We love that you have joined us.

In November we will be starting a series on the “The Fruits of The Spirit”. I encourage you to help your children learnthese. What a valuable weapon in our arsenal against the power of darkness. We will also be celebrating the wonderfulseasons of Thanksgiving and the birth of our Savior.

Blessings to everyone as we enter this wonderful season.

Departmental News(continued)

Greeting to all the OWLS in Oasis Country! The OWLS are having a good time enjoying the fall this year. Theyare active and want to see more Senior Saints get involved with OWLS.

On September 12th, fifteen OWLS gathered in the Fellowship Hall and enjoyed a very delicious Taco Supper.Thanks to everyone for providing the makings of some very good tacos. After filling up, the OWLS enjoyed

playing Mexican Dominos and Par 9. We enjoyed the company of some first time attendees and pray that they returnfor some more of our activities. The OWLS always have a good time together.

On October 11th, twelve OWLS lifted their wings and flew on over to the Robert G Reim Theater in Kirkwood MO toenjoy and evening of Gracie and Lacie presenting “Remembering Judy Garland” in music and dance. Our very ownAnn, neighbor of the Rileys, went home with a chocolate bar while Pastor Mike received a train whistle he had to playduring a special number. Everyone of the OWLS enjoyed the evening.

The OWLS have no activities planned for November. The month is so full of feasting activities planned throughoutthe church and home, they felt that getting off the ground for anything else would be impossible.

In December the Gaither Christmas Homecoming is scheduled for December 4th, so mark your calendars. It isrumored that there could be another Christmas Light trip in the plans provided that the Leader promises not to getthem lost in East St. Louis again.

The OWLS Scholarship Fund has made three donations to the Baddour Center on behalf of David Holland. Thanksto all for the support you have given and for your continued support.

The Third Edition of the OWLS newsletter is in the making. If you are not on the subscription list and would like tobe, please contact Jim Johnson, Seniors Ministry Leader at the church, (636) 296-0341.

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Missions HighlightBeraca Foundation

I doubt if there is anyone who hasn’t heard of ‘Missions’and ‘Missionary Work’. So often, however, those areabstract terms. Missions involves people just like you andme. The difference is in the calling. Some are called to bepastors; others evangelists; others teachers. Some peo-ple are called to be business men and women who runcompanies while others are called to work in those com-panies.

The Beraca Foundation, one of the ministries we as achurch support financially, is located in Romania. It is ledby Ruben and Karen Popet along with a board of direc-tors that recently was able to establish this ministry as a501(c)3 foundation with headquarters in Jacksonville, IL.

Who are Ruben and Karen Popet, and what do they doas missionaries?

Ruben grew up in Romania when it was under commu-nist control. However, he grew up in the church. When hewas 15 or 16, he came to understand that God had a planfor his life that involved not only serving God, but otherpeople as well.

One of the first steps toward fulfilling the call on his lifewas to go to Dornesti where his uncle was the director ofan orphanage. He only intended to stay a month. Hisheart was stirred by the interaction with the children, andby the volunteers from different countries who came tohelp with such passion and unconditional love. Thatmonth stretched into six and a half years.

Karen grew up in a pastor’s home. When she was ateenager she made the personal decision to follow Jesusfor the rest of her life. She worked for a while as anaccountant before going to Austria as a full-time mission-ary. While serving in Austria she was afforded the oppor-tunity in 1991 to visit Romania. The country had beenfree of communist domination for only about a year at thatpoint. It was a difficult trip for her and she had no interestin going back. She came back to the

United States and went to work for a missions organiza-tion in St. Louis, MO. After a while, however, she beganto feel drawn back to Europe as a missionary. Conse-quently, in the Fall of 1993, she returned to Europe andvisited a couple of locations. One of those happened tobe the orphanage at Dornesti. After being there for threeweeks, the Lord confirmed for her through the passage ofscripture found in James 1:27 that He wanted her to comethere to work.

After six years of working with Ruben at Dornesti, theymarried. They adopted Marta from the Dornesti Orphan-age. Ruben had been given some land and a house inthe village where he grew up. So they decided to movethere and set up the Beraca Orphanage. Constructionbegan in 2000. In 2002 they received their first childrenand have usually had around twenty children in the or-phanage. Some have grown up and left to start their ownjourneys through life, but others come to take their place.

Beraca Orphanage is guided by what Ruben and Karenbelieve is a five part vision God gave to them when theystarted out on their own. Those five parts are: the orphan-age, a farm, a medical center, a church, and teachingEnglish.

The orphanage is home for the children. And like thechildren here, they must be educated; so it is off to schoolin the morning. It is also helpful that they have the lovingsupport of “parents” like Ruben and Karen who will helpthem with their homework as well as teach them about theLord.

The farm is an integral part of the children’s lives. Theylearn responsibility and a strong work ethic by performingchores around the farm. That includes taking care of fivecows, a pig, and thirty-five chickens. These, in turn, sup-ply milk and eggs for the orphanage which helps lower thecost of food for orphanage. Excess milk is used to makecheese. Occasionally they are able to butcher animals toprovide meat (Continued on next page)

Karen RubenMarta

Karen & RubenPopet

Ruben KarenBianca

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Missions HighlightBeraca Foundation

The foundation also supports a medical center where notonly the children, but the people of the local community also,receive free treatment. It, too, is an avenue by which they areable to practically demonstrate the love of Christ as they tellthem of His love and sacrifice.

The church supports the spiritual development of the childrenand that of the people of the community. The church is ableto provide a hot meal every week for the needy. Again, thelove of God in action as well as in word.

Teaching English opens a door to reach others that might nototherwise have contact with Beraca Foundation.

As other avenues of service present themselves, they areembraced. They have been helping a number of widows withfirewood, their gardens, food, and any other general workthey may need. In Pesac, there are two streets where thepeople are extremely poor. This includes 80-100 children.The foundation has been able to help them with schoolsupplies, bags of food and attending a summer camp.

The children at the Beraca Orphanage also get to go tosummer camp, and take trips.

The Popet family, Ruben, Karen, Marta, and Bianca, arefulfilling their calling. When we support them, we are partici-pants in that calling. Lives, as well as souls, are being deliv-ered into the presence of God.

The children of the Beraca Foundation ready for school.

Outreach to the community.

Ministering in the community.Page 6

ARMOR BEARERS

Nov 02 - Neal ChadbourneNov 09 - Tim MorenoNov 16 - Don NeigerNov 23 - Paul ByrdNov 30 - Clay Simmering

Dec 07 - Larry VandergriffDec 14 - Tom ChristmanDec 21 - Neal ChadbourneDec 28 - Tim Moreno

(Pray at 9:30 am in sanctuarywith group)

GREETERS

Nov 02 - Vada Rose & Larry VandergriffNov 09 - Jean, Nancy, & RubyNov 16 - Stacey, Rodney, & Mary BethNov 23 - Ron & Jean Johnson and StaceyNov 30 - Mary Lou & Larry and Vada

Dec 07 - Vada & Mary LouDec 14 - Jean, Nancy & RubyDec 21 - Stacey, Rodney & Mary BethDec 28 - Ron & Jean Johnson and Stacey

(Pray at 9:30 am in sanctuarywith group)

USHERS

Nov 02 - Frank & RobNov 09 - Gary & RickNov 16 - Paul & JimmieNov 23 - Gary & RobNov 30 - Frank & Rick

Dec 07 - Jimmie & GaryDec 14 - Paul & RobDec 21 - Rick & GaryDec 28 - Frank & Jimmie

(Pray at 9:30 am in sanctuarywith group)

NURSERY (0 - 3)

Nov 02 - Kim Schewe & Cindi RobicNov 09 - Mary HemmenNov 16 - TBANov 23 - Irene Barbagallo & Tiara GowanNov 30 - Michelle Robbs

Dec 07 - Kim ScheweDec 14 - Mary HemmenDec 21 - Brenda CostelloDec 28 - Irene Barbagallo & Tiara Gowan

PRAYER USHERS

Nov 02 - Linda & Cheryl Al & MarylynNov 09 - Kathy & Donald Frank & IreneNov 16 - Edye & Jim Dennis & ChristeneNov 23 - Amy & Linda Clay & JanNov 30 - Rodney & Ruby Al & Marylyn

Dec 07 - Cheryl & Donald Frank & IreneDec 14 - Kathy & Jim Dennis & ChristeneDec 21 - Rodney & Ruby Clay & JanDec 28 - Amy & Linda Al & Marylyn

(Pray at 9:30 am in sanctuary group)

PRE-SCHOOL (3 - 5)

Nov 02 - Clay Simmering & Ruby SchweppeNov 09 - Mary Beth Moreno & Les ErxlebenNov 16 - Cindy Smith & June SmithNov 23 - Brenda Costello & Christa TrayanoffNov 30 - Dennis & Christene Sutton

Dec 07 - Clay Simmering & Ruby SchweppeDec 14 - Mary Beth Moreno & Les ErxlebenDec 21 - Amy Henry & Christa TrayanoffDec 28 - Cindy Smith & June Smith

SPLASH KIDS (6 - 12)

Nov 02 - Communion SundayNov 09 - Denise & NancyNov 16 - Cheryl & KayNov 23 - Denise & KayNov 30 - Cheryl & Paul

Dec 07 - Communion SundayDec 14 - Denise & KayDec 21 - Cheryl & PaulDec 28 - Denise & Kay

Ministry SchedulesNovember - December 2014

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November 3 - Tiara Washington

8 - Al Newhouse

12 - Riley Nichols

12 - Seth Nichols

13 - Scott Wood

16 - Kathy Neiger

19 - Don Neiger

20 - Betty Hutson

21 - Cindi Robic

23 - Rick Schweppe

November14 - George & Edith Engeman

15 - Larry & Mary Lou Vandergriff

18 - Clay & Jan Simmering

22 - Jerry & Mary Hemmen

December21 - Shane & Brandi Beck

24 - Rodney & Wreneta Johnson

December 1 - Mike Silberman

3 - Lori Hemmen

3 - Natalie Yim

4 - Paris Gowran

6 - Vada Rose

14 - Frank Barbagallo

18 - Cheryl Huighe

18 - Danae Yim

23 - Wreneta Johnson

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