OASIS ON MISSIONS:

In His final earthly address to His followers, Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the Church. Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" Luke's rendering of this command in Acts 1:8 adds, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Jesus also commanded that in preaching the Gospel of His Kingdom we meet people's physical needs as well as their spiritual needs. Matthew 25:34-40 relays the importance of this ministry when it quotes Jesus saying, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

In I John 3:17-18 John admonishes us, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

VISION STATEMENT:

At Oasis Christian Center we take the Great Commission seriously and endeavor to obey our Lord through engaging in and supporting local, regional, national and international evangelism and ministerial outreaches. We attempt to integrate evangelism and missionary support into all areas of church life. We commit our goals and plans to God's leading, and with His help, we will accomplish the following:

Goals for Missionary Mission Agency Support:

1. Provide prayer support.
2. Provide financial support.
3. Provide relational support through letters, e-mails, etc.

Goals for Ministry to the Congregation of Oasis:

1. Provide education on the biblical basis for giving to missions in the form of tithes and offerings, and encourage the congregation to do the same.
2. Promote personal involvement in church-based and affiliated mission outreaches as avenues for fulfilling the Great Commission.
3. Facilitate in-depth intercession for local, regional, national and international ministries and their related prayer concerns.

Methods for Accomplishing: these Goals:

1. Promote missions in the Sunday morning worship services on a monthly basis, particularly through presenting one to two ministries that we support and encouraging prayer and giving toward that ministry.
2. Pray for missionaries and mission outreaches, by name and by specific needs, at the weekly intercessory prayer groups.
3. Encourage life groups to "adopt" a missionary or ministry outreach to communicate with and support directly. The possibilities for support are endless, but a few ideas to begin considering include:
--A children's Sunday school class sending Christmas cards to a specific missionary;
--A youth missions trip to help advance the work of a specific mission organization, through construction, service or other means;
--An adult life group sending specific gifts of money to support special mission projects.

Oasis Currently Supports these Mission Ministries:

"Jerusalem" = Patchogue, Long Island, New York
--Oasis Benevolence Fund
--Oasis Needs and Seeds Ministry
--Oasis Youth Wave

"Judea" = Long Island and New York City Metro Area
--Youth Guidance
--Metro Ministries International
--Lighthouse Mission

"Samaria" = United States
--Oral Roberts University
--Rhema Bible Training Center
--Dick Mills Ministries

"Ends of the Earth" = International
--GodSword Ministries (India)
--James Rackley (Canada/north and Mexico/Central America)
--David Horton (international evangelism)
--World Vision (international relief organization--support pending)