Our Ministries

  

Ministry Organizations

SUNDAY SCHOOL/BIBLE STUDY... Every Sunday 9:30-10:30am

    Join us at 9:30am on Sunday mornings for Bible Study.  We have classes for all age groups including a nursery for babies and a toddler group for the very young preschoolers.  Students, youth, children, preschoolers, adults and entire families are welcome.

DISCIPLESHIP

    Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 that we are to "make disciples".  Practically every ministry we do contributes to the discipleship process. 

    We offer "Membership 101" as a seminar scheduled several times throughout the year.  This class is for adults.  It deals with the basics of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in covenant with the Oak Park Baptist fellowship.  For persons considering membership in the Oak Park church the class is a requirement since it also deals with the expectations of members and what the Oak Park church is all about.  The seminar is taught by Pastor Austin.

    We also offer Maturity 201 and Ministry 301 Seminars scheduled throughout the year.  The Maturity Seminar helps believers develop habits that contribute to growth in their Christian lives.  The Ministry Seminar helps believers discover their unique God-given SHAPE for ministry.

    Later this year we will be offering training in the Theophostic Prayer Ministry.  This is a special approach to prayer in which the light of Christ dispels lies attached to traumatic experiences which cause shame and guilt.  The result is - the truth of Jesus Christ sets people free.  We will also be offering a study on Christian Financial Principles and Planning.  Pastor Austin is planning to offer a seminar on Marriage Enrichment for couples who have been married for at least five years.  At the conclusion of the seminar, couple feedback sessions will be scheduled for those who would like to participate as well as a Marriage Vow Renewal Ceremony in the spring.

    Our Women on Missions group coordinates the missions education, monthly missions actions, and the missions offerings in our church.  They meet the first Monday of each month at 10:00am.  The children’s mission groups [GA’s (girls) and RA’s (boys)] meet on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 7:30pm.  The children's groups are in session according to the Alachua County Public School calendar.

    Volunteer missions opportunities are available in the summer for youth, students, and adults.  Last summer several of our youth and adult youth leaders participated in a mission trip to Lauderhill where they led a VBS for the Nazareth Haitian Baptist Church.  Others lead in area Backyard Bible Clubs.  In addition we have a Volunteer Missions coordinator who encourages and assists persons to be involved in short term missions to other states and nations.

MUSIC

    Music plays a very important part in our worship services.  There are opportunities for vocalists and instrumentalists to participate in worship.  Our Worship Choir presents choral music for worship almost weekly in addition to Christmas and Easter productions.  The choir rehearses every Sunday evening from 5:00 to 6:00pm. 

    Our Children's Choir practices during Children’s Worship on Sunday mornings.  They sing for worship services occasionally and they present musicals two or three times each year.

 

Ministry Teams

The philosophy of our church is that every believer
and certainly every member is a minister.
  We currently have a number of  ongoing ministries.
AUDIO VIDEO TEAM...

    The audio visual team runs and maintains the sound system for all worship services and special productions.  They also assist with lighting and video needs.
BUILDING AND GROUNDS TEAM...

    The buildings and grounds team is primarily responsible to maintain the buildings and the grounds.  They also provide beautification projects like planting flowers.
COUNSELING...

    Our staff and lay ministers provide counseling services on a limited basis.  We feel fairly qualified to offer spiritual counseling.  For persons who need long term counseling, we are glad to make referrals after an initial session.  Call to make an appointment.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM...

    The emergency management team is charged with the responsibility to see to it that we are prepared in advance for possible emergencies, especially for weather-related crises.  They also manage things during the actual emergency.
EVANGELISM & OUTREACH...

    Our staff and a number of our lay ministers are equipped to effectively share the gospel to persons in the community.  Evangelism training is offered periodically.
FELLOWSHIP & SPECIAL EVENTS...

    Our fellowship team prepares and serves the Wednesday night fellowship dinners at 6:00pm.  This team also makes arrangements for all church-wide special events during the year.
FOOD MINISTRY...     This team maintains a food bank and distributes food to needy families in the community.
HOMEBOUND MINISTRY...     Our homebound team makes home visits each month to our homebound members.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MINISTRY...     Several of our families have "adopted" students from foreign countries to allow them to get acquainted with American customs and to have a sense of family while they are here in the states.  The main goal is to introduce them to Christ.
    We also have a weekly International Bible Study in the Common Room of Maguire Village on Mondays from 6:00 to 7:30pm.
    In addition we offer English as a Second Language Classes every Tuesday night during the college semesters  (7-9pm) on our church campus.
MEN’S MINISTRY...     A ministry by and to men to encourage them to be men of God and men of integrity that includes a monthly men’s fellowship dinner followed by an equipping ministry.  We also do work and service projects throughout the year.
PRAYER MINISTRY...     Our church has a strong focus on prayer.  We have recently held several days of prayer and fasting just to seek God and His will.  In addition we have a prayer chain that is activated during times of crisis and a prayer coordinator who has connections via E-mail with hundreds of prayer partners from all around the world.  Our staff and lay ministers are available for specific prayer.  Tele-care is another way in which prayer is the main reason to call our members and attendees.
VAN MINISTRY...     Several of our members are involved in a transportation Ministry.  Children, youth, and adults are transported to and from worship services on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.
WOMEN’S MINISTRY...     Our women are encouraged to grow closer to God and closer to each other.  Our ladies plan and host a Ladies Retreat each spring.
    In addition to these, we have several teams and individuals who serve in ministries designed to manage the official records, the legal responsibilities, and the financial obligations of the church.