latest news

Shoes for Honduras

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:51:29 -0500

We have a great opportunity to partner with New Vision Ministry and serve people in the poorest region of Honduras. Andy Garrott, our friend from Batesville, leads this ministry and he called this week to tell me that nearly all of the children in the area of his outreach are barefoot and begging for shoes.

That’s where we come in. He is looking for people to donate used Children’s shoes (anything up to a size 10) to be sent by freight container in the next few weeks. They are taking all shoes because there is such a great need down there.

If you would like to donate, please bring the shoes in a large ziploc bag with the size and whether they are boys or girls shoes written on the outside. If you don’t have ziploc bags at home, just bring the shoes and we’ll bag them at church.

There will be a box set up on Sundays at the PowerHouse and you can bring them by the office anytime during the week. Please have the shoes in by August 10th.

Also, please help us spread the word with other people in our community.

Thanks and feel free to email us if you have any questions.

Interested in Membership? Meeting July 13th

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:23:14 -0500

We are having a meeting where we will discuss what it means to become a member of our church on Sunday night, July 13th at 6:30pm.

If you would like to join our church or if you have questions about who we are and what we believe God is calling us to do in this community, this meeting is for you. It is mandatory for people who wish to become members, but it is also open to people who have been attending for a while and simply want more information.

The meeting will be at Dr. Bob Plant's house. I will give you directions when you reply and let me know you are coming.

Dessert and coffee will be provided that night.
We will also have childcare available.

Please let me know if you plan to attend.

::Summer Small Group:: (updated June 10th)

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:54:06 -0500

Every Tuesday night this summer, we will be meeting at 601 Audubon Lane (Jeff Roberson's home)

Everyone is invited to come. It is an open group and a great opportunity to make new connections at The Orchard. Child care will be provided, so bring your children if you need to. All are welcome. And if you want to listen to the sermon before you come (although it is not necessary) you can find it on the website.

Click the link for a map. It is just off of Ridgewood Manor (which is off of Park or Sisk). If you have any questions call and let us know.

The Orchard: Only one service this summer: 10:30am

Mon, 19 May 2008 09:17:51 -0500

As people are in and out of town for the summer, we have decided to go back to one service: 10:30am at the Powerhouse.

Everything else will remain the same, we will just all be in the same place at the same time once again.

Help us spread the word. See you there!

Orchard VBS!! - June 23rd - 25th

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:08:57 -0500

For three nights in a row (6-8pm) we will be having Bible school for the children of our church and our community. This will be a great time of games, Bible lessons and fun for kids. It will also be a great opportunity to invite other families that you know to be a part of what is going on.

Check out this page for all the information you need!

Springfield Mission Project and Celebration.

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:54:21 -0500

The date has been postponed until July. Details to come soon!

Soon we will begin our partnership with Springfield MB Church as we clean up, do minor yard work and serve together in a community with physical needs just outside of Oxford. This will also be a great opportunity to share a meal and worship with our new friends at Springfield. More details to come on this page later.

For a recap of our partnership, check out this previous post.

::Summer Small Groups::

Wed, 7 May 2008 17:37:38 -0500

The time is very near for the kickoff of the two summer small groups at The Orchard. Small groups are intentional efforts to create an atmosphere that causes believers and non-believers to grow in their understanding and application of God's direction in our lives. Below you'll find the basics, followed by a little more information. If you have any questions please email or call.

* Summer Community Group led by D Merricks. It will meet at the home of Jeff Roberson (map) on Tuesdays at 6:30pm. But the very first meeting will be at D Merricks house (map). The first meeting date is May 27th.
* The Truth Project will be led by Don Howie and meet at the home of Bob Plants on Wednesdays at 6:00pm. The first meeting date is May 21st.

The Summer Community Group is going to be a discussion group based on the message from the previous Sunday's service. We will dig into the scripture, chew on its meaning, and discuss how it should make a difference in our lives and how we interact with the world. This group is great place to make connections with other Orchardites while growing in community together. A light snack will be provided each week by group members. So bring your enthusiasm and your Bibles! Meeting time should be around 90 minutes.

The Truth Project is a powerful and engaging video series about what Christians believe, and why we believe it. Each Wednesday for 13 weeks (from May 21 to August 13) we will look at a different aspect of the Christian worldview and how it shapes our understanding of ourselves, our world and our relationship with God and others.
We will meet together at 6:00 p.m. each Wednesday at the home of Bob Plants. After a time of fellowship we will watch a 50-55 minute episode of The Truth Project video series followed by a time of reflection and discussion. The total commitment of time each of these evenings will be approximately 2 hours (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.).
Because some of us may not be able to attend every week due to vacations, arrangements will be made so that those who have to miss a week or two can watch the missed segments at home. However, if you anticipate that you will have to miss more than two weeks during the summer, it would probably be best not to participate at this time.
Participation is limited to no more than 12 persons. If you would like to be a part of the group, we would love to welcome you. If you have questions or would like to sign up, please contact Blake Thompson or small group leader Don Howie at home (563-3714), at work (915-3884), or by email at drhowie@olemiss.edu.
To learn more about The Truth Project and watch a video introduction to the series, please go to The Truth Project's home site www.thetruthproject.org. There is a long and a short version of the trailer for the series on this site.

Podcasting

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:00:47 -0500

We have set up our first of many podcasts available for you to listen to online. The podcast is the audio of the sermon from the weekly worship services and it can be found at:

http://theorchardoxford.net/The_Orchard_Oxford/Podcast/Podcast.html

We hope to have them on iTunes soon. When that happens, we'll post it on the podcast page along with instructions.

Springfield Mission Partnership: A different view of the big news

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:13:08 -0500

This week at the Orchard, we talked about our very exciting mission opportunity that is coming up as we partner with Springfield MB church to do repair work on homes in a neighborhood on the north side of Oxford.

Here is the video of Pat and Don (and their wives) at the church the week before.

To hear about it on the Orchard side, check out our first podcast. (Click here)

Check back here often as more details are coming soon!

Cookout at the April 30th Ole Miss Baseball game

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:51:25 -0500

We are having a cookout in the outfield at Swayze Field before the Ole Miss/Jackson State baseball game on Wednesday night, April 30th.

The game starts at 6:30p, but we will meet at 6 to fire up the grill.

This is for everyone. Just email and let us know if you are coming so we can have a rough estimate about the amount of food.

I hope you are all having a great week!
See you Sunday.
Pat

PS - We are also working on a date for a vacation Bible school for Orchard kids (and others) for this summer. More details on that to come!

College students and families

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:48:33 -0500

At the Orchard, we have been blessed to have a number of college students who have decided to make our church their home during their time in Oxford.

This is something that we are very thankful for and, as the semester comes to an end, we would like to broaden our connection with students by making contact with their families. Next week, we hope to send out a letter of sorts to your parents - or grandparents or guardians or parole officers, whoever - letting them know who we are as a church, what we are doing, and that we're here to serve them in any way we can.

If you are a student, we need your parents' (and/or other family members', as many as you want) names and addresses.

Just include them in an email and send it to theorchardoxford@gmail.com

Thanks

The Forum: April 6th - Life in the church

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 12:45:59 -0500

Verses: Acts 2:42-47
Matthew 13:44-46

This week, we took a look at our membership covenant here at the Orchard. It is our plan for centering our life around Jesus and letting everything else be influence by our decision to do so.

I mentioned yesterday that my aim was not to make everyone in attendance a member of the church right now. Everyone is invited to be involved in worship, serving, small groups and the life of our community of faith before they ever become a “member”. The covenant is just an opportunity for people who choose to see their faith lived out at the Orchard long-term to say “I’m in” and to invite others to hold them accountable to this plan that is at the core of everything we do.

In review, the 4 things we ask people to be committed to when they join our church:
Growth
Community
Giving (time, gifts, energy, resources)
Commitment itself

Check out the information from our website about the Biblical Basis for our core values, name and membership covenant.

This week we talked about the way that all of those things connect with each other and how they are lived out here at the Orchard.

If you have other questions about what it means to be a member here and have a formal relationship with our church, please email us and let’s talk.

Orchard Life page
Email Blake for more Small Group details.

After much prayer, we have decided to set up a new online giving page (via the Orchard Life section of our website).

The Forum: March 16th - The Importance of Being Ironic

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:35:58 -0500

Verses:
Matthew 21:1-11
Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53
What stands out to you most from this verse.

Matthew 21-25
What are the systems or superstitions in our lives that we need to break out of because they will not save us?

What in your past is holding you back or excusing some of your current ways of living? Where have you seen this show up before?

What do you think about the fact that Jesus said the whole crux of religious life boils down to these two things: "love God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind." and "love your neighbor as yourself."

Who in your world needs to have God's love transferred upon them?

Interesting Links:
Gas Prices Blog
Body Worlds exhibit

Easter is Coming

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:53:45 -0500

It’s almost that time of year again. We are very excited about celebrating Easter together as a church family.

Here’s the schedule:

Sun.3/16
Palm Sunday at the Power House
The Importance of Being Ironic

Fri.3/21
Good Friday at the PowerHouse
(5:30pm - about 30-45 min. service)

Sun.3/23
Easter Sunrise
at Avent Park - 6:45am

Resurrection Day Services at the PowerHouse

To download a copy of our Easter Poster, click the link below:
EasterPoster.pdf

The Forum: March 2nd - The Church

Thu, 6 Mar 2008 10:22:07 -0600

Verse: Ephesians 1:3-14

Where have you seen the heart of our faith, hope and spirit alive in the Church (universally, not necessarily The Orchard)?

Where have you seen it be missed?

Why is it important for everyone to be a part of a church?

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
How does this factor in to what we talked about today?

Recommended reading:
This Beautiful Mess by Rick McKinley.
A great book about the church being the orchestra that is playing God’s symphony for the world.

The Forum: Feb. 24th - The Gospels

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:53:22 -0600

Isaiah 53 - The Suffering Servant
What is your response to that?

How does that set Jesus apart from John 6:15 and the king that the people wanted to make Him?

John 6:22-67

Where have you "missed the point before", where do you see others "miss it?"
How do you respond to the point about Social Justice and Judgement?

Would you have walked away when Jesus started talking about eating flesh and drinking blood?

In what ways is Jesus reshaping the frame through which you see the world?
What parameters of a world-centered mindset have you had to break?

What are some other instances from Jesus' life that connect him to the Old Testament?

Jewish New Testament Commentary
(mentioned in the sermon from Sunday)

The Forum: Feb 17th - The Psalms

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:01:06 -0600

Some verses questions and thoughts from this Sunday’s worship service.

Psalm 1 - Righteousness
What does the word righteousness mean to you?

When have you seen someone (maybe including yourself) "stand around with sinners" and be affected by it?

When have you seen someone "join in with scoffers?"

Psalm 2 - The sovereignty of God.
According to this verse, what is the greatest display of God's sovereignty and power?

What do these verses say about Jesus long before He is even born?

Psalm 3, 4 and 5 - Searching for God, even when it is hard

Is there a time in your life when you have felt your enemies begin stacking up or when you begged God to answer you?
What was the outcome?

How does all of this that we have been talking about tonight tie in with the idea of our Identity in God?

What do you think about the staircase analogy?

Family Outing - Saturday, March 8th at the Clay Canvas on University Ave.

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:47:30 -0600

Announcing a great opportunity for families (and anyone else) to be able go get together for some creative fun.

From 10am until noon on Saturday March 8th The Orchard is hosting a "party" at The Clay Canvas located just across the street from The Powerhouse.

If you don't know anything about The Clay Canvas, it's a place where you can go pick out different pieces of pottery (each individually priced), paint them just as you'd like them, and then they'll glaze and fire them for you to pick up in a few days. There are TONS of possibilities from bunnies to clocks to wall hanger things to dinner plates (which are dishwasher/microwave safe!) Here is a YouTube video about it:

As a church, we are looking for more opportunities to reach out more to families and provide opportunities for families to be able to connect and enjoy time together. Please know that this is a kid friendly event and one in which you are encouraged to invite friends/family to as well.

We hope to have you participate. Let us know if you have any questions.

Feb 17th - The Psalms links

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:44:40 -0600

Next week, we will continue our look at the writing styles of the Bible by looking at the very poetic book of Psalms. If you would like to extend your grasp of this book, may I recommend:

Praise Habit - David Crowder
A very witty and creative book about the impact that the Psalms can have on our lives and on our ideas about worship. David Crowder is a worship leader whose songs we often sing at church.

Psalms for I - Prince Far I
Okay, hang with me on this one. The Psalms apparently have had a large impact on Raggae music and culture. Here is an album taken entirely from the Old Testament. Listen to it on iTunes and see if you like it.

The Forum: Feb 10th - The Law

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:32:45 -0600

Here are the verses and some follow-up comments from last Sunday.

Exodus 19:1-8

How do you translate the term "Kingdom of Priests."? What does that mean?

How does that shed new light onto the role of believers in our world?

What are some boundaries that you have set up in your life to give it order and freedom?

Philippians 1:1-11

What is the work that God is continuing in your life right now?

Do you have people in your life who would speak words into it like Paul, reminding you of what is essential and true?

If you had to sum up the Christian life in 5 words or less, what would you say?

Feel free to post a comment or insight.