OFI Blessings

by Dave Harvey

This past weekend (January 15-17), Four Oaks hosted the Of First Importance conference, and God blessed us in some wonderful ways! Josh did an excellent job leading us in worship, pointing us to Christ throughout the conference. Daniel Montgomery from Sojourn Network was there reminding us of our need to embrace the whole gospel, rather than simply picking the parts of the gospel that we like. Jared Wilson helped us see what it really means to be a gospel-wakened leader. Do you remember Pete Greasley from Wales? He pointed to the beauty and sufficiency of Christ, reminding us that Jesus is all we need. And I had the privilege of preaching about how God’s power and glory is magnified in our weakness.

At the risk of overusing the word, it was an "awesome" time!

One of the really cool things about this conference was that it was not exclusively a Four Oaks conference. Rather, it was sponsored through a special partnership between Four Oaks Church, Wildwood Church, St. Peter’s Church, and City Church. The conference was a wonderful display of the unity we have in Christ. It was a testimony to the fact that one church alone cannot reach a city. We must cooperate with other churches as we seek to reach Tallahassee for Jesus.

But the OFI conference was not only attended by area leaders. Many of our elders were able to join the conference, as well as some other folk from Four Oaks. This means that as a local church, we were uniquely strengthened through this conference, which then equips us to more effectively serve and care for each other.

I want to ensure that you make the connection between your generous support of Four Oaks and our ability to host such a conference. Apart from your faithful giving, we simply could not  have blessed so many ministry leaders with the Of First Importance conference. Apart from your sacrificial serving, we wouldn’t have had the manpower to supply and serve area leaders in this way. And apart from your persistent prayers, God would not have met us as he did through this rich time together.

I’m so very grateful for what was accomplished last week, and I’m so very grateful to be in a church which diligently invests in gospel ministry. THANK YOU!

Warmly,
Pastor Dave