Announcing New "Hope for the 'Ham" Grant Money

Nothing supports evangelism better than a church involved in extremely generous, loving, vital community service. Listeners to the gospel are far more likely to find it credible if they see Christians meeting needs. Acts 4:32-35, Matthew 5:16, and Luke 6:32 show us that radical generosity had an evangelistic impact in early church history. When we simply live a morally “pure” life, the world may see it but may only feel somewhat condemned by it. However, when the world sees us meeting common, material human needs through deeds, it pays attention.

~ Tim Keller

How can we as Oak Mountain Church be a blessing to the neighborhoods and communities in which we dwell? How can we have an impact beyond simply paying our taxes and keeping our lawns well manicured?

These are some of the questions that we have been asking. Often the church can exert so much energy on maintaining herself that she has nothing left over to be a blessing to those whom God has, in His complete and purposeful sovereignty, caused us to dwell among.

Throughout the entire history of God’s relationship with his people, he has had on his mind an external outlook. Adam and Eve were instructed to have dominion over all of creation, meaning both the spiritual as well as the physical realms. Abraham in Genesis 12:2 was told that he would be blessed “so that you will be a blessing”. It is through this interaction that we see God’s agenda for Abraham and his descendents after him (including us).

Through God’s servant Joseph an entire geographic region was protected from the real and physical threat of famine. Indelibly included within the DNA of Israel were laws of social responsibility caring for neighbors, widows, orphans, aliens, the helpless and the oppressed. Jesus himself spent much more than a token amount of his ministry meeting the real, felt needs of those he came into contact with, even going so far on occasion as to reverse the very effects of death itself.

Listen to the testimony of the pagan Roman emperor Julian.

“Nothing has contributed to the progress of the superstition of the Christians as their charity to strangers...the impious Galileans provide not only for their own poor, but for ours as well.” It was to these acts of service and an externally focused love for neighbor that Julian points as a major reason for the growth of Gospel community.

If Oak Mountain Church gave your LIFE Group $100 to bless your neighbors, what would you do? Would you have a neighborhood cookout? What about cleaning up a local park, or painting a couple of classrooms at your local neighborhood school?

See, that’s the beauty. This is not the staff of the church calling people to participate in a program somebody else thought up. We are asking for YOU to listen to the Holy Spirit and ENGAGE in your area of town. The gospel is not communicated solely through verbal means. Physical engagement and proximity often speaks just as loudly. So what can you dream up?

LIFE Groups lead this endeavor. Here’s the lowdown.

1) IDEA - Any individual can propose an idea for engaging ones neighbors through acts of service or mercy. The idea is presented to the LIFE Group to further flesh out details.

2) APPLICATION – When a LIFE Group has arrived at an idea for a project, a member of the group then submits a grant proposal. This could be the LIFE Group leader or any other member of the group that has been designated.

3) REVIEW – The grant committee will meet to evaluate grant requests. For approved projects, funds will be distributed upon completion of the project. (RECIEPTS REQUIRED) We do not anticipate many rejections, but some groups may be asked to revise their requests or to rethink a certain aspect of their idea.

4) IMPLEMENT – the grant committee will extend approval to the LIFE Group leader and the group will “get after it”!

5) FOLLOW-UP – Upon completion of the project, the designated project leader submits the following materials to the grant committee:

• Receipts: the LIFE Group will be reimbursed for any project related expenses up to $100.
• Waiver: In some particular cases, there may be a required liability waiver that documents permission for work done and permission to use any records/photos that document the work.
• Story: Summarize the project either in written, photo, or video format. The purpose of this will be to share projects with the larger church body for information and vision building purposes.

6) REPEAT - Currently there is no limit to the number of projects that a particular LIFE Group can initiate and participate in. Grant proposals will be accepted and approved until the funds run dry, at which time we will faithfully and expectantly ask God for more funding.

For any additional information please contact Jason Tucker at jtucker@ompc.org or 205-981-4364.