Eric Camp

I hope that you are having a good week so far and I appreciate you taking the time to read this note. I am writing for several reasons today. First of all, to report to you on how YOU are making a difference on the Gulf Coast for Jesus at Oasis! Within one week, we have witnessed over 30 people committing their lives to Jesus! How awesome is that? Thank you. Thank you for participating, investing in and supporting the vision of this great church! We also hear you… We are working to add parking and/or additional worship Experiences as we are growing at an amazing rate and need to open up more space! Hang with us as we navigate on how we are going to do this! What a great problem to have!

PARENTS / YOUNG ADULTS: This Wednesday night, November 13, I will be speaking a special message for you on parenting. This message may show up on a Sunday morning in the future, but I feel it is vitally important that if you have kids or one day might have kids, you need to hear what I have to share with you. Wednesday night at 6:45. We are also going to talk with you on the strategy that we feel we need to take for the Oasis Kids Department and THE MIX as we minister to over 400 young people in these departments each week! DON’T MISS IT!

I am calling us all to dedicate to being at Church during the next couple of months as much as you possibly can. We are better and stronger when you are here! That means all of us! I am believing for greater for you, our church, and for the Gulf Coast Region, but it will take all of us doing our part to fulfill God’s purpose and plan!

Dream Team / Discover Events: On December 1 beginning at 6:00, My wife Toni and I, along with the staff, will be hosting a special Christmas party for EVERYONE WHO SERVES ON DREAM TEAM at Oasis! We are going to feed you a catered meal from Dickie’s BBQ in Diberville and we have a special guest who will be with us for a great time of fun and celebration! Willie Moore Jr. will be our special guest that night. Stay tuned for more dates and times to be released for the Holiday Season.

Lastly, Toni and I want you to know that we are so honored and thankful that you are a part of the Oasis Family! This church is growing my major leaps and bounds and the greater days are ahead of us!!!  Thank you all for your financial blessing and contributions for us for Pastor Appreciation last month! Your giving was more of a blessing than I can explain! Thank you again!!

I hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing you this week for church!!

-Eric

The month of October is the busiest month for our family. My birthday, Toni’s Birthday and Ethan’s Birthday are all in October.

October is also the month that our staff are in the middle of planning for the new year as well as budgeting for their departments for the upcoming year.

Also in October, the Lead Team at Oasis evaluates each and every ministry of Oasis Church along with other areas to recognize any areas that we can have more excellence.

By total surprise this past weekend, the staff treated Toni and I to a dinner at “32” in Biloxi. This has always been one of our favorite fine dining restaurants in which we usually go once a year. Again, total surprise and a special time with all of our staff!

Then, to top it off, this past Sunday we were presented with a substantial financial blessing in which many of the Oasis family had been contributing to all month long for Pastor Appreciation. This was icing on the cake for Toni and I and we can’t say enough how thankful we are for all that has been done and contributed this month by everyone!

To our staff and to everyone who contributed to making Pastor Appreciation by far the most special one yet, we are extremely thankful for you!

Again, to each of the Oasis family members who helped make it possible, Thank you for being such a blessing to me and my family!

I am honored to be your pastor and look forward to everything The Lord has in store for Oasis Church and the Gulf Coast!

The only way Oasis Church can become all it is intended to on the Gulf Coast and the only way that Oasis family members will ever fulfill their full purpose and potential is by serving in The House! Over the next several weeks, you will hear and see ways you can get connected on the Oasis Dream Team and hopefully get excited so you can start seeing how God can use you to make a difference in the lives of others! You won’t ever regret getting involved and seeing all that God wants to do in your life.

There are 10 benefits of serving on an Oasis Dream Team:

1. It’s Fun!

2. You can live out your purpose in a practical way.

3. You get to know other people.

4. You experience God’s power when you get out of your comfort zone.

5. It makes coming to church even more meaningful.

6. You begin to live your life on mission the other 6 days that you aren’t at church

7. You might make lifelong friends.

8. You see God do miracles in peoples lives.

9. You model for your family a servants heart. Future generations are impacted.

10. We are on the frontlines of seeing the miracle of Salvation and Grace every week!

You can sign up for a ministry team by going to the next “Discover Events” class in September by registering here: Discover Events or by calling the church office at 228.762.5639 or by filling out a Connection card during one our Experiences and turning it in at Guest Services in the lobby.

I can’t wait to see all that God is going to do!

What an incredible weekend at Oasis! The 11:00 Experience this past weekend was so full there were absolutely no parking spaces left and the house was FULL to the MAX! What a great day! The 9:00 Experience was also up in attendance! This month alone we have witnessed about 50 people coming to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior!!!! Year to date, ALMOST 300 PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST!!!!

Hundreds have completed the “Discover Events” classes and hundreds are serving on the Dream Team each Sunday! Our new Cafe opened a couple of weeks ago, Connection Cafe, and is already a major success! What an amazing thing that is happening at Oasis Church! Thank you for being a part of this life-giving movement!

A couple of reasons I am writing today… First of all, PLEASE CONTINUE TO INVITE PEOPLE TO THE FINAL 2 WEEKS OF AT THE MOVIES! Also, consider attending the 9:00 Experience or GET TO CHURCH EARLY for the best parking and seating! If you invite someone, meet them at the Connection Cafe and be their “host” for the day. Show them to the Oasis Kids department if they have children and assist them  with their VIP pack and free Latte! Everyone is needed in helping people on Sunday as the crowds are continuing to grow and we don’t want to lose that momentum!

We are in the early stages of planning a Harrison County Location for a satellite campus in the Biloxi / D’Iberville area as we have hundreds of people already coming to Pascagoula from these areas. We are praying and hoping for a January 2014 launch. I am currently investing in leaders and seeking the campus pastor for that location along with a staff to lead the launch. You will hear more about this in the coming months.

We also are in a dilemma with our expansion as there is property for sale adjacent to our campus that we may need to consider purchasing, only to have to demolish a house or 2 to make room for more parking! Please be in prayer for the leadership on this issue.

We are looking to adding another Worship Experience on a Saturday night or another time, HOWEVER, if we do this, it will interfere with our preparations of the Harrison County Campus… Again, be praying for me and all the staff and trustees as we navigate as The Holy Spirit leads us in the coming months.

What a great situation to be in!!!!

Lastly, if you are a part of the Oasis family, it is because of you and your faithfulness that we are seeing such amazing things happen! God is pleased with you Oasis and is continuing to bless and show favor on us as we continue to do our part in building His Church here on the Gulf Coast! THANK YOU! Toni and I are extremely blessed to be a part of such an amazing family of believers who are eager to make a difference for Jesus!

I hope you have a great week and I want you to know that I love being your Pastor… See you soon!

-Eric

Leadership is like a running head start for a team. Leaders are farther than their teammates. They see things more quickly than their teammates. They know whats going to happen and can anticipate it. As a result, they get the team moving in the right direction ahead of time, and for that reason, they team is in a position to win.

The greater the challenge,  the greater the need for the many advantages that leadership provides.

And the more leaders a team develops, the greater the edge that leadership provides becomes.

If you want to win – and keep winning for a long time – TRAIN PLAYERS ON THE TEAM TO BECOME BETTER LEADERS.

The power of leadership carries over into every field. The business run by a good leader often finds its market niche first and outperforms its rivals, even if the rivals possess greater talent. The non-profit organization headed by strong leaders recruits more people, equips them to lead, and serves a greater number of people as a result.

Look behind the scenes of any great undertaking, and you will always find a strong leader. That’s why I say the difference between two equally talented teams is leadership.

When have you seen leadership (or lack of) make the biggest difference on a team?

Five Styles Of Leadership That Always Lose

#1 – The Lazy Leader

A church loses when the leadership is lazy and embraces mediocrity.

Lazy leaders waste time asking God to do the very things He has already COMMANDED them to do.

This really hit me the other morning when I was reading through Genesis 6-8.  God announced to Noah that He was going to destroy the world (talk about a bad day)…but…then told Noah that he and his family would be saved (which HAD to be a relief!)

BUT…God’s plan was for NOAH to actually build the boat that would save him and his family.

Noah didn’t pray that God would build the boat.  He took ACTION…God was very specific on the details and Noah put time and effort into doing what God commanded Him to do.

If He had been lazy…passive…”a prayer warrior” you know, all of the mumbo jumbo people use as an excuse to not do anything…then he and his entire family would have DIED as a result of his laziness.

Leaders are called to action…and when a leader is lazy and wants “God to do it all” and refuses to follow through in steps of obedience because “it’s hard,” the church loses.

David had to actually walk down in the valley and whip Goliath’s rear end.

Moses actually had to walk across the Red Sea.

Peter had to stand up and preach on the day of Pentecost.

Leaders don’t ask God for how little they can do–they constantly ask Him, “what else do You want me to do?”

Is There Anything God’s been asking you to do that you are “spiritualizing” rather than obeying?

#2 – The Apathetic Leader

One of the biggest problems that exist in church world today is that there are leaders that do not care about the people they are serving…or the condition of the world around them.

Apathy is one of satan’s best weapons.  He doesn’t mind if we know the truth about life, death, heaven, hell and such…he just wants us not to care about it.

One of his best tactics is to get a pastor or a staff member so focused on going to another church, you know, taking a step “up” in ministry that he/she totally neglects the church where they are supposed to be serving.

The day a leader no longer cares about the people he or she is serving, he or she should resign immediately.

The day a leader no longer can get passionate about God’s direction for the ministry they are in…and they are OK with it…BIG problems are only a step away.

I believe a leaders job is to beg God…

• Let me see as You see!  
• Let me feel as You feel!  

When those two prayers get legs under them…apathy is no longer a possibility.

Passion is essential for longevity in leadership!

What are you doing to constantly refill your passion tank?  Personally I am devoted to doing the following: I…

• Am in THE WORD daily!
• Surround myself with passionate people.  (I do not allow negative people around me…can’t handle it!)
• Attend conferences where leadership is taught.
• Make sure I stay in great physical shape. (working on this one!)
• I am “fed” each week through some of my pastors and friends in ministry by going to church online another day of the week.

My prayer is that, as a leader, I will always love what I do, who I serve with and the place of ministry God has called me to be.

A leader who simply does not care will never be a difference maker!!!  

Pray for God to set you on fire.  And Oasis Leaders.…please pray He will take MY passion levels to places that they’ve never been!

#3 – The “It Will Go Away” Leader

One of the WORSE things a leader can do when they become aware of a problem is IGNORE it because problems seldom (if ever) just go away.

One of the things I’m learning as a leader is that, when God reveals a problem to me it isn’t so that I can remain passive about it and hope it will go away–He wants me to take action.

I know leaders who have staff issues in their church, but will not deal with them because they keep thinking if they ignore poor work performance and bad attitudes long enough that the problem will eventually correct itself.

I know leaders who allow really bad programming to continue in their church thinking that one day that which is horrible will magically become good.  It doesn’t.

#4 – The “Keep Everyone Happy” Leader.
You will NEVER please everyone in your church…

EVER!

AND the thing I’ve learned is that when people are upset they are usually the loudest, which makes them seem like the majority.

One of the problems that exist today in church world is that very few people are willing to LEAD.

Paul addressed this in Galatians 1:10   (¹⁰Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ)  We cannot please people AND please Jesus–period!

And if it ever becomes a leaders goal to keep EVERYONE happy, they will be successful in reaching NO ONE.

Leadership takes guts, thick skin, and a willingness to take a slap in the face and keep on going.

God didn’t call leaders to make people happy, He called us to lead people to Jesus.

AND being obsessed with what others think of you is the QUICKEST way to enter into a state of depression that you will never pull out of.

Acts 20:24…we need to consider our lives worth nothing…and do all we can for HIM…not “them!” ⁽However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.)

#5 – The Fearful Leader

The bottom line ISN’T that a leader never comes face to face with a fearful situation, but rather a leader learns to trust in God’s direction and power rather than give into fear and uncertainty.

When a leader allows fear to control him, the people he leads will ALWAYS lose.

• Fear forces a leader to embrace the “way things are” rather than how they should be.
• Fear causes a leader to think more about what they have to lose rather than what the Kingdom has to gain.
• Fear makes a person depend on their power and ability rather than God’s.
• Fear leads to impulsive and unwise decisions rather than prayed through and processed ones.

MY prayer for myself is that I NEVER become obsessed with safety and lose sight of HIS SOVEREIGNTY.

He reigns! And IF I BELIEVE THAT,  THEN I HAVE TO LEAD LIKE I BELIEVE IT!

Any fears you need to face?  Oasis Leaders, I am asking you to pray that I will always be willing to take God led steps of faith and you will too!

And I pray we never play it safe because we have WAY too much at stake!