Eric Camp

Last weekend at Oasis… One Word… WOW! 2 Experiences Sunday morning with 22 people coming to Know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior as we Began celebrating the 2 year anniversary of Oasis Church! Packed House in the 11:00 and a great crowd in the 9… It is Amazing at what is happening at Oasis! That night we witnessed 6 more people get saved which totaled 28 DECISIONS FOR JESUS SUNDAY!!!! Come on Somebody!! 28!!!!! WOW!

Sunday night we came together with Lighthouse Church and Pastor Eric Brown to have a joint worship Experience with them as they are a predominately African-American congregation to demonstrate unity and tear down walls of segregation… PACKED HOUSE… HUNDREDS Of PEOPLE… WLOX ran a story on it… it was great! I love what Jesus is doing in HIS Church…

So, here we are… 2 year anniversary as a church, in the middle of the 2 largest events we have ever done with the Easter Egg Drop on Saturday of Easter weekend from a helicopter at Pascagoula High Football field and the Easter Celebration Experience at the Pascagoula High School Gymnasium… times are busy! And Stressful! But we all know it will be worth it!

Last Wednesday I spoke on Momentum… tonight we begin a 3 part series with the Wednesday night folks continuing in that train of thought in a series called “Thrive”. We will be talking about not Surviving… BUT THRIVING! We are going to need this understanding for the next 3 weeks entering into Easter where we anticipate Thousands of people will hear the gospel and connect on that weekend! God has called us to do great things in this city and region, just like He has called you to live a Great, THRIVING LIFE! We want to help you accomplish and step into that!

Sundays for the next couple of weeks we will be in the series “mychurch”. I am going to promise you something right now about the rest of this series… There will be people who get offended, ticked off and mad… BUT WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS ABOUT WHAT HIS CHURCH IS SUPPOSED BE… not our denominations and co-worker on the assembly line or at the Ship-yard… We will be diving into that this weekend…

We have a warped view of the Church because of Religion and Tradition and man-made routines that are not even defined in the Bible… Did you know the word “clergy” is not even in the Bible? hmmm… Come Sunday for more… 9 or 11…

Next week is the All-Access Conference in Baton Rouge with ARC.. I am pumped about that conference! I am taking all the pastoral lead team to experience what is going to be a great empowering Conference!!!

ok… that is all… Good day yall!!! Oh… btw… I’m looking to buy me an iPad before I go to All Access… Any of you got the iPad 2? Do you like it better than the first? Ok… bye now!

-E

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First of all… To all of you who are stuffing Easter Eggs, dancing on the dance team, performing on the Creative Arts teams, technical, media, etc… THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

You guys dont Realize yet how important all that you are doing really is. I know… There should be more people helping, but hopefully they will start showing up in a week or so to help finish the prep for the Egg drop and the Worship Experience coming Easter weekend.

I was at Oasis last night to observe the Creative Arts and dance teams prepare for this weekend and Easter as well as teach a Life Group Leaders training session and work with the Camera Operators, and man… THIS PLACE WAS ROCKING LAST NIGHT!!! All the people are showing up to help, you need to know you are greatly appreciated and have a special place with me personally because of your willingness to help the greater cause and vision of the church. Thank you again.

We are just a month away from Easter and this year’s Easter Weekend will be unlike any I have ever taken part of or even seen in my life! Get Ready Gulf Coast, because Oasis is about to make a HUGE impact on this Region!!! I am excited and I really hope you are too!!!!

Man, has this week been CRAZY!!! To be honest with you, this has been one of the most stressful, demanding weeks I can recall in some time. I can go into a spiritual discourse as to why that is, but I believe we arent called to sit around and compare who had / has the worst week and day, but just step up and do something about it. So… here is my “do something about it” blog post…

When you have problems and situations, we must be more active at resolving and pursuing closure and stability more so than reactive to the emotions of the moment. I am working on this, but I am also establishing new boundaries that I have never had to do before… Case in point:

I have a Facebook (FB) account. I like Facebook (FB). I like to stay connected with the people that are in my church and the friends and family that I have who are scattered across the nation. I dont stay on FB as much as many, but in the last several months, as our church has continued to grow and impact this region… (PRAISE GOD!!!), More and more are using FB as a direct contact to me about whatever complaint, issue, problem, etc, they may have and I have discovered myself spending alot of time redirecting and resolving issues and conflicts that are not really my issue or conflict to resolve… I have also noticed people getting irate and mad when I dont respond in the time frame they had in their minds that I should respond to and therefore, I am creating a new protocol to help everyone…

The primary contact for myself or Oasis Staff or leaders is through the ADMIN office at 228-762-5639. For me personally, my assistant, Kathy Xenos, can help you with requests and whatever that may be needed from my office. Oasis staff and leaders can be reached on their facebook pages or through the same number by talking to Stacye Holley in ADMIN as she is the primary Administrative Assistant to the staff and members of Oasis Church.

My FB Page and email will be checked by my assistant and maybe some others to help facilitate requests that come in and direct some of these requests to the correct venue or person they are needing. My emails will also be screened and checked by my assistant so a more timely response can be given and to eliminate the burden off me of some 200 emails and messages a week!!! Of those 200 or so a week, only about 10-20% require my direct response. My assistants are going to help me respond to the ones of priority and handle the others so my attention can be on the ones that are more urgent and priority.

This process is going to be better for everyone as we are trying to streamline the process of connection with the ministries of Oasis Church and me personally. I hope you understand the reasoning and purpose behind this move.

Oasis is growing and we are so excited about that!!! We want to better serve the people who are a part of Oasis Church and the Oasis network and this is another step of organization to insure that happens. We have several pastors on staff and leaders who respond to and help in many different areas of ministry that is requested and we need a better system through the above mentioned venues to get information to them so they can respond in a more timely manner.

We are also encouraging Oasis Members to participate in a Life Group to stay connected and have a direct contact for prayer requests and personal discipleship and mentorship as well… More on this coming in the upcoming weeks…

You can be assured that any message you send or email will be in the utmost confidentiality if it goes to one of my assistants before arriving to me. Every employee and staff member of Oasis Church is required to sign a confidentiality agreement that protects you and your confidential disclosures.

The ADMIN office is open from 9-3 Monday – Thursday and can assist you personally during those hours. If during lunch or after hours, there is a computerized system that can direct your call to the staff member you are requesting. If unsure, just leave a message on the Office Extension, 101, and Stacye will direct your call.

Appointments are required to be made through the ADMIN office for a meeting, speaking request, or sit down with any staff member of Oasis Church by calling the 228-762-5639 or email at office@oasisonline.tv, my assistant Kathy at kxenos@OasisOnline.tv or the Oasis Church Main website that has all the information and contact procedures at http://www.OasisOnline.tv and Oasis has a Facebook page too at http://www.facebook.com/OasisChurchGulfCoast.

Thank you so much for your understanding in this issue.. We are trying to better serve the people of Oasis Church and the region that we are called to reach and this structure is going to help better administrate that connection. You can still follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ericcamp.

One other point I forgot to mention, My wife, Toni, is now at Oasis and will be working to insure connection, creative, and administratively all is working in excellence! So if you get a call from a connection card you filled out, you will most likely be speaking to her initially!!

Have an AWESOME week!!! We conclude the “I believe in You” series this weekend and next weekend start a new series called “mychurch” that will lead us into Easter!!! Hope to see you soon!!!

WHAT A WEEKEND AT OASIS!!! At least 16 people gave their hearts to Jesus in the AM Experiences this past weekend and that was added to the 28… yes 28 YOUNG People who surrendered their lives to Christ on Wednesday night! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! Truly amazing what The Lord is doing at Oasis! I began a new series titled “I Believe in You” and I Believe that this series will set the pace for our church for the next year. I am excited to be a part of what HE is doing at Oasis!!!

Much has been asked about Oasis Church having a float in the Mardi Gras parade in Pascagoula this past weekend. Let me start out by saying this… I know the history… I know the purpose… I know what coincides with Mardi Gras usually in what people do… But… I believe Jesus called us to Go Into all parts of the world. The first word.. GO. Dont sit and pray. GO. into ALL PARTS of the world… not just the places where there is a steeple on every corner! There is people in this world that need to know who Jesus is. Albeit, we were not preaching and screaming and beating people with the Bible Belt, but we were a float in this parade that I believe brought some light in potential darkness and the Exposure to 8000+ people is a great opportunity! Jesus Himself would be were people are. The Church is not called to live in our holy huddles and scream at everyone outside our huddle. We are called to GO INTO ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD!

Personally, I didnt grow up on the Coast. So Mardi Gras is new for me. Sunday was my first Mardi Gras parade ever. Yes, I saw things, smelled things, and heard things that are not exactly Sunday School atmosphere, but we are talking about people here folks. Jesus is the answer to EVERYONE! Our website got hit more times in the last 24 hours than it did LAST MONTH! Our Facebook page got hit as people are searching to know more about Oasis… if they do, they will find we are about Jesus and there they can find their purpose and destiny if they receive Him… and to think, it started by having a float in the Parade.

Last year, we gave out can huggies and witnessed many people give their lives to Jesus as a direct result of that outreach last year. We were determined to do more this year! There are haters and there are people that will blast us for doing what we did, but that is ok. We are doing what Jesus said to do… He said to Love The Lord your God with Everything and Love PEOPLE as yourself. That is our mission statement at Oasis and we will not back down from it.

By the way, just because people go and participate in the parade doesnt make them sinners and going to hell… for all you over-religious zealots out there. Let me remind you that it is what JESUS DID, not what YOU DO. He paid the price. You dont have to try to compete with that. He fulfilled it. So all you people who went to the Mardi Gras Parade, I hope you got plenty of beads and I hope you feel the love from Oasis Church because we love you and desire to prove to our city and region that you are welcome at Oasis Church. Come see us… We came to see you!

I know… there will be extensive continued debate and theological discussion on the aptitude of the atmosphere of the agenda of the spirit of mardi gras and the representation of the blah blah blah. I will not respond to criticism and hate about this. We love you too. Our agenda and vision is to Love God and Love People. In order to do that, the church has to go where people are to show that love instead of just waiting for people to walk into our buildings.

Another note… Easter Weekend is going to be HUGE Gulf Coast!!!!! Saturday of Easter weekend, join us at War Memorial Stadium in Pascagoula for an Easter Egg Drop from a helicopter!!! We will have live music, booths, prizes, coffee, and Easter Eggs!!! I hear the Easter bunny may even be there… Yes… the Easter Bunny for the kids… (We tried to convince him to jump from the helicopter, but he doesnt like that idea… just kidding..)!

And then on EASTER SUNDAY, we will have an Easter Celebration like no other at the Pascagoula High School Gymnasium beginning at 10:00! LET’S Pack the house GULF COAST!!! I hope and pray to see you at both events!!!

I love you… Oasis Church loves you… LET’S BE The Church and make a difference in our Region!! Have a great week!!!

People can say alot about why they do what they do and dont do what they should. We all can come up with excuses very easily. But I have found it interesting in the last several weeks the excuses that I have heard about not attending Church or being involved in Church… Specifically The Church I pastor, Oasis Church Gulf Coast.

I have heard, or read on facebook, where people say they dont have the time to attend the 1 1/2 hour service experience because they have to study, or they are too tired from a hectic week. REALLY? 1 – 1 1/2 hour… a week? Maybe you would do better on that test and get more rest if you actually made yourself available to God for such a short time… just a thought. Interesting because if there was a 2 for 1 special at JC Penny or Kohl’s, or T.J. Maxx we would be there regardless of the time consumed! We offer 2 Service Experiences for your choosing… 9:00am and 11:00am.. Come early or Late… JUST COME!

I have heard people say that the church is all about money… interesting. We rarely even pass a plate at Oasis as we have giving boxes on the walls! In our service experiences no more than 5 minutes MAX is usually discussed about giving in any degree, but yet we are all about money… REALLY? BTW, Jesus spoke on Money in 1/2 of all His Parables because He knew we would have issues about it… It is funny we save up and spend alot of money to go watch a football game, (which by the way, the NFL, is all about MONEY.. just sayin…) and never gripe about the NFL being all about money like we do the church!

I have heard it said that people can’t serve in any area of ministry because they just dont have that extra time during the week… But we will make the time to watch 5 hours of American Idol this past week without a second thought.

I’m not writing this to be on a tangent and I know people are going to want to reply with an excuse filled email on why this doesnt relate to them, and you are welcome to do that and you are also welcome to join the Excuse-Givers club as you do. My heart is actually aching for people to get their priorities in order so Jesus can use them and do more in them and take away the anxiety and the stress and the fear and whatever it may be that you deal with.

He promises to do that very thing when we Draw close to Him… He says He will draw Near to us. That doesnt mean with a Sharpie! His Presence will invade your space when you open the door for Him by making Him your Priority in life. I have seen marriages crumble and lives wither away in stress because all the above mentioned things took more priority in their lives than Making Jesus the Center of it.

Dont make that mistake… Dont make an excuse.

We all can come up with any kind of excuse we want to so that we dont have to do what we know we ought to do and you will continue to swim in this sea of void called life if you dont have Christ as the Center-piece of your life! Jesus said He is THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE… THE LIFE… THE LIFE… That dont just mean ETERNAL LIFE… LIFE ON THIS EARTH in ABUNDANCE He said He came to give. Come back to Him. Give Him the time again He desires so He can do in your heart and life what only He can do!

The Church is a place of refreshing, spiritual growth, and a hospital for those who are sick or lost. There is something special about “The House” when God’s People come and worship Him! There is no perfect church because we are in it! People that is… You can make all the excuses you want as why you wont attend a service or get involved, please dont gripe about life and the hardship thereof when the Answer has already been given… We all need more of that Peace that surpasses all understanding and it only comes from the The Lord… Attend the Life-Giving church of your choice this weekend and allow Jesus to change you from the inside out!  If you dont have a home church, I invite you to Oasis Church Gulf Coast at 9 or 11 Sunday morning! Check us out on Facebook too at this link: Oasis Church Facebook Page.

Have a Great weekend!

I have some thoughts on Change… We change things for the purpose of just changing things sometimes. People ask all the time “Why you changing this or changing that?” My first response, we just want to.

Why is Change important? Too many people are stuck in the routines of life and there is no freshness because of the fear of change. Churches do it because people live that way. It never fails how many negaholics surface when you do something they dont like or understand. Some people just have the spiritual gift of criticism and the only thing that changes when they walk in the room is the mood of the atmosphere!

Jesus was the most Creative being ever. He also embraced change. He shook the world up because of the Message, which was different from what everyone knew. He even communicated with different people differently to be relevant to their specific situation or need.

We change things in the church whether it be the color of the walls, the stage decor, stage props, the seating patterns, the line-up of a service experience, the format of the bulletin, the whatever because too much of the same ole same ole will produce complacency and not appeal to the people the church is called to reach.

Change keeps things fresh… I like fresh. Change creates expectancy and anticipation!

Change is a constant because we should be progressing and advancing God’s Kingdom and in order to do that, you cant do what you have always done, even if it has just been a short time…

Embrace Change and you will Embrace a Changed Life!

What a weekend! At least 23 people made decisions to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior Sunday at the 9 and 11 Service Experiences! We have seen at Oasis over 200 people make decisions for Christ so far this year!! WOW!!! I am TRULY AMAZED!!!

Sunday night I had the great privilege of speaking to the leaders at “The River” (www.myriver.tv) in Semmes, AL with our good friends and spiritual overseers Chris and Melinda Farley. What a great church, great pastors and Amazing Leaders!! To the over 30 Oasis People that made the journey over to support us and be in the service last night, you guys really touched my heart. It was great to see so many Oasis leaders show that kind of support being that The River is nearly an hour away.

Last night also, the Story that WLOX produced on Oasis Church and my friend, Pastor Eric Brown from Lighthouse Church in Moss Point aired last night as well. You can watch that video is you like by following this link: http://www.wlox.com/global/category.asp?c=194069&clipId=5588035&topVideoCatNo=15006&autoStart=true.

I am so amazed at all The Lord is doing right now in His Church! Words cannot be typed in this blog to the overwhelming joy I am feeling to be a part of such a Move of God on this Gulf Coast!

We are planning the Easter Experiences this year and obviously are looking at a larger venue to hold our Easter Celebration on Easter Sunday. Last year we saw over 800 attend our Easter Experiences and are expecting alot more this year. This does come with somewhat of some apprehension on my part though. I am excited about the attendance, dont get me wrong, the apprehension is moving the service outside to a larger venue and not under our roof at Oasis. There is something about being in the House for Easter, However, a larger venue will allow better accommodation for the crowd that will attend that service. The venue we are looking into will seat around 1500 comfortably and is located in the heart of Pascagoula so it is easily accessible. One large service I believe will be better than 4-5 services if we decide to go this route.

We are still planning on the Easter Egg Drop Saturday of Easter weekend at War-Memorial Stadium on the campus of Pascagoula High School. This will be a community event that will now be co-hosted by the City of Pascagoula. My heart for this event is a community-wide Easter Celebration with many other churches and leaders joining us for this momentous opportunity to reach our city!

We have been in a series called “Masquerade” for the past several weeks and there are 3 more messages in this series. The next will be Wednesday night at Refresh and I will be speaking that night and David Copeland will be here next weekend to speak the next one as he will talk on Honor. The Following Wednesday, March 2, Our student Pastor, Will Seymour and the youth culture at Oasis will join with the adults for the conclusion of the Masquerade series on “1st Wednesday”. Dont miss the upcoming week and the amazing talks that are inspired for our church!

Ok… I think I have typed enough… Have a great day!!!

What a Weekend!! Let’s Rewind… WHAT A WEEK!

Personally, this past week has been one of great challenge for me and my family. Sickness has invaded our home with my wife and son both being sick from sinus cold and infection… I seemed to have broken a rib playing basketball last Thursday and in the midst of all the chaos and trouble… We had one of the greatest weekends on record at Oasis Church!

A crowd of close to 600 this past weekend, at least 22 decisions to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and an AMAZING Presence of The Holy Spirit in our 11:00 Experience and a TV interview with another pastor highlighting our churches and the racial segregation still in the American Church! This is not just a story, this is history! It is also the Nielsen Rating story for WLOX that will air next weekend most likely.. stay tuned.

I reflect back on the last 6 years of being on the Gulf Coast and remembering my first year or so here, it is amazing to see how far not only we as a church have come being that we started with 12 people… but after Katrina, there seems to have been somewhat of a unity being established in this area that I believe is going to shape our region for an outpouring of God’s favor, love and empowerment!

I have made so many great connections and friendships have been formed that are life-long. The gentleman that sit on my overseer board are pastors and friends that I have only known since Katrina.

With all that being said, the exposure of this story that will air on WLOX will not only speak volumes for Oasis Church, but I believe the message of unity across racial and ethnic boundaries will help unite this area like never before… especially the Church House.

I reflect on this past year and we witnessed:

The Saints winning the Super Bowl // The Auburn Tigers winning the National Championship // The greatest year of harvest at Oasis Church (over 1000 people got saved!) // the greatest growth percentage wise in our church (150-600+ in 1 year!) // Many marriages restored and I could go on and on…. It was a very special year for me as a pastor seeing that many lives impacted through this ministry, being a faithful Auburn fan, being a Saints fan, relationships that were birthed, and the many other things I could mention… So what does Auburn and The Saints have to do with that greatness and discussion of what God is doing?

Dreams came true. Dreams that were once thought to always be dreams became reality. Hope Arose… Destiny is being unlocked for the followers of Christ who surrender their everything to Him, Husbands and moms and daughters and sons are being saved… And that my friend makes for an amazing Year, but…. I believe even on a larger scale, The Best is yet to Come…. Especially for HIS CHURCH.

Thank you Oasis Church… This is really one special place… Let’s expect greater together!

This past weekend was a very special one for me and for our church. Reports are coming in about the night of worship this past Friday and how it made such an impact on many people’s lives. Saturday we celebrated the wedding of Jason and Amy Warren who have been serving on our staff for quite some time now as an associate pastor of Outreach and Evangelism. A defining moment in their lives.

Sunday, we returned to the 2 worship experiences and we began a new series titled “devoted” that I believe really challenged alot of people in the way they live their lives. The highlight was in the 11:00 Experience, just about 10 minutes into my message, I gave the opportunity for people to accept Jesus and 25 people surrendered their lives to Him! Before the meat of the message was ever preached!!! You’ll be able to see that online at http://oasisonline.tv/354879.ihtml. With all that being said, it was one of those weekends that you remember. A defining moment.

Many lives are touched and changed in just one moment. In just 1 hour, at least 25 people who were far from God walked in the doors of Oasis Church and walked out eternally saved and Knowing Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Defining Moment.

We all have defining moments where the event or events of the moment change us and stick with our memory for a long time. My hope and prayer for you is that you would live your life IN PURPOSE and ON PURPOSE! Make the decision to be “ALL IN” or “devoted” to the will and plan of God in your life and I assure you that you will experience defining moments that will blow you away!

I am so thankful to be a part of such a passionate church at Oasis that are desperate to see lives changed and transformed… Thank you Oasis Church for your faithfulness and your passion! Now say a prayer for me to not have anxiety over my Auburn Tigers tonight in the BCS National Championship Game… Hopefully, a defining moment of Greatness for this team and university!

Have a Great day and WAR EAGLE!

The year started Sunday at Oasis with at least 8 people surrendering their lives to Jesus! That always excites me as I believe the key focus of God’s Church is to win the lost to salvation in Jesus! We ended the year seeing at least 1060 people come to salvation by accepting Jesus Christ!! THAT IS AMAZING! Ok… now for 2011…

Personally, I know The Lord is working on me still as He always does in each of us. There are some definitive changes and directions I feel that I am being led to in my personal life in order to establish better order and also in the vision for our church. I feel as we really took some steps of faith last year to be outside the box, this year will be even more unorthodox. I am believing and expecting for a greater year this year than last year with our church as we make plans for relocation and/or expansion for the benefit of reaching more people in our city and region.

Personally, my focus will be more precise on the most important things in this life. My family and My health. I spoke several months ago on the power of the word “no”. I have really had to learn that sometimes you have to say “no” to the good in order to accomplish and attain the best. And sometimes, you have to just say “no” without having to give explanation. I will be selective in what I commit to and say “yes” to this year as I want to keep my focus and priorities in order.

I am believing this year to be a year of awakening in our city, region, state and nation but I also know that it will first occur in our homes. Let’s have revival! But let not revival be just a service or 2 you attend… let there be revival of your heart and the key priorities in your life so that you can walk out the true purpose and destiny that The Lord has for you this year… I plan on it for myself and my family… Let’s have a great 2011!!!