Eric Camp

en·ter·tain
–verb (used with object)
1. to hold the attention of pleasantly or agreeably; divert; amuse.
2. to have as a guest; provide food, lodging, etc., for; show hospitality to.

Each and every time there are people that gather in our services, events or just congregate in our auditoriums, it is our job as pastors and church leaders to ENTERTAIN them!

I know, I know… I can hear the flack now! “ENTERTAIN??? It is not about Entertainment!!!” Well, actually, a part of it is. Look at the definition of the word. The Entertain means to hold ones attention, and it says to have as a guest… Hopefully in our churches we are having lost people show up each time we gather and as we gather, it is our job as the leaders of the service experiences or whatever to HOLD THEIR ATTENTION.

Why is this important? The Gospel should be preached and taught in a very creative, applicable, unadulterated way and if that be the case, and if we want to be more like Jesus, WE MUST HOLD THEIR ATTENTION! Which means, we must ENTERTAIN them! If they are attentive, especially those far from God, they are more likely to accept what you are saying and receive Jesus!

Much debate has been had over this and most of us have heard the old religious clichés that it is not about fun and games, not about entertainment, not about on and on and on and on… AND, their churches probably arent growing and they are probably not reaching people far from God.

Im not saying you put on a mask and perform a one-legged dance… I’m saying that if you are in front of people, you must ENGAGE them with what you are doing… If you are leading Praise and worship, doing a human video, playing an instrument, doing announcements, etc… If you are on the platform, YOU MUST ACT LIKE YOU WANT TO BE THERE! Also, you must SMILE and have some ENTHUSIASM!

ENTHUSIASM is the 1st Thing I look for when hiring staff or assigning leaders over a dept. We must be CONTAGIOUS and COMPELLING… Why? Jesus said so! That is enough for me!

We are attempting to HOLD THEIR ATTENTION or to CAPTIVATE them into GOD’S WORD or into the time of worship whether it be by song or drama and that is a mandate and the protocol from this point on at Oasis if you are going to take the platform for any reason because we are called and commissioned to reach the lost and compel people to come in and I take that very seriously… I hope that you will do the same!

Merry Christmas guys! Love you all greatly! Looking forward to a great Christmas Experience tomorrow night for those that are in the Oasis Family and for everyone, Have a great amazing week!!!!

Yesterday at Oasis Church we held the 1st 2 Christmas Experiences that we are going to do for the year and witnessed between 600-700 people attend and at least 15 surrender their lives to Jesus! It was a special day, as it always is. This year, we stepped out of the box a little with a different type Christmas Experience that offered such a variety of creative elements that everyone attending would have been able to take something with them that appealed to their liking.

We understand that when it comes to reaching people, you have to reach them where they are in life. Sunday Services or Experiences are not and should not be thought of as a time for just the believers to gather and feel good about themselves because they are in church! It should be, and is at Oasis, a place of Hope, A place of acceptance, a place of healing and most importantly, a place of refuge for those who are far from God to find shelter in Christ and surrender their lives to Him. We strategically do all we can to reach the lost in our Sunday Experiences.

Yesterday’s Christmas Experiences came with much pressure and hard pressing for those involved… the staff, the creative arts leaders and team members, technical team, worship team, EVERYONE! It never ceases to amaze me that tension surfaces and division is attempted when something of such kingdom impact is about to be birthed. We saw many opportunities for those things to arise yesterday in the inner workings of different ministries, but we have to learn as believers that then enemy knows the impact that is going to be had and he will attempt to cause these things in order to bring distraction and disunity to corrupt and disrupt the move of God that is going to take place.

This has been the story of Oasis all year. I am so thankful and humbled by all The Lord is doing at this church. Just this year, there have been over 1000 people surrender their lives to Christ and the church is growing at a rapid pace. Anyone in leadership or participating in any area of ministry that is going to impact lives needs to understand this tactic the enemy uses to bring division to better protect your heart from biting that bait.

For all you Oasis people that made yesterday happen… THANK YOU!!!! Let’s do it again Wednesday!!!! (without the problems! lol)

We take a no-nonsense approach and zero tolerance to these kind of things because we arent going to give any room for it to interrupt what The Lord is doing and wanting to do in the Worship Experiences. Nothing personal. We just dont play those games because there is so much at stake. People are going to be impacted and many who are not believers are having their heart spoken to and their lives are being weighed in the balance at every Experience and our heart is to see those who are far from God, accept and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior above all else! It is never really about us, He just uses us!

With all that being said, to be transparent for a few minutes of blogging, there will always be skeptics, there will always be naysayers, there will always be neg-aholics and there will always be people who think they can do things better than those doing it, whatever it may be… That’s life. Maintaining unity is a fight that we all are involved in, sometimes on a daily basis. That is why if JESUS is truly the center of it, He will be the glue to keep it. Keep eyes on HIM and honor His authority and You will surely grow and gain much more influence. I deal with this on a daily basis and I have to say, I have a weakness when it comes to negativity. I dont deal with it well… I hate it… Pray for me… lol!!

The days we are in as THE CHURCH are the days that HE is pouring out HIS Spirit like never before and we are witnessing a harvest of souls unlike any other time in History… Savor the time… Savor the Opportunities… LIVE the LIFE and you will HONOR and GLORIFY HIM who has called you!

So the day after Christmas Service Experiences… What are my thoughts?

The most important thing of all that was done is that at least 15 people surrendered their lives to Jesus and now they KNOW HIM as Savior and regardless of all else… that is what it was all about!

Join us Wednesday night at the Pascagoula Recreation Center for the 3rd Christmas Experience and coffee and dessert… It all begins at 6:30! I’m praying for more people to be drawn into His Presence and discover His Amazing Grace and begin a relationship with Him… would you pray with me and agree for that?

Have a great week all!! Merry Christmas!

Ok… so this past weekend was one of the most AMAZING weekends I can remember!!! Packed house in both worship Experiences, 42 total salvations, conclusion of the “Sun Stand Still” series, and witnessed an entire family give their hearts to Christ!!! WOW!

I am so pumped about all The Lord is doing at Oasis I can’t really put into words enough to blog about it…

I wanted to thank all the staff, team leaders and all the Oasis Family for your faithfulness in dedication to the vision because we are truly seeing it happen!! The best part is that it is all just getting started!

Christmas series starts this weekend at 9 and 11 and the Christmas Service Experiences will be the 19th at 9 and 11.

Anyway, alot of talk about Christmas already, but I want to encourage you to not neglect Thanksgiving… Truly give Thanks this week To The Lord for all He has blessed you with… I know I am…

I hope and pray that all of you that are reading this blog will have a wonderful, grateful Thanksgiving and May there be many blessings on you and your family this holiday season!

Until next time…

I have been in a wave of reflections the past couple of days in almost every area of my life. It is amazing to me all that has happened in the last 6 years, but mostly in the past year!

Christmas is already here and it seems like I can remember like it was a month or so ago shopping for Christmas last year! Time just flies!!!

So, yea, back to reflections… I have an amazing wife and son, a great family and the most outstanding church family that any man could ask for! I look back to 5 years ago when David Copeland and I were standing under that yellow and white tent after Katrina holding worship services for the 20-25 people that could make it as we renovated the facilities of Oasis Church… Boy, what a humble beginning!

I look back over my family the past 5 years and all that has happened and transitions that have been made and opportunities that have surfaced and the abundance of God’s favor and blessing that has flowed on me and my family and then I reflect on a church that started with about 12 people that now runs 500-600 people on the weekends that sees people getting saved EVERY SINGLE WEEK and I am just in awe and amazement of the Love of our God!!!!

I could go on and on, but being as I tend to ruffle feathers with these blogs, I dont want anyone to think I am bragging or boasting or offering some prideful stat for the world to see… if you really know me, you know I am bringing all Glory to HIM as it is only by His favor, direction, and might do I have anything in my life!!

So what is the point in writing this page today? Well… hmmmm…. I just felt like it… Being my personal blog page, I just wanted to boast a minute about Jesus and His favor and blessings in my life as we gear up for Thanksgiving next week, I just wanted to write this Blog…. to Him… Thank you Lord… I am truly thankful and humbled that you have blessed me with all that You have! I cant wait for another year making a difference on the Mississippi Gulf Coast!!!!

Good day!

We started the “Sun Stand Still” series this past weekend at the 9:00 and the 11:00 Experiences and one word… WOW!!! We witnessed at least 24 people give their lives to Christ!!!! Nathan Sam did a great job leading praise and worship and the kickoff of this series proved that it is going to be a lasting impact message series!!!

We have scheduled the remainder of the year on teaching series and are already gearing up for the Christmas series that will start the last Sunday of November/first of December.

I am very excited about all that is going on at Oasis Church! So many lives are being transformed and changed… it is AMAZING!!!

Come join the movement at Oasis Church on the Mississippi Gulf Coast! Amazing things are happening!!!

Have a great week!!!

I will start by saying THANK YOU to all the OASIS people that gave to bless me and my family for Pastor Appreciation! You guys are amazing and I love being your pastor!!!! I am honored with your generosity and blessed by your giving! I love what The Lord is doing in each of you and in our church as a whole! Stay the course!!!

We concluded the “Toxic” Series yesterday morning at Oasis Church with the Message on “Toxic Religion”. The DVD sets will be on sale in Higher Grounds this week if you would like a DVD set of the series. You can also email our media dept. at media@oasisonline.tv to order a set as well.

The Highlight of the weekend was seeing at least 14 people surrender their lives to Jesus!!! That just never gets Old and blesses me more and more each week to see people giving their Hearts to Christ!!!!

Last night at Encounter was a great time as well with Robby Myrick and our band leading Praise and Worship to a crowd that represented at least 5 other ministries in our city!!! WALLS ARE DEFINITELY FALLING!!!

There were people in attendance from 5 different churches in our city and region coming together to Worship The Lord and Fellowship with one another!!! There is definitely a MOVE OF GOD that is happening on the Mississippi Gulf Coast!!

First Wednesday is this Wednesday night and “Sun Stand Still” Starts Sunday morning at 9 and 11am. I encourage all of you to invite someone to church with you Sunday morning… DONT FORGET, The time FALLS BACK 1 hour and you get an extra hour of sleep!!!!

Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all this week sometime!

It is so cool to me to see how so many lives are being impacted and transformed through Oasis Church recently. I am very Excited about the future of Oasis! As the numbers have increased and the church has been growing, I have been asked alot of questions by people new to our church and some not so new… I want to post some of these questions and answers here on this blog for your reading enjoyment… 🙂  Some of these are personal and others are about the church…

What kind of Church is Oasis? We are a life-giving inter-denominational church! We dont believe in labels! People from every denominational background is represented at Oasis! Our focus is to reach the un-churched and youth culture of our region.

Why does Oasis have such a diversity of Music styles for Praise and Worship? We dont want to get caught in one particular style. We like diversity because people are diverse. Some weeks it will be very “rock” sounding, others it might have more of a “jazz” or “Indie” sound. We like diversity and Change!

How old is Pastor Eric? I AM 32!!! yay! So is my wife.. TOMORROW!

How do you become a leader at Oasis or serve in an area of ministry? Fill out a connection card and tell us where you want to serve! We encourage you to attend GROWTH TRACK as well.

Where is Pastor Eric before Services start? This is funny, I have been asked this so many times… I stay in the Green Room back stage or in my office before it is time for me to come out. I do this so my focus can be delivering the message and guarding my heart from anything that could divert what I believe The Lord wants to do or say in the Message that day.

How would I get to meet Pastor Eric personally? After the 11:00 Service Experience my wife and all the staff go to Higher Grounds to meet everyone and to fellowship and talk with all who are up there… I highly encourage you to come on up to Higher Grounds after the 11:00 service time.

I have heard people say that Oasis is not a “religious” church… what does that mean? GOOD QUESTION! Jesus didnt come for us to have Religion. Religion actually means “bondage”. We dont do the politics and religious actions of man. We stick to the Life of Christ as our guide and model for ministry. We want people to see JESUS not Religion! In fact, This Sunday morning I will be talking about TOXIC RELIGION.. you really ought to come out for that message!

These are some of the many questions that have been asked via email, letter, or facebook in the past couple of weeks… In order to stay transparent and answer your questions, I invite you to ask what you want on this blog, through email or facebook and I will answer them as soon as I can!

Oasis has grown to over 600 people and alot of people are wanting to know more about the ministry and even personally want to know more about me, my family and the staff and leaders of Oasis.. please post them and I will answer… Alot of answers can be found on the OasisOnline.tv website as well…

Thanks for reading!!!

Last week was a great week!! The Fair was in town and we went several times to enjoy the Gumbo and let Ethan ride some of the rides and we also got to see many people that we know that we dont get to talk to much on regular occasion.

Friday night for me and Toni is always date night if nothing comes up and Saturday was Ethan’s Birthday party at the house. We kept it small and mostly family and kids he goes to school with. It is amazing that he is already 8 years old! I REMEMBER 8!!! Anyway, my Auburn Tigers beat LSU to then become the #1 team in the BCS, (WHICH MAKES ME VERY NERVOUS!!!), but very proud of such an accomplishment by this team… This football season is turning out to be one of the most exciting ones I can ever remember…

To cap off the week, the Worship Experiences at Oasis this past weekend were totally OFF THE CHAIN!!! 2 great worship Experiences and talks on “toxic words” and at least 15 people giving their lives to CHRIST! Amazing!!! We almost set a regular Sunday attendance record as there were almost 500 in total attendance Sunday! GREAT DAY!!! I am very excited at all that is happening at Oasis and on the Gulf Coast!!!

Next Sunday we complete the TOXIC series with “toxic religion”. You really dont want to miss this one!!!

In November we start the “Sun Stand Still” series based on the book by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. This book highly inspired me and I know it is a NOW Word for the church as we will be preaching a 3-4 part message series on the same topic. Join us beginning November 7th at 9 and 11… Invite people!!!!

Encounter is coming up Sunday night… You really should be at that meeting as well… Just sayin…

I think you are up to date on most of what is going through my mind and the upcoming events around the corner, Have a GREAT week and I look forward to seeing you guys this week and / or next weekend!!!

WHAT A WEEKEND!!! I celebrated my 32nd birthday on Saturday with my amazing family and watched my Auburn Tigers beat Arkansas to become a top 5 ranked team for first time since 2004 and then there was Sunday…

At Oasis Sunday in the 2 worship experiences we witnessed at least 17 people give their hearts to Jesus as we are in this series titled “toxic”!! THAT NEVER GETS OLD!!!! I love to see people surrender their lives to CHRIST… that is what it is all about!!! I spoke on “toxic relationships” and will continue for the next 2 weeks in the same series.

Well, how about last night at New Covenant Church in Moss Point? One Word… WOW! First of all, Pastor Jerry Thompson and his team and church members were so honorable, loving and more of a blessing to me and our Oasis family than words can describe. There was history made last night as we came together as ONE Church, diverse in so many ways, to worship the ONE TRUE GOD and bring Glory to HIS NAME! A dream of mine came true as well… I have always had a dream to preach in a predominately African-American Church and Words cannot express to you the honor and anointing that was in that place! JESUS WAS HONORED!!!

What I love the most is that all these labels and division that man has created through the years, especially in Mississippi and Alabama, all those walls are falling and history is sure being made as the lines of division are becoming more and more blurred!!! I personally dont believe in labels and divisions in God’s Church. I dont believe in white churches, black churches, red churches, green churches, poor churches, rich churches, etc… I BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH! HIS CHURCH!

For the Oasis folks that attending this service and supported this venture, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! You dont know how proud I was and am for you all that took time to come and not just support me in speaking there, but to support this ministry and venture as we are witnessing before our very eyes such a great moment and season in history! I believe there is a greater day amongst us and even greater things to come as THE CHURCH unites UNDER JESUS for HIS GLORY!

Anyway, with all that being said, Oasis… Toni and I are so grateful for you! We have witnessed over 800 people come to Christ THIS YEAR and over 3500 in the last 3 years!!! WOW!!!! Let’s keep it up and keep inviting our lost friends and loved ones because the HARVEST is NOW!!! Have a great week!!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

What a great weekend we had at Oasis Church this past weekend. At least 27 people surrendered their lives to Jesus!!! We had 3 Worship Experiences this past weekend with the 9 and 11 AM and ENCOUNTER night which was GREAT!!!! The video can be seen on the OasisOnline.tv Media page if you would like to watch.

Change is sure in the air! Change is a good thing. The only constant in our churches should be change. We should change for the sake of making greater impact and more difference in our city and region that The Lord has called us to. I have learned that for here in Pascagoula and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

For some time we kept praying, serving, preaching, teaching and didnt see or experience a whole lot of change or difference. Then, all of a sudden, in 1 year we go from an average attendance to 100+ to over 500+ on Sunday mornings, we are in the Schools praying before the school day begins in Pascagoula, Gautier and Moss Point High Schools, we have witnessed over 800 people saved in that same time frame and we have added 3 full-time staff members, opened a full-service coffee shop that is open during the week and are evaluating a possible relocation! WOW! Talk about fast! Talk about.. WOW!

I have heard so many people say this, especially some of my ARC (association of related churches) mentors, when you grow larger, YOU MUST CONTINUE to grow SMALLER as well. That takes an understanding from everyone involved. I know things are a little different today than they were a couple of years ago, things are done a little different, but that is good because it is not all about one person or one group of people anyway, it is about EVERYONE finding their purpose and destiny in The Body of Christ and it takes all of us enlisted as the army of God to see that come to fruition with people. That is why Relationships are so important. More so than classroom time. Yes, I said it… we need more connection and less classroom instruction. Why? People leave a classroom or meeting and have a false sense of accomplishment when true Biblical accomplishment and success doesnt come until you allow your life to influence other lives for Jesus!

At Oasis we have small groups, “Savour” women’s meetings once a quarter, “MUG” (Man-Up Gathering) for men, Growth Track each Sunday night, “SoLo Singles Ministries that will be starting soon,  and many many other areas and opportunities for you to connect… so Get Connected!

I say all that to say that The Lord is moving in our churches today because He is taking His bride to the place of destiny and purpose that She exists for. The Reach people with The Life-Changing message of Christ! If you stay faithful, you stay true, He will open the flood gates and give you greater influence and greater anointing and greater blessing! Dont give up! Whoever you are… DONT GIVE UP! Greater days are coming and the resistance and dryness you may be feeling, that is because there is a flood gate about to open for you if you dont give up faith and hope! There is always a battle before a breakthrough!

In closing, I am so pumped for the rest of this year and even for the new year that is not too far away… I Believe The Church will become an even greater force of influence if it stays humble and faithful!

Let’s pull together as “The Church” to make a greater impact in our city and region!!!