After over 7 years of serving in full-time ministry in LaGrange, GA, Wesley and Jessica Weatherford stepped out on nothing but faith and began pursuing the destiny that God had placed on their lives. After sensing for a great deal of time the strong desire to plant a church, they stopped using the excuses of Why? Where? and How? And came to the conclusion of Why Not? Why Not step out on faith like Jonathan did in 1 Samuel 14 and countless numbers of men and women have throughout history? Why Not leave the comfort and safety of where they are to pursue the uncertainty of where God is taking them? Why Not trust God and believe that He will do amazingly incredible things in them and through them? Understanding that the story is not about any of us, but that it's about Christ, they are striving to become great storytellers of the awesomeness of Him.
When Wesley and Jessica left LaGrange they had a desire to Pastor a church with a passion to change the lives of people from all walks of life. After arriving in Augusta they started connecting with people of like heart and like passions and formed a team of people willing to pay the price of what it takes to plant an amazing church. And the journey began and it continues...
Loving God... Loving People...
At Oasis we are passionate about the things that Jesus was passionate about. When His disciples asked Him what was the greatest commandment, in Matthew 22:37-39, He made it very clear...
The Great Commandment...
"Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus goes on to say in verse 40, that all of the prophets and the law hang on these two things...
At Oasis not only are we very passionate about the great commandment, but we are equally committed to The Great Commission...
The Great Commission...
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching the to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20
Our mission is to Love God and Love People... And if we do that then we will "Be and Build Disciples of Christ, and therefore fulfill The Great Commandment and The Great Commission.
About God...
We believe in one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and are one God. (Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7)
About the Bible...
We believe that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments combined constitute the Holy Bible. We believe in the Bible as God’s only inspired, inerrant and authoritative revelation of Himself to man in written form. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. (Psalm 19:7; II Timothy 3:16-17)
About Jesus Christ...
We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1), His virgin birth (Matthew 1:18), His sinless life (II Corinthians 5:21), His miracles (Acts 10:38), His death on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men (I John 2:2), His bodily resurrection from the dead (Luke 24:39), His ascension to Heaven at the right hand of God as our Intercessor (Hebrews 4:14), His personal return to escort believers into heaven and eternal life (I Thessalonians 4:16-18), and finally to establish the kingdom of God upon the earth (Revelation 20:6).
About Man...
We believe that mankind was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), but because of Adam’s fall to sin, man is born with a corrupt nature that separates him from God. We believe that all have sinned and fallen short of the mark of God’s glory and therefore need salvation (Romans 3:23).
About Salvation...
We believe that man can only be saved by the new birth that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. This is the only means of receiving eternal life. This is a gift from God and cannot be earned. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life as Savior. (Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9)
About Sanctification...
We believe in the process of spiritual development (sanctification) in a believer’s life by the Holy Spirit. This work is both instantaneous and progressive. It begins the moment a person is saved and continues throughout life. This progression involves daily dying to sin and living righteously (Romans 6:1-23), finds expression in a holy life (Hebrews 12:24), and will find its culmination at the return of Christ (I John 3:2). Holiness is God’s standard of living for His people.
About the Fullness of God's Spirit...
We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an endowment of power for all believers (Acts 2:4, 38-39; 10:44-46; 19:1-6; Ephesians 5:18). This baptism results in a deeper expression of spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), a greater growth in Christ-likeness (II Corinthians 3:18), a genuine manifestation of spiritual gifts including faith, miracles, speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance, wisdom, and divine healings (I Corinthians 12:1-11). These gifts are meant to glorify God and to be exercised in love.
About Baptism and the Lord's Supper...
We believe in the sacraments of the church established by Jesus Christ our Lord; the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-30; I Corinthians 11:23-26) and baptism in water by immersion as a symbol and witness of the new birth (Matthew 28:19; I Peter 3:20-22).
About the Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection from the dead: first, the righteous unto eternal life and second, the ungodly unto eternal damnation (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:4-6;11-15).
To Connect People To God, Self & Others...
Our mission is to Love God and Love People, which is found in Matthew 22:37-39... We also find in those same verses three relationships in our lives... Our relationship with God, Our relationship with Self & Our relationship with Others...
Think about the ministry of Jesus for a moment. He came here to start a movement with none of the things we now consider “necessities” for building a ministry. He had no budget. He had no buildings. He had no board of directors. He had no denominational backing. He lacked technology and equipment. He had no email, no internet, or a big screen projector. Yet Jesus launched a ministry that is still multiplying to this day.
We want to continue that ministry... Jesus helped people be rightly related to God, rightly related to self and rightly related to others. We want to do the same.
We do that through the following process...
Christ's Four-Step Methodology:
Step ONE:
From The Culture to the Crowd
“The Come and See” Step
{John 1:39}
CULTURE - The Unbelieving World needs to be invited to the “crowd” by a simple invitation: “Come and See”
Step TWO:
From the Crowd to the Community
“The Come and Follow Me” Step
{John 1:43}
CROWD - The corporate gathering of people that attends a church service to worship God and bring their friends to an environment where God is genuinely experienced. However, the people in the crowd need to experience life in the context of Christian fellowship. We invite those in the crowd to join with us in community by another simple invitation: “Come and Follow Me”
Step THREE:
From the Community to the Core
“The Come and Remain in Me” Step
{John 15:7-8}
COMMUNITY - Experiencing community at Oasis is primarily accomplished through our small group ministry known as “OC Groups.” OC Groups are small groups of adults that meet twice a month in one another’s homes for the purpose of fellowship. Although this is a big step toward doing life the way Jesus did, those in community can go deeper by committing to be one of the core disciples by accepting the invitation to “Come and Remain.”
Step FOUR:
From the Core to the Called
“The Come and Go Out” Step
{John 20:21}
CORE - The most focused strategy for discipleship and personal growth at Oasis is called IMPACT. IMPACT discipleship groups are gender-specific groups of 4-6 that meet weekly for the sole purpose of helping one another grow deeper in discipleship. When a person in the core accepts the challenge to “Come and Go Out,” they choose to become a multiplying disciple through ministry. They are then the CALLED.
CALLED - The ministers of a multiplying movement of disciples.
- Authenticity:
We are imperfect people serving a perfect God. We are genuine & authentic in every thing that we do.
- Love:
We will encourage, accept, care for and show genuine love to each other and our community.
- Relevance:
We believe God speaks to us through His word and gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us. We are committed to make sure our ministries are relevant to our society and culture today.
- Creativity:
Our God is creative and we are created in His image, therefore we are creative beings. We are passionate about communicating the truth of Christ in creative and innovative ways.
- Prayer:
Prayer is a connection key in every relationship. It strengthens our relationship with God and one another. At Oasis, we believe in praying together, in order that we might hear and know God's voice and leading in our lives, as well as our church family.
- Change:
Life is always changing and we know change is necessary for our continual growth and discipleship. We are convinced how we do church must change with the culture in order to reveal the relevance of God's word. We must always be growing in ministry excellence to be affective in the real world. Methods will constantly change, but the message of Christ stays the same.
- Service:
Greatness in life comes through serving and loving others. We know life is about serving others, not ourselves. God has shaped each of us in specific ways with natural and supernatural gifts to serve Him and expand His kingdom. At Oasis, we are not spectators we are servants.
WE BELIEVE that people interested in membership at Oasis, do not just want to join an organization but desire to be a part of the Oasis Family. We desire that every member of Oasis Church:
- regularly attend worship services
- belong to and participate in a Life Group
- find a place to serve faithfully
- support the church financially
- protect the unity of the church
- strive to grow spiritually
Every member of Oasis Church must receive Christ as their Savior and leader of their life, publicly demonstrated in baptism, and must also go through the Oasis New Member Orientation Class.
Oasis Orientation is held quarterly and is led by Pastor Wesley. This orientation serves as a great resource of information and a chance to find out more about Oasis Church. Call or e-mail the church office to get registered for the next Oasis Orientation Class.
For more information contact our offices at 706.333.8494 or by emailing us at info@myoasis.tv