Weekend of December 23+24

Christmas at Five oaks

We hope you'll make space in your Christmas celebration to soak in the glory of Christ's birth at any of our five worship services: December 23, 3 & 4:30 pm; December 24, 9 and 10:30 am, and 12 pm. We will have children's programming for kids from birth through first grade available at all five Christmas services. 


Three ways to connect as adults in the New Year
Being part of a church is always more fulfilling when we know people. To help simplify options to connect with others, here are three ways:
1. Visit a small group or two in January and stay with the best fit until summer. No long term commitment, just meeting new people! Get started here.
2. Try our women’s ministry. You can do a once-a-month event or an every week study. Enjoy food, fellowship, and great discussion that really matters. Review the options here.
3. Try our men’s ministry. Weekly meeting on Wednesday evening or Saturday morning. Or, meet some new people at our Men’s Summit weekend, January 26-28. (Details and registration for Summit can be found here.)

Upcoming in Five Oaks Students
We had a lot of fun celebrating Christmas with students this week. We're now on a short break; our next youth group is January 17. Meantime, register now for our snow tubing event on January 6. Questions? Email students@fiveoakschurch.org. 

Helping kids find their place in the Story of God
Each weekend, the children in Five Oaks Kids worship together, pray together, and grow in their knowledge of the Bible. We open our Bibles every week with kids in Kindergarten and up. If you would like to be a part of this ministry we invite you to observe a classroom and see if we can find the right fit for you. Whether you want to serve each week or sub when you can, we have many different roles available from teaching to helping behind-the-scenes mid-week. Curious? Email Kelly Bauman for more info.

Looking for peace in your finances?
Finances can be stressful. We all want to use our money wisely. And ideally, we want to use our resources as best we can to be a blessing to those around us. If you’d like to find more freedom within your budget, join Financial Peace University, a class hosted at Five Oaks starting January 21. We’ll look at financial principles found in the Bible so you can reduce monetary stress and enjoy peace of mind. Want more info? Put “FPU” on your connect card or go to www.fiveoaks.church/FPU.

Need to run off some steam?
With the weather turning colder, it can be hard to find ways to burn energy as a family. Consider signing up for Family Gym Hours at Five Oaks during the holiday season, December 18-January 5. We have select hours available on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays for our Five Oaks families. Families may sign up for an hour of time to play together – you pick the activity. Interested or have questions? Email Laura-Paige Albert to sign up.

Serve a meal at Dorothy Day
If you’d like to make a difference to our neighbors in St. Paul, join us to prepare and serve a meal at the Dorothy Day Center on Jan 6, 9:30 am-1:15 pm. Interested? Email Cindy & Tim Wiant, Wiynts4riverfalls@gmail.com . Tim and Cindy will get back to you with confirmation of your spot on our team for this date. Volunteers need to be at least 13 years old.

Thank you for your generosity! 
Our Impact ministry promoted two donation opportunities during December. The first was the shoe drive through Shoe Away Hunger in partnership with Good in the Hood. Our generous Five Oakers donated 545 pairs of shoes! Our other project was the Kids Hope USA Giving Tree. This opportunity raised 58 gifts for families in need at Woodbury Elementary and over $2,100 in financial support for students! Way to be a blessing, Five Oaks! Thank you for your generosity to our neighbors in need.

INFO SESSIONS - Panama Mission Trip - Summer 2024 

If you are interested in learning more about our plans to serve in Panama in July 2024, please join us for one of these information sessions:

  • January 6, 2024, 5:45 pm - In the Commons (outside the gym)

  • January 7, 2024 10:15 am - Room 101

This mission trip is open to everyone 18 years+ and families with middle school aged students and up.  We plan to serve alongside the Word of Life Panama missionaries and will be partnering with Filter of Hope and the local church to share the gospel & water filtration systems with Panamanian families.

Are you a pray-er? Want to serve your church from home?
Did you know that we receive upwards of 30 prayer requests each weekend? From trials to triumphs, we are honored to lift up these requests week in and out. The Prayer Card Team is currently looking for more help in sending handwritten cards to those in our church body who are in need of prayer. Commitment is twice a month, all from the comfort of your own home. For more info, email Kelsey Vang at kvang@fiveoakschurch.org.

Want to grow as a leader?

In the workplace, the church, and home? Join Pastor Henry for an 8-week biblically grounded leadership course designed for transformation, not just gaining information. Sundays at 7:00-8:20 am staring in January. Registration and info here. Questions? Email office@fiveoakschurch.org.

Welcome new members!
Tyler Clare
Karen & Moses Cooper
Dan & Tina Eggum
Blake & Annika Olinyk
Troy & Lori Mower
Blake & Madison Trygestad
Michael & Jasmine Wessner
Ryan & Deb Wyss

New member candidates
Kurt & Marianne Peterson