Oasis Community Church continues to be a refuge

Just shy of its seventh year as a congregation and three years in a new facility, Oasis Community Church holds fast to a commitment to be a refuge for people struggling with life’s difficulties.

At the same time, pastor Ken Luther said the church is experiencing a new sense of mission though focusing on Jesus, prayer and reaching out to others.

“Oasis Community began in a living room in 2009 and from the start wanted to be a refuge,” he said. “It was a place people could be refreshed and healed from the things we all run into in life. For some, it’s even hurts and things we experienced in church. Some people find themselves not wanting to do church anymore. Regardless of the source, we’ve always wanted Oasis to be a safe place where people can let God do his thing in their lives without our judgment.”

Luther said that’s led the church to prioritize letting people be themselves in the process, just as he’s experienced himself.

“I’ve experienced drug addiction, a broken life and a broken marriage that God miraculously put back together,” Luther said. “I think some people appreciate a pastor who’s been through things and suffered a lot of what they may be going through. I know both sides.”

Luther said he annually posts his testimony on Facebook and gets calls from people wanting to talk.

“These things are rampant and tear people apart,” he said. “But God can meet you right where you are, love you right where you are and draw you to himself to do good in your life no matter what you’ve been through. Realizing that blew me away. I’d only known of a god who was angry and wanted to punish me. But in Jesus, God showed he wants to love and restore us and that he’s perfectly able to do it no matter the cost.”

That’s why Luther said he’s excited about a focus at the church this summer on Jesus as the means of refuge and restoration.

“Everything is about him,” he said. “He has to be our foundation or it’s all in vain. The message we have is Jesus and that can never change no matter what topic we’re talking about is. This summer we’ve started a Sunday series based on the Gospel of John, Chapter 1: All About Jesus!”

Luther said the church is also experiencing a new commitment and enjoyment of prayer together.

“We meet Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. and honestly, I think I’d be happy if more people came to prayer than to our Sunday meetings,” he said. “I can truly sense a difference from it in our services and the church as a whole. People have seen wonderful answers to prayer and I’ve personally sensed a greater awareness of Jesus in every part of my day. I think we’re experiencing a new brokenness throughout the church and a willingness to simply follow him in whatever he wants for us. In scripture when you see a move of God’s spirit, it’s after prayer. We don’t have an agenda, we’re simply seeking him.”

Luther said Oasis Community is a nondenominational church with members from a variety of backgrounds. As such, he said Oasis may look like a mutt, “but mutts make the best dogs.”

From its early days in a living room, Oasis moved in 2010 to a facility in a Byron industrial park. In August 2013, they moved to their current facility on Walker Road. In fact, at that time they merged with Lifepointe Church, the congregation that was meeting there.

“That’s worked out well,” Luther said. “We’ve done a lot of remodeling physically at the building and there naturally were some struggles with the merger initially, but the transition was good for both of us. Now we’re truly one congregation. Our remodeling led to creating a cafe area where we serve breakfast — not just coffee but a real breakfast — Sundays at 10 a.m. prior to our 10:30 service. It’s great for families.”

Luther said the church’s children’s ministry is vitally important and that he’s happy to announce this week that Kirstyn Adams, a long-time member, is becoming Oasis’ new children’s pastor.

He expressed equal pride in the church’s youth group led by Travis and Kyndal Herndon.

“Of course, we put a lot of importance on our nursery as well and I’m really excited about our men’s ministry that meets one Saturday a month for breakfast, too. Sometimes that’s followed by a work day.”

In addition, Luther said the church has a great love for the people of Uganda.

“It costs $9,000 to dig a fresh water well in Uganda, which is a huge need there,” he said. “So far, through ongoing efforts we’ve been able to get three wells dug. Plus, Joe and Robin Booker, who are part of our church, are in training and will be going as missionaries to Uganda in January.”

Speaking of his own life and the life of Oasis Community, Luther keeps coming back to Jesus and grace.

“Grace is a doctrine of the church but it’s more than that,” he said. “Grace is a person — it’s Jesus. Grace is something you see in other people, like when a life is changed, like when an addict is changed and their life becomes a joy instead of a tragedy because Jesus is alive and his people express his love to others. That’s what we want to do in Byron.”

This story was originally published July 1, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Oasis Community Church continues to be a refuge."