Text Box: Youth Ministry

To contact us: 6422 NE Jacksonville Rd. Ocala, Fl 34479

Phone: 352-622-8625, Fax: 352-622-8377

E-mail: mail@oakgriner.org

As the pastor of Oak-Griner Baptist Church, I extend a warm invitation to you. We have a very active youth ministry, youth camps and summer missions opportunities.  In addition, we have annual community events and a strong baseball program for area youth.  For Sunday morning worship, we offer children's church and a nursery.

Text Box: We all need to lean on each other from time to time. I think Keilin (Bottom) is wishing this was not one of those times. Text Box: This is a few of us after a long day helping out at a children’s home. There was a lot of work to do but it’s fun helping out people in need. Text Box: This is one of our games. Usually they have a point to help drive home the topic of the night. Sometimes they are just for fun! Text Box: Chris Fowler “Juggle Boy” explains the Gospel at our community harvest festival. Why give people bread that will not last if we will not introduce them to the Bread of Life? Text Box: We have one major goal at Oak Griner. That is making disciples. A disciple is most easily defined as a follower of Christ. If you are going to be a follower of anyone, you must first be introduced to them. Presenting the Gospel or “Good News” is very important to us. This “Good News” starts with some bad news. The Bible teaches us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Rom 3:23. The consequences of that sin is death. Rom 6:23 But there is good news! Jesus paid for that sin! Jn 3:16. Every person must, on a person by person basis, turn from their sin and trust that Jesus paid for it on the cross. Rom 10:9,10. We present the Gospel in every setting that we do ministry in. There is more. Introducing youth to Jesus is just the first part of making disciples. We encourage youth to attend on Wednesday evenings. This is usually a youth’s entry point. We begin at 6:00 p.m. with a free time. It is a chance for us to get to know each other in a less formal setting. Many people play football, volley ball, basketball or stand and talk. From there we go into a time of corporate worship. This is a time that we sing praises to our Lord. Our youth band is just that. They are Youth. God has led them to use their gifts in this way so it is a very special time. We then move into a time focused on the Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. He has revealed himself to us through it. We do this one of two ways. We usually meet in a large group setting or we will break into small groups. These small groups make discussion a focus. You can get to know each other better and they allow for questions to be asked. On Wednesday evening, be ready to see what God has to say about topics that teens are facing. Sunday Small Groups are the next way we work to build disciples. These are small groups that are split up by age and gender. Sometimes, you just don’t feel comfortable talking about real life issues with your boyfriend or girlfriend sitting next to you. We want to be real. We also want to meet real needs. A church should be there to help you through your struggles. The small group is where you find the best fit for that. This is also where you will develop a better general understanding of the Bible. Sunday Evenings are a time that the youth do their deepest study. The world can be a complex place. It can try to blow you in many different directions. The Live Oak tree has found a great answer for this problem. It sends out roots both deep and wide. My prayer is that you will come put out deep and wide roots here at Oak-Griner Baptist. Text Box: Come hang out with us on some great mission trips and retreats. You will never know what you are missing until you do!

To contact us: 6422 NE Jacksonville Rd. Ocala, Fl 34479

Phone: 352-622-8625, Fax: 352-622-8377

E-mail: mail@oakgriner.org