Today, Sunday, October 18, 2009, we said so long for now to a dear friend and brother, Bruce King. The service presented a wonderful celebration of Bruce’s life. Multiple people, many who had never met until the service, worked together in a symmetry that gave evidence that God was the mastermind at work. Indeed, God was there ministering to and through the hundreds that came to share. It was bigger than any human undertaking and God was glorified in this whole process.

As I milled around and visited friends of Bruce after the service I could see radiance and joy in their faces. Bruce’s death is a great loss to his family, friends, and to Oasis as a body. Still, in the midst of this loss, there was joy. When I looked in the kitchen of the Meadow Glade church I saw a flurry of activity as a seemingly endless supply of food was supplied by cheerful women and men to literally hundreds of visitors. I saw in this act of service Oasis shining brightly as the body of Christ taking care of the physical and spiritual needs of seeking people. Once again I have witnessed the action of the “biggest little church” I have ever seen in action. Though we are small, God has given Oasis a big heart, dare I say His own.

I am grateful that, in their grief and loss, Julie and her family were beautifully supported by the love we have for them. It was no small thing that the sisterhood of churches was also represented by the generosity of the Meadow Glade Church in lending their ample facilities to our use. (Even to the idiosyncrasies of Oasis style hospitality)

Today the hope of the resurrection seemed just a little brighter to me; the excitement of being a part of such a group as Oasis all the more cherished, the reality of an eternal Creator God to serve all the more certain.

My heartfelt thanks go out to all who gave so generously of their time, hearts, and substance in this special calling. Well done good and faithful servants.

Shalom,