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This year is a special year for Oak Street Baptist Church. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the opening of our worship center at 744 Oak. It was on this day, August 22, 2004, that Oak Street held her first worship service in the “new” worship center, the very sanctuary we worship in today. I wanted to take the opportunity to mark this blessed and historic day by praising and thanking God for His providence. We know that all things come from the Father’s providential hands. All good gifts (James 1:17), all deliverance (Isaiah 43:2), all abilities and gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11), all resources (1 Chronicles 29:14). God owns all things and gives all things (Psalm 50:10-11, Psalm 24:1). And so, we praise the Lord for the resources of time, money, and effort which brought this worship center into being. I thank God not only the resources, but also for the vision and the will to act, too.
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “wise men plant trees under whose shade they will never sit.” This proverb is abundantly evident in the actions of the wise folks who cast the vision for Oak Street’s future growth. I want to share something from Oak Street’s 75th Anniversary directory. It notes that “in early 2000, the Long Range Planning Committee recommended moving towards the construction of a multi-functional facility to meet the present and future needs of the ministries of OSBC, including corporate worship, fellowship, education, conferences and training.” The longer vision even included more than a worship facility. It included such audacious ideas as a World Missions Training Center, a Job Training Center for welfare recipients and single mothers, and a Prison Release Mentoring Center! Can you imagine that?
Yet, just as in Nehemiah’s day, Oak Street demonstrated that “the people had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6). Funds were generously donated and raised, sometimes in audacious ways. For example, on one occasion, members of the church were given a certain amount of money and asked to seek God’s direction in “multiplying” it back within a month. Ultimately, with a budget of one million dollars, and funds generated from the “Building by Faith” and “Giving From a Thankful Heart” campaigns, Oak Street broke ground on August 25, 2002 on what was called the “Great Commission Factory.” Two years later, almost to the very day, the first Sunday worship was held in the “GCF” on August 22, 2004, debt-free. All glory for this goes to God, and we celebrate His providence!
Today is a special day, but not because of a building. It’s special because of a vision, a purpose, a dream, a goal. God called Oak Street to be bold, daring, courageous, brave, even sacrificial, and she responded faithfully. The Lord is still calling us to boldness and courage today, to go on mission with Him in places we never dreamed we’d go, to serve Him in ways we never dreamed we’d serve, and to give to His kingdom in ways we never imagined we’d be able. But He’s shown us His faithfulness time and again. And this worship center, this “Great Commission Factory,” stands not only as a building in which we assemble on Sunday, but as a monument to His faithfulness when His people act in His name and for His kingdom.
That’s what we continue to celebrate by trusting Him and stepping out in faith today.
-Pastor Cliff Ozmun