Partnerships

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The Maseno Project

“The experience and project are summed up for me in one word: Hope.”

The Maseno Project was set up six years ago after members of a North London church visited the Maseno District of Kenya. During their visit they noticed that the area comprised of hundreds of tiny plots of land, that poor farming methods were being used, that crops were sparse and so people had little to eat and that many of the men who would traditionally have worked the land had left to work in local towns. Migration to the towns meant that families were separated.

The team from North London felt that God was telling them to start Farm Schools to transform the lives of people in this area of Kenya by teaching effective farming techniques and by sharing the life changing love and power of God that all can enjoy. The Project is all about the Kingdom of God breaking through into the World.

Oak Tree became involved in this life changing project in 2007.

Oaktree and Maseno…

As a church we feel it is biblical and right to give away some of our money to bless others, no strings attached. The money Oak Tree donates to the Maseno Project comes from the giving of its congregation.

Oak Tree has a Giving Committee who determines where our charitable donations go according to agreed criteria. Maseno meets these criteria as it is a holistic project addressing material and spiritual needs. It fits Jesus’ principles.  He did not separate problems in to sections (spiritual, physical or emotional) but instead he addressed the whole situation.

We have 3 main areas of giving : a local organisation, a national organisation and an international organisation.  The Maseno Project is our International Organisation.

The project itself…

There are currently seventeen Farm Schools under the umbrella of the Maseno Project.

Farm Schools last for three years and are made up of about thirty five Farm School members who are chosen from the local church community.

Members meet on a weekly basis and are taught effective farming techniques and given Christian instruction by  Kenyan facilitators who are members of the community. Technical advice is given by Doctor Appollo, a local Kenyan agriculturalist, who also happens to be a world expert.

Day to day, the Project is overseen by two Kenyans, Festus and Noel.

Each farm school has a demonstration plot where members try out different crops and methods.  The members of the farm school work together on the demonstration plot.

Different crops are then transplanted to their home plots where they can see what works best on their land.

After 3 years Farm Schools are encouraged to form a Community Based Organisation that uses their combined selling power to take their excess crops to market and generate income for their families.

Emma’s report…

In November 2008, I, along with two others from Oaktree, had the privilege of going to Kenya to visit our farm school, the Lord’s House.

What greeted us there has left a lasting impression on me.

Looking around the shambas (small holdings) of our farm school members and seeing large, healthy crops which would feed their families very comfortably was quite staggering as was the fact that many of our farm school members were young men. Whereas traditionally women worked the land and the men had gone off into the city for work, meaning that families were separated for months on end, now the men had started to come back. Families were reunited and communities had a proper balance of peoples once more. One of the Shamba highlights was seeing Richard, one of our farmers who clearly had entrepreneurial leanings, rather than growing just maize, was growing curly kale, a cash crop which would earn him much at the market.

Another memory was praying with our farm school members. The following day we held a time of testimony where many of their number stood up and explained how God had been speaking to them. One man who didn’t call himself a Christian stood up and talked about how he had been prompted by God to pray all night for his family. Another man shared how he had given up praying for the people in the parish, but now he publically committed himself to this once more. Families who had been estranged, were reconciled. Whilst we were out in Kenya, the British organiser of the Project, Patrick, spoke about how as Christians we have access to the kingdom of God, and how as it says in the Lord’s Prayer we can ask “Your Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven”. It was great to see how the farm school were empowered by this and how they hungered for more of God’s presence and power. They were desperate to hear God’s word even when none was officially prepared for them! My favourite memory was sitting with the farm school in the garden of one of the members where the sense of unity was profound. These people really are our Christian brothers and sisters to whom we are inextricably linked.

The experience and project are summed up for me in one word: Hope. The hope that comes from trusting in Christ alone and that is based on the promises given to us in the Bible. The hope that meets both physical and spiritual need of people. Jesus met these needs and this is what we as Christians are called to do. Thank you Oaks, for your support of this important, life changing project. As one who has seen its effects first hand, I can really say that it is making all the difference!

The Big Idea

What is the big idea? Oak Tree means different things to different people, but what comes across time and again is the central importance of relationship.

RELATIONSHIP:with God, each other, with local churches, & with the wider community around us.

This high value for relationship works its way through the fabric of Oaktree in our gatherings, community work and branch groups as we look for everyone to get into their relationship with Jesus more.

We are not a traditionally-styled church and visitors will not find a robed choir and lots of hymns and organ music. However, we hope a visitor might find a warm welcome, a family atmosphere and a group of people committed to serving God and each other.

Here us what people have said about us:

“Oak Tree is a community of people who are committed to each other.”

“It’s been an adventure since we started…like God’s adventure with us personally.”

“It’s a spiritual home, a place where I’m taught about God and Jesus and where I can come and worship. But it’s also a place where my friends are, a safe environment, a place to be myself.”

“At its heart Oak Tree means being part of a Christian community….”

“Oak Tree is a great church that is serving Acton and serving God—and we’re moving forward.”

ACC + Steering Group

Dates for Steering Group this term:

20 January

22 February

24 March

10 May

14 June

12 July

Dates for ACC this term:

25 January

29 March

24 May

19 July

Meetings

Asides the usual Sunday Service you might expect we also have a few other meetings that we would encourage you to look in to….

Children’s church

Children are an important part of the church family here at Oak Tree and there’s quite a few of us of every age from zero and up.

Sundays…

During our Sunday services, after some time worshiping with the whole church family, our children & young people meet separately for more worship and teaching in a style best suited to their age. Our aim is that the children & young people don’t just learn about God but also experience Him. They are encouraged to discover and develop how God has gifted them and to use these spiritual gifts to help build up the church.

Ice Cream Sundays

Ice Cream Sundays are a monthly fun event when the children & young people are encouraged to bring their friends to church. There are games, prizes and splats!

During the week groups

Acorns is a mid-week small group for children in school years 5,6 & 7. In Acorns, we apply the stuff we know about God and His ways to our everyday lives.

We also eat biscuits.

Shoots is in the early stages of becoming a new small group for children in school years 1,2,3 & 4. We currently meet half-termly for fun events whilst we get to know each other.

We will start to meet weekly soon.

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We firmly believe that Godly role models are invaluable to the spiritual development of young people.

For our girls in high school, Spiritual Sisters is an opportunity to get together with the women of Oak Tree. Half termly events such as a slumber party and ‘cakes & crafts’, allow the girls to get to know each other better and develop informal mentoring relationships.

Similarly, for the lads, Band of Brothers gets young, high school guys meeting twice a term in an informal way with the men of Oak Tree. Past events include a ‘bowling & Nandos’ evening.

As we were planted in 1993, we have recently organically grown some teenagers! Therefore our youth work is in development as we seek to encourage and grow our young people in a way that suits this exciting and challenging stage in their lives.

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Summer

Every year quite a lot of us go to the New Wine Summer Conference with our families. The children’s meetings are brilliant and we always have a great time.

The amazing woman who leads all our children’s work is Lisa! She works full time for the church and also does a lot of work in local schools and runs things for children at our local market in Acton as part of market church. She is married to Steve who is a magician. He often joins in our Sunday activities especially the fun of Ice Cream Sunday.

We often have new people join us and it doesn’t take long to make friends and you will always be welcome!

A word from Lisa…

The children’s work vision – that children of all ages will be a full and active part of the worshipping community, centred in Christ, rooted in the Bible, filled with the Holy Spirit, choosing to obey God’s will in ways appropriate to each individuals age, development and experience.

The children’s work aims:

* That children have fun and fellowship with each other and people of all generations so that they have, and can be, role models of the Christian faith

* That children will know the Big Story of the Bible and the Christian faith and be able to draw from it truths about God that they can apply to their everyday lives

* That children will enjoy spending time in worship and praise of God and, through being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they will pray and see answers and minister to others

* That children will encounter Jesus for themselves. That they will grow in their faith and make commitments to follow God and share their faith with others

* That children outside of the church will hear about Christ’s love for them and have opportunities to explore that love further

* To, as much as we are able, meet the emotional, physical, social and spiritual needs of each child.

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You can download our child Protection Policy here.

You can download  our Communion Policy here.

Branch (Home) Groups

See CORE groups

Church Central +

Church Central is a monthly meet up of Oaks to go deeper in teaching, training and ministry than we have time for on a Sunday.

We meet at Acton Green Church, Cunnington Street, W4 at 8pm.

Prayer Breakfast

Every Wednesday morning we have a prayer breakfast.

This is a great time to get together and have some extra prayer over tea, coffee and toast.

It’s early but its great.

Christ’s high priestly prayer

Dear Oaks,

I hope that you are familiar with what some call Christ’s high priestly prayer. It can be found in John 17. Why not take a moment to open it up and read word for word a prayer Jesus himself prayed.

Briefly here are just a few comments for your thoughts:

V1 Jesus addresses God as his Father. Muslims have 99 names for God but none is Father. In Christ we have been called into an intimate relationship with God! We are his children if we are in Christ otherwise we are not. Jesus was very clear in his teaching on this, see John 8:42-47.

Let us make sure that we live in relationship with our loving Father and call him as such. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches that this is how we should address God in prayer.

In verses 20 and 21 Jesus prays “I pray also for those who believe in me through their message (this refers back to earlier disciples and is addressed to us) , that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

Jesus who right now is at the right hand of the Father praying (see Hebrews 7:25) is presumably still praying this because this prayer is as yet unanswered. By the way I hope that gives you some encouragement to go on praying for our new building! Jesus must have been praying this for about 2,000 years and we will see our prayers answered very soon. But even more importantly please note just how united Jesus wants his church. I mean how much more united could God the Father and God the Son be, yet this is the measure of unity Christ prays for in his body, the church.

The application is I hope obvious and one little step you could take to help this prayer be answered is to get along to the unity service on Sunday. It is at Acton Hill Church, opposite Acton Police Station at 4 (four) this Sunday afternoon. The preacher is me but don’t let that be an excuse!

But that will only be one small step, as a second why not start/continue to pray for other churches and other Christians in Acton, and even better go out and adopt one!!

Jesus says in John 15:12 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

And finally in John 17:25-26 Jesus concludes his prayer for you and me with these words. “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Just how much love is that? Christ’s prayer for our love for one another is immense and almost unfathomable. But his prayer will be answered and I want to both pray it with him and be part of the answer. I hope you do also.

In His love,

Mark

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