Adventists from four area churches helped Oasis Christian Center, an Adventist fellowship in Vancouver, Wash., celebrate their move into a new, larger worship facility Feb. 10–11.
More than 50 people gathered at the new building on Friday night for a prayer walk organized by Kathy Hamby, Meadow Glade Church (Battle Ground, Wash.) head elder and Meadow Glade Adventist Elementary School (MGAES) board chairwoman, and led by Brian Allison, MGAES principal.
During the three-hour prayer walk, participants prayed room-by-room for the specific ministry opportunities of each location. "We want to start things off here the right way," Allison told the gathering. "And we're going to cover these grounds with prayer to ask for divine intervention for Oasis."
Other guests included Rick Bowes, Meadow Glade Church senior pastor; MGAES board members and teachers; Rick New, Oasis pastor; and Oasis members. "We're all in this together," Hamby says, "and we need to support each other in the same goal: to show Christ's love to the community."
On Sabbath morning, 193 worshipers, including Oasis members and members from the Vancouver and Orchards (also in Vancouver) churches, gathered for the first worship service in the new building.
The 16-year-old, 200-member congregation has long sought and prayed for a larger meeting place. For the last seven years, Oasis has met at the Walnut Grove Community Church in Vancouver, which had become overcrowded with attendees packed into tiny Sabbath School rooms and crammed into an inadequate sanctuary.
But church growth was only one reason for the move. Timing and prayer were also central, explains New. "Oasis runs on prayer, and prayer has been a huge part of the history of Oasis," he says. "It's not by might nor by power but God's Spirit that a miracle like this occurs."
Oasis held a 24-hour prayer vigil a few weeks before discovering and beginning the process of relocating to the larger venue. "That's what makes this a God thing," says New. "God had exactly the right timing. I'm excited about the future, with new leadership in key positions working together with long-time leaders to open up new opportunities for ministry."
Oasis now meets weekly at the Northside Baptist Church, 5201 N.E. Minnehaha St. in Vancouver, with Sabbath School at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m.
Members and guests sing during the first service held in Oasis' new worship center.
Brian Allison, Meadow Glade Adventist Elementary School (Battle Ground, Wash.) principal, leads a prayer walk the night before the first worship service is held in Oasis' new building.
