From the Heart of the Pastor

Oak Crest, I thank you for your overflowing and gracious generosity.  At the beginning of April I challenged us to pay down our existing debt by July 20, 2018.  I have not really said anything about this since that time, yet you have responded beautifully.  Since the writing of the article, you have given $6,948  above the normal budgeted amount.  At the end of March we owed $210,317.51. Our current balance is $194,642.61.  That is tremendous progress in just a couple of months.  So our continued goal is about $4,500 a month additional to the budgeted amount to meet our time target.  Thank you for your faithfulness.
          I also want to remind you of the ultimate purpose of this challenge.  Our being debt free in two years in not an end unto itself.  Oak Crest being debt free is only a means to a greater end.  It is for the purpose of more God glorifying ministry and mission effort.  It is for the purpose of the Great Commission.  I met with a gentleman yesterday who presented his plan for he and his wife to minister to Muslims in the Middle East.  His plan was solid.  I wanted to be able to offer him more than prayer support, but I could not because our budget does not allow for it.  Of course, we continue to support efforts to reach the Lasa.  Recently, you heard the Traffanstedt’s plan to move to and minister in London.  You also probably know of a couple of other noble mission efforts.  Certainly we could never provide financial support to all of these, but consider what we could do with $46,000 a year freed up for nothing other than gospel ministry.  That is how much of our budget goes to debt retirement.
          Our goal is to be debt free with as few fixed expenses as possible to free the most money possible for the most important work of sharing the gospel and discipling our people.  Whether it is local ministry here in Midlothian or reaching Muslims around the world, we want to be stewards to God’s resources that he has called us to be.
 
In Christ,
Blain Craig