Season of Grief

Seasons of Grief

This past Sunday we were back at Oakstop and got to see a lot of you back from your summer activities! Andi Steward shared a reflective sermon on grief and we got to hear more of her story through it. We enjoy getting to feel all the feelings -the good and the bad in community together.

This coming Sunday we have another guest speaker, Cameron Hackett! We’re going to hear good Word on the season of doubt. Seems like our speakers lately have a lot to say about wrestling with God… and we love every bit of the realness of the spiritual journey. See you soon, Oak Lifers - wherever you may be tuning in from.

Click above to watch past Sunday’s livestreamed services! You can also join us remotely any Sunday morning -watch and engage in live time through our Youtube channel.

Looking for quotes, passages, or resources from past Sundays? Especially Sundays at the Lake?! You can find them on our website:

Take me to Sunday’s text!

Save The Dates! *Check out what’s new!

🚶Walk & Talk [Every Tuesday in August 6-8pm]
Sometimes going out for a walk is exactly the medicine we need. Whether it’s in a silent reflective state, or yapping the entire way with community! Join Andi Steward on any Tuesday in the month of August at Lake Merritt for prayer, walking and fellowshipping. Add yourself to the What’s App group chat if interested for more details!

🖼️ Art Night 08.28
Oak Life Art Night is back! We know we have some creative people amongst us, and we would like to see you shine at our Art Night. Maybe it’s a new endeavor you’ve taken on, or an art you’ve mastered. Bring it all. All art mediums welcome: singing, playing music, photography, painting, poetry, the list could go on… Prepare your piece. Sign-up to perform and show off at this link!

🎼Worship Night at Park Blvd 08.29
Oak Life has been invited to a Worship Night being hosted by Park Boulevard Presbyterian Church on August 29 at 7pm. If you’ve been wanting an intentional space to meet with God through music, this is it. Oak Life is not collaborating for this service, but it’s a great way to connect with our local church friends.

🌈Oak Life Church at Oakland Pride! 08.16
Oakland Pride is happening sooner this year, but we stay ready! Every year, Oak Life Church hosts a booth to pass out free waters to folks, and have other fun activities. We need help with set-up, handing out waters, and/or cleaning up. Volunteer sign-ups have been filled -thank you- but we’d love to see you there anyway! If you have questions, contact Andi@oaklifechurch.com

If you’d like to submit a (community) event announcement to the newsletter, let us know here.

Community Board! (Needs & Resources)

Care Basket FYI
One of the ways we’re seeking to care for one another is through our Sunday Community Care Basket. This is a space to share cash or gift cards as you’re able OR receive as needed. This money does not go to the Oak Life budget, but is a sort of give-and-take space for the community. Consider bringing some cash, clipper cards, etc. to Sundays!

Community Needs Resources/Request
From time to time all of us need support from our community. Members of our community have put together this Community Resource List. If you would like to request support from our care team, please use this form. You can also email our care team here: care@oaklifechurch.com

Church Life

Oak Life Finance Update
We are so grateful for the way this community shows up for one another. We’ve put together a report on Oak Life’s recent finances and last year’s fundraising, which you can find [at this link]. Thank you for your generosity; you are truly what makes this place. If you have any questions email leadership@oaklifechurch.com

⭐ Transition
Recently, we announced that Pastor Chris Scott has left his role as Co-Pastor at the end of June 2026. While changes brings up lots of feels, we believe that God is doing something new at Oak Life amidst these shifts and we are grateful to be able to celebrate a healthy transition. Click here to read a letter from Chris and read an FAQ about the process. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the Leadership Team: leadership@oaklifechurch.com

Life Groups Open
Life Groups are a great way to keep the community going beyond Sundays. Click here for a list of current running Life Groups. If you’re interested in starting a life group email pastors@oaklifechurch.com

Update from Palestine Action Team (PAT)
Oak Life Church has joined the worldwide campaign to save the life of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian pediatrician detained by the Israeli military without charge. He has been severely tortured and may die in detention this week. You can help by adding your name to the Petition to Free Dr. Abu Safiya and by writing directly using this template to Israeli Military Advocate General Itai Ofi (cc: Secretary Rubio), to demand the release of Dr. Abu Safiya. See more actions you can take here.

About Third Sunday Generosity
Oak Life is dedicated to serving people and organizations doing good work in the community and the world. We dedicate our Third Sunday offering and a portion of our outreach budget, to an organization we highlight on that Sunday. We’re proud to share that in 2025 our community donated $19,500 to groups doing good work in the world! Thanks for being a part of this with us! Click here to learn more about past organizations we’ve supported. If you know of an organization or person working toward justice, compassion, advocacy or service to the community, The Third Sunday Committee would love to hear from you! You can send your referrals to thirdsunday@oaklifechurch.com.

Volunteers Needed!

Oak Life Kid’s Ministry: Sprouts
Sprouts is a friendly, welcoming space where kids from all backgrounds can explore God’s love through play, art, and stories using our Godly Play curriculum. Whether your child is full of energy or prefers some quiet time, there’s a place here for them to feel comfortable and engaged. If you’re not quite ready for your child to join in, no worries — our Sprouts Lounge in the back of the church has interactive activities for kids of all ages. We want every family to feel included and supported. We’re always open to feedback and ideas to make Sprouts better. If you have any questions or want to learn more about volunteering, feel free to reach out to Andi Steward, our Sprouts Director, at andi@oaklifechurch.com. We’d love to connect with you!

Sunday Morning: Set-Up, Music Team, A/V Team and More!
Oak Life is what it is because of the generosity of our community and we’re in need of more members who can offer some of their time to help make us go! This is also a super easy way to support and get connected! If you’d like volunteer or learn more click here.

Stay Connected

Rooted at Oak Life
Are you interested in deepening your connection to the Oak Life community? While we don’t have official membership, we do encourage the community to put down roots. Click here for resources to consider how to intentionally be planted at Oak Life.

Social Media Spaces
In this time of being physically separate, we invite you to join in on some of the community happening via social media:

Oak Life Facebook Group: This is a space to share events, prayer requests, or updates.

Oak Life Instagram (@oaklifechurch): Here you'll find some pics/videos from all that's happening at Oak Life.

Oak Life Community on Whats App: Look for the QR code at church on Sundays

Generosity
The Leadership Team voted to invest in our community and the next generation of Oak Life by increasing support for our families/kids ministry (@oaklifesprouts), increasing Jenn’s role as a leader, and also supporting our staff with some admin and ministry needs. In efforts to keep things open and transparent we wanted to share the update with you all and invite you to consider supporting Oak Life as it continues to grow and form. Click here to support Oak Life financially. Click here to watch an update from our current Board Chairperson.

Community Resources
We’ve updated some things on our website including adding a “how we practice” section which names some of the many ways our community/leadership tries to put its values into practice. We also added a “how to be an ally” section which invites us to consider how we can best support one another in a community as a beautiful and diverse as Oak Life. Both these new sections were developed after hearing from our community and desire to communicate more about how we’re seeking to grow and organize Oak Life. Feel free to share feedback on those pages via the form on the bottom.

Contact the Leadership Team
We are committed to supporting our community as best as we are able at this time. If you’d like to access our Harm Policy / Reporting Form click here. If you need anything else, please reach out to the Leadership Team: leadership@oaklifechurch.com.

Ok, that's all for now!

Grace + Peace,

The Oak Life Team <3

Oak Life Generosity