One of the seven initiatives that World Impact is using to accomplish the goal of empowering urban Christian leaders is the Urban Church Association (UCA). Through four main areas—resourcing, networking, reproduction and soul care—World Impact desires that these UCA’s would work to transform communities together.
Pastoring is always at the top of the list for one of the most tiring or stressful jobs. The men and women who fulfill these positions find themselves in a calling they love but are burdened by the weight of their responsibilities. Finding safe places can be hard because you never know what people will think or exactly what you can share. The uniqueness of the job is also challenging and that is why gathering with men and women who are in the same job in different communities is not only compelling but needed.
At The Oaks, we have hundreds of pastors come to our camp every year. We have focused events built by and for urban pastors. The Oaks Camp and Conference Center is here to see the building up and empowerment of urban leaders near and far. We desire to be a place that resources the church to do things they couldn’t do in their home communities. We desire to network pastors and churches together so that when they go back to their communities, they can do a greater work. We desire to help the reproduction process of more UCA networks and church plants through equipping that people receive here at The Oaks. And lastly, we desire that pastors and church members would receive good news and go back to their communities and be a healthy church so that their communities can become healthier.
Every year we help plan and host Winter Teen Retreats, a Marriage Retreat for people in full time ministry, Evangel School of Urban Church Planting, summer camp for youth, a Men’s retreat, and a Women’s retreat. On top of these focused and planned events, we host over 300 ministries a year to come and use our resources for the purpose of equipping and empowering their own members in the ways they know firsthand those people need. Pray that our network of pastors and church goers would extend so that the Kingdom of God would expand to every corner of the Earth.
