Oak Park Christian Center

This past weekend I enjoyed visiting and ministering at Oak Park Christian Center in Pleasant Hill, California with Pastors William Mathews and Associate Pastor Sean Fitzhugh.  Pleasant Hill is a part of the great bedroom area for the San Francisco Bay metropolis.  It was the first time I had the privilege to minister in their beautiful new sanctuary.  

Bill Mathews with his wife, Lynette, have served here as pastors for 41 years.  They are hoping sometime in the future to launch a new ministry dedicated to reach out to people with special needs. 

During the second service they brought the children in and sat them down around the front to enjoy petting Perfume, the skunk.

I was pleased to see the full spectrum color chart: blacks, Asians, Latins and blondes among the children and in their congregation.

Felipe told a Bible Story...

… with both adults and children very responsive.

There was another noteworthy quality that I observed in all three services I preached yesterday.  Similar to most of our wonderful, growing and glowing AG churches, their people were very friendly and loving, their music and worship excellent, their focus on both local and world missions apparent and a joyful atmosphere filled the air. 

Yet something was different from many of our 2015 California AG churches.  Worship and praise using our “prayer language” was encouraged for those who had received the Holy Spirit baptism and others were invited to open their hearts to this blessing.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit of “tongues and interpretation” and “prophetic words” were allowed to be expressed in perfect decency and order.   

And at the close of the second morning service, which was well attended in spite of a torrential morning downpour, there was a precious move of the Holy Spirit with the altar area filled with people of all ages down on their knees, lost in the presence of the Lord Jesus as they surrendered their all to His will. 

Perhaps these could have been unusual services, but it seemed obvious to me that this church has been clearly instructed in the orderly and effective use of the gifts of the Spirit.  

Ralph