March 28th Update

Later tonight our worship service for this weekend will be posted. It was mailed as a part of the forecaster and it is available on the church’s devotional website, OBCDevotionals.org.

You may also access the worship resource through Facebook or our E-News list.

I hope you will take time to pause to worship this weekend and I pray the worship will provide a measure of comfort and hope to your heart and soul.

God Bless,
Chris Aho

March 26th Update

On Wednesday night, March 25^th, the deacons met via conference call to discuss the church’s plans for the coming weeks. Given all the information at their disposal and requirements placed on gatherings in North Carolina, they voted to continue the cancelation of all services and gatherings through at least April 5^th, 2020. They will reconvene on the morning of April 5^th to consider the church’s next steps.

In the meantime, the office will remain open daily until a “shelter in place” or “stay at home” order is issued that covers Granville county. The office remains open daily to allow the staff to prepare worship resources and coordinate communications within the congregation.

I appreciate the wisdom and care the deacons are exhibiting. While they realize that we will likely be away for longer than just these two weeks, by convening regularly, they can best communicate with the congregation and prepare for gatherings to resume down the road.

For the coming weeks, we will continue to provide video and print resources. If you need these resources in print form, please contact the church office to receive them by mail weekly. For those with access to digital resources, OxfordBaptistNC.org, OBCDevotionals.org, and our Facebook page provide the links you need.

Finally, allow me to reiterate that if you need something, please contact your deacon or the church office. If you do not know who your deacon is, please reach out to us and will put you in contact with them. And, if you cannot reach us through the office, our home phone numbers are in the church directory. Thank you for your attention and patience during this time. It is not easy to be the church from afar, but we know the Lord’s church has the power to reach us everywhere we are, and for that, we give thanks.

God Bless, Chris

Updated March 21, 2020

Our Sunday Morning Worship Resource will be available on OBCDevotoinals.org tomorrow morning.
We hope you find this resource helpful.

God Bless, Chris, Cindy, Judy, Martha, and Steve

Update for March 19, 2020 – 5pm

A letter and packet are in the mail to all members who receive the Forecaster by mail.
Included with the letter are a Sunday Morning Worship order of service and a Wednesday Night Vespers guide to prayer. Both will be also emailed to the congregation on Saturday and Monday respectively, and we will post them on this website.
If you have questions or need assistance from the staff, please reach out. We would love to help you in every way we can.

Peace, Chris Aho

Update for March 15, 2020 – 1pm

Good Afternoon Oxford Baptist Church,

This is Chris writing to you with a little update.

This morning the deacons met for almost two hours to consider our circumstances related to the COVID-19 virus. This email is to inform you about what we have decided considering all we know from state authorities, national authorities, and the healthcare professionals connected to the deacon body.

The deacons have canceled all church gatherings and activities through Friday, March 27^th. During this time, the office will remain open daily, and essential meetings may be held with office approval.

The deacons will meet on Wednesday, March 25^th, to determine our next steps.

In the meantime, the staff is working on several things for you:

We will continue to send a Tuesday E-News. If you do not currently receive the E-news, please email me at obcaho@gmail.com and I will add you.
Our next Forecaster will be mailed the week of March 23^rd.
On Wednesdays, we will email and post a mid-week devotional resource to Facebook and the church website.
And by Saturday each week, we will email and post resources to Facebook and the church website for a Sunday Morning service.
Those without email will be sent information by mail when possible.

In matters not related directly to worship:

Your deacons will be in touch with you to see what kind of support you need. If you do not hear from a deacon and need something, please email the staff directly or call the church office at 919-693-5181.
Those involved in other program ministries of the church, such as youth ministry, handbells, and various children’s activities, may receive additional emails and updates from your leaders.

As a part of this email, the deacons and Finance Committee chairperson wish to urge the church to continue sending tithes and offerings. The church still has expenses, and the church is still the church, even if we cannot physically gather. They encourage you to send in your checks by mail (PO Box 398, Oxford, NC 27565), drop them off with Judy in the office, work with Judy to utilize bank transfers, or use our online giving platform, SimpleGive – just to your right on this page.

Finally, during our deacon’s meeting this morning, I offered a devotional based on Exodus 17, the appointed lectionary text for today. It is posted on my podcast page craho.buzzsprout.com, and there are also links on Facebook and our website. I encourage you to take 12 minutes for the devotional and scripture reading. It addresses some of the leadership challenges we face today.

We are living through things we didn’t imagine, even a week ago. As we move forward, we will need one another. Emails, social media, websites, and mail will not meet all of our needs, but they are a start. I will be in prayer for you each day and look forward to the ways God works among us all during these unprecedented times.

God Bless,

Chris Aho

Welcome to the HEART OF OXFORD!

Located at the corner of Main and Spring Streets, Oxford Baptist Church is geographically in the heart of Oxford. More importantly, Oxford Baptist Church has a heart for mission to its community and world. If you seek a Church home that is pulsating and alive in its ministry within and outside its walls, Oxford Baptist Church has much to share. Most of all, it invites YOU to serve, fellowship, worship, learn, grow, and be on mission. There are ministries as varied as feeding the hungry in our own city, to sending teams over the world to offer an encouraging message of Christian hope.

Oxford Baptist Church is a Church that has a heart for all ages. Families abound, and children and youth have an important role in Church life through vibrant learning opportunities, choirs, and mission endeavors. You are invited to visit the pages of this website to know more about Oxford Baptist Church. Better yet, come in person for a time around the table on Wednesday evenings, and for Sunday School and worship each Sunday morning where we draw nearer to each other and nearer to the heart of God.

Oxford Baptist Church Mission Statement

Oxford Baptist Church is a Cooperative Baptist fellowship dedicated to serving God. As Disciples of Christ, we serve God through worship, ministry, and community outreach. We are a loving and caring family that strives to provide a warm church home open to all who desire to serve Christ.