2022 Year in Review
As I reflect on 2022, I can’t help but pause and rejoice at all the Lord has done this year! We have welcomed new members, brought on talented individuals to join our staff team, experienced God’s provision in ministry activity and engagement, seen depth of impact in missions and mobilization, and witnessed God provide financially above and beyond our expectations! The surprising power of grace continues to change hearts and lives, and what a joy it is to see that happening in and through Oak Mountain.
This year was also a year of significant change and transition. God has upheld us amidst several changes and challenges and he will continue to do so as our congregation prayerfully anticipates a new Lead Pastor to be named in 2023. Use this Review to “look back” and reflect upon the Lord’s faithfulness to His church. He was faithful in 2022 and he will continue to be faithful in 2023 and in the years to come!
I encourage you to take a few moments to sit down and read through this 2022 Review. It is reflective, interactive and engaging. It includes photographs, videos, quotes and stats to give us an in-depth look at what the Lord is doing among us. Read, watch and experience God’s provision to OMPC in 2022!
In His Service,
“The trajectory of my life has been changed because of OMPC as my local church.”
2022 Membership & Staff Updates:
Total Membership: 2371
New Members: 175
New Staff Team/Roles:
Eric DeVries named Westminster School at Oak Mountain Head of School
Greg Poole named Executive Pastor
Chad Walker named Pastor of Adult Ministries
Walker Byrd, Director of Young Professionals
Pierce Moffet, Worship Associate
Jen DeVries, Accounts Payable and Benefits Manager
Becky Gibbens, Porch Light Coordinator
Jessica Hale, Financial Manager
Kevin White, Mustard Seeds Coordinator
Bob Announced his plan for transition out of the role of Lead Pastor and into redeployment. Click Here to read more on our Pastoral Transition Page.
OMPC Vision Framework
It all begins with an idea.
Everything we do at OMPC is filtered through our Vision Framework. This 2022 review is organized by our Measures for ministry “success.” Before reading through the review for the year, take a moment to familiarize yourself with our Vision Framework below.
Our Strategy
We will accomplish our mission as each one of us continues to seek grace from God, share grace in community, show grace to all.
Our Mission
Engaging every neighbor with the surprising power of grace.
Over the Pew | Over the Fence | Over the Mountain | Overseas
Our Values
GRACE DRIVEN
We emphasize Grace as the good news of God’s unconditional love and transforming power, and the primary message of the church for all people.
KINGDOM ORIENTED
We believe that God’s purpose is the gathering of his people from every nation and the renewal of all things through sharing the Gospel and expressing Christ’s lordship in every area of life.
RELATIONALLY AUTHENTIC
We strive to be a place of strength and restoration: a community where we can be honest about our brokenness as we call one another to the hope that is promised in Christ.
Our Measures
The following are desired Measures of our growth individually and corporately as we seek to fulfill our Mission in Christ:
Surprising Grace: An ever-deepening personal experience of God’s unconditional love and transforming power that leads to supernatural growth and service.
Surprising Worship: Embracing the truths of the Gospel through music, prayer, teaching and sacraments that lead to an engaging and intimate encounter with the living God.
Surprising Community: Courageous, biblically-based relationships, empowered by grace, that lead to transformational intimacy.
Surprising Growth: Christ-centered teaching, fellowship and discipleship that leads to loving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Surprising Generosity: Joyfully choosing to live with less (in our Time, Talents and Treasures) so that others might live with more in Christ.
Surprising Impact: Making a Spirit-filled difference through a grateful lifestyle of generosity, mercy and reconciliation that continues to abound Over the Fence, Over the Mountain and Overseas.
Surprising Grace
An ever-deepening personal experience of God’s unconditional love and transforming power that leads to supernatural growth and service.
New Leadership Commissioned
Our Leadership is a vital part of the work of ministry at OMPC. Every member of our church is assigned an elder (and woman shepherd for the women) who is to check in periodically and serve as a liaison between the member and OMPC. Elders, Deacons, Under shepherds and Women Shepherds meet monthly to learn and discuss how to better serve and care for the members of our church. New officers and women shepherds were elected and commissioned in 2022.
11 Elders
9 Deacons
9 Women Shepherds
Elder and Deacon installation on June 18
Women Shepherd commissioning on August 7
Staff Pastoral Commissioning
Juan Vasquez, Pastor of Mobilization and Mercy (pictured above)
Keisuke Idota, Pastor Deployed for Church Planting in Japan (see video on the Idota’s calling to church planting in Japan)
Commissioned to Serve: Keisuke & Bethany Idota’s Story
Church-wide Week of Prayer to kick off the Fall at OMPC
Daily reviewed and practiced Means of Grace from Summer Series while praying for a ministry of the church
Church-wide Day of Fasting & Prayer, August 10
“In addition to the solid biblical foundation at OMPC, things like this church community and family-focused prayer are big reasons we made a move to OMPC a couple years ago.”
Surprising Worship
Embracing the truths of the Gospel through music, prayer, teaching and sacraments that lead to an engaging and intimate encounter with the living God.
2022 SERMON SERIES
Click the images below to access each sermon series video recordings.
Our Greater Hope, 1 Thessalonians | Means of Grace | Seeking After God’s Own Heart, 1 Samuel | The Unexpected King
Our 2022 Church-wide Devotional was The Blue Book by Jim Branch. This is the second time our church has gone through this devotional in the last 5 years. It is rich in scripture, readings for reflection and daily prayers that prompt each seeker to spend more intimate time with the Lord.
Our Worship Ministry led our congregation and community through intentional times of worship during the Easter & Advent Seasons. Watch the replay of each service through the links below.
Our 19th Annual Bullfrog Choir had a great turnout of men and boys of all ages from OMPC!
Surprising Community
Courageous, biblically-based relationships, empowered by grace, that lead to transformational intimacy.
A Few Stats & Quotes of Impact Through Surprising Community in 2022:
Women’s Beach Retreat: 82 Women attended
This year’s Women’s Beach Retreat provided the women of OMPC an opportunity to enjoy an impactful time in community with one another. Laura Sellers said, ‘I loved getting to attend the beach retreat and have the opportunity to slow down and be “washed away” in the rest and peace of the Father. Our Saturday worship time with Sue helped me dive deeper into my heart and reminded me to continue running into the Father’s arms as I processed the passing of my mother in law.’ Asked to sum up her experience in a word, Ellen Turner added, ‘I think my word would be thankful…. Thankful to have come home rested, renewed and connected to the Lord and community. Praising the Lord for He had done and continues to do!’
Life Groups: 52 Groups and 730 people in Life Groups
“I have seen in our Life Group Member's (as we have learned through Gospel Waltz but also within our Life Group conversations) a deeper understanding that God lovingly pursues us through the circumstances of life, and it has been very powerful to experience alongside our Life Group friends the reality that God is primarily changing our hearts through life's circumstances out of His love and greater Kingdom purposes.” - Nathan Kirkpatrick, Life Group Leader
Monthly Forerunners Socials and Gatherings; Quarterly Trips
“Forerunners has given us opportunities to meet others beyond our Discipleship class and Life Group. We have enjoyed the get-togethers at the church, game nights, ministry opportunities, visits to local interesting places, and overnight trips. We are so blessed to also have a leader for our group who cares for us and keep us busy.” - Gary and Janice Tennyson
Age & Stage-Based Discipleship Classes Established
"Our candid story is that we've been members of one of a local ‘mega-church’ for the last ten years, but we've lately been hungry for the closer, more permanent connections offered by a smaller church. We made some new friendships when our daughter began attending the Westminster School at Oak Mountain last year and we were invited to attend OMPC. We've since made so many great new friendships here and so many people have truly gone out of their way to make us feel welcome and wanted. The Elementary Parents Sunday School class has been especially impactful because everyone seems to be in a very similar age and season of life. We're so happy to have found OMPC and our new church home." - Jamie & Haley Pursell, Elementary Parents
“Amy and I have found that ParentU has provided us an opportunity to connect with others who are in the same stage of life, and who are oftentimes dealing with similar challenges in parenting. Mark is an invaluable resource, not only as the face of the class, teacher, and facilitator, but as a pastor who goes the extra mile to invest in the lives of the members of the class and provides insight and wisdom to parents of youth. The relationships both of other parents and Mark have proved to be a source of comfort, wisdom, and strength for us when parenting has become the most difficult.” - Chad & Amy Jones, ParentU
Young Professionals Gatherings, Bible Studies & Small Groups
"Summer fellowing with OMPC young professionals was a blessing to me in a lot of ways. There is something particularly special about opening God’s word and studying it with other believers—learning from the insights of others I would not have seen on my own.” - Heather Thompson on Young Professionals Summer Fellowship Gatherings
Other:
Monthly Men’s Gatherings began in Fall
Women’s Coffee for Four organized twice this year
Ongoing JrHi & SrHi Gatherings & Events
“These wonderful truths and realities (applying the gospel to life) have not only brought us closer as a Life Group and as friends, but also helped us know how to more intentionally pray for, and check in with each other. This type of gospel growth, as God graciously moves and works, happens within community!”
Surprising Growth
It all begins with an idea.
Christ-centered teaching, fellowship and discipleship that leads to loving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
SOCIAL DISRUPTION | A TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE
The statistics are overwhelming - social media and technology is making us more anxious and untrusting. We kicked off 2022 with a social media conference called “Social Disruption.” During this time, we asked some hard questions about how social media is changing our lives and whether or not it's for the better. Our main goal was to give attendees hope and insight when asking the question, “Can social media can indeed be leveraged to advance the Kingdom of God?”
Click the button below to access session talks from the conference weekend.
GWJ: February 18-20
19 groups (94 individuals)
BFH: September 15-18
11 groups (54 individuals)
“The difficulties we’ve faced in life have taught us to reject our feelings and numb our hearts against pain. As a result, we don’t know how to live fully. Battle for the Heart helps people move from loneliness to experiencing the transformative love of God and the fellowship He provides; moves people from being aimless or withdrawn to engaging their world for significant impact.”
SANCTITY OF LIFE PANEL DISCUSSION
On August 14, we hosted a combined Adult Discipleship Class in the Sanctuary with a panel featuring Dr. Mark Ryan of Covenant Theological Seminary, Women's Ministry Director Sue Harris, and Lead Pastor Bob Flayhart. The three of them discussed the Sanctity of Life and specifically how the church can respond biblically to the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Watch the session recording through the video link!
GOD’S DESIGN FOR HUMAN SEXUALITY
We're all familiar with the tug and pull of the cultural conversations around gender identity, same-sex attraction and the moving target of human sexuality. But what does Scripture have to say about our hearts, our sexuality and how to engage others in this pervasive topic in our society?
The Women's Ministry hosted a Fall Event with nearly 200 women in attendance. Dr. John Wingard, professor at Covenant College, and Women’s Ministry Director Sue Harris courageously and graciously dove into this topic of God's design for sexuality. Dr. Wingard shared and led in conversations about God's design and purpose for sexuality, the role that God's authoritative Word plays in our beliefs about this ongoing topic, and encouragement in how to articulate those beliefs and convictions to others in a gracious, truth-filled way.
Check out the video recording to hear the session discussion.
Oak Kids had the opportunity to re-create our creative arts ministry for girls in 2022. The new ministry is called “Bloom,” with a vision rooted in John 15:5,
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
This ministry kicked off with a Christmas creative arts camp on December 3, hosting:
121 girls in 3rd-8th grades
18 Youth Serve Team members
28 Adult Serve Team members
The inaugural Bloom Summer Camp will be held July 17-21, 2023!
Surprising Generosity
Joyfully choosing to live with less (in our Time, Talents and Treasures) so that others might live with more in Christ
2022 Income by Fund
General Fund: $6,753,056
Building Fund: $74,656
Faith Promise To-Date (Budget operates March-February): $703,696
Mercy: $246,522
Thank you for your generosity this year, OMPC!
We budgeted for $6,738,000 and you gave $6,784,936 toward General Fund! That is nearly $50,000 above and beyond our 2022 budget!
FAITH PROMISE GIVING
75% - Ongoing Ministry Partner Support
75% of our Faith Promise budget goes toward ongoing support of our 56 global ministry partners. This also includes one-time gifts or extra support needed for a variety of situations, such as unexpected medical treatment, emergency travel expenses. This means that we were able to give $425,795 toward our global ministry partners in 2022!
25% - Partner Care & Mobilization
Partner Care & Mobilization is critical to raising up missionaries, keeping our congregation engaged, and providing the spiritual and emotional support required for partners to have longevity on the field. This also goes toward our short-term trip efforts, which incorporate both outreach and service as well as ministry partner care.
MERCY Through OMPC
In 2022, the mercy team helped support other mercy ministries throughout the Birmingham area.
Royal Divinity Ministries: Feeds and ministers to the hungry ($22,000)
Red Mountain Grace: Supports families undergoing long-term medical procedures by providing affordable housing ($500)
Unbound Grace: Provides counseling and discipleship to individuals and families wrestling with addictions ($500)
Sav-A-Life: Gives support to women with unplanned pregnancies ($500)
Crates for Ukraine: Financial support for the purchasing of supplies to fill crates for refugees from Ukraine ($10,000)
South Park Baptist Church: Various mercy ministry initiatives ($51,467)
The mercy team also provided financial support to individuals inside and outside OMPC. The financial support included covering:
Medical bills
Mortgage payments
Utilities
Counseling sessions
Car repairs
Discipleship material for prison ministry efforts
Groceries
Giving to adoption fund
Essential home repairs (including participating in the labor)
Surprising Impact
It all begins with an idea.
Making a Spirit-filled difference through a grateful lifestyle of generosity, mercy and reconciliation that continues to abound Over the Fence, Over the Mountain and Overseas.
The Lord made significant impact over the fence, over the mountain and overseas through OMPC this year! From the Oak Kids to the oldest adults, every member of our congregation played a role in the Surprising Impact made for the Kingdom.
During this year’s VBS, our Oak Kids Ministry set a goal of $10,000 for this year’s missions project. The $10,000 was to go toward the building of a well in a village in Tanzania. Not only did the VBS kids and families meet their goal, but our congregation also participated and we were able to meet OVER DOUBLE the goal set for the week, bringing in $22,685! Praise be to God! The representative from Tanzania came to visit and shared some of the impact these wells will have on the community physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Check out his video interview below.
VBS 2022
Prayed for 350 kids.... 428 attended
Prayed for 150 Serve Team Members ... 165 served
Prayed for our Missions Goal of $10,000 for building one well in Tanzania ... $22,685 raised for TWO wells in Tanzania!
“Each of us could see HIS hand readily in so many arenas and utilizing people from all over the world! AMAZING GRACE! HE is not just using the believers in my neck of the woods, but HE has assembled people from Romania, Netherlands, Afghanistan, Norway, Iran, Portugal, the UK and so forth. When Corrie Ten Boom describes tapestry and the underside with knots and frayed pieces, I think we had eyes to begin to see a little bit of HIS beauty in the horrific and the hard.”
Short-term Trip Commissioning Prayer | May 2
Pictured Below
First Row: Women’s Shepherding Team trip to Greece to serve alongside our Global Ministry Partners, Philip & Joy Kirkland
Second Row: Young Professionals trip to Greece to serve alongside local church planters
Third Row: London Kids Camp Team in UK
Fourth Row: JrHi Unite Bham & SrHi Team to Cherokee, NC
“We are praying that God uses our humble efforts to help further the work He is already doing throughout Greece!”
“Working with Inspire Saint James Church in London England was such a beautiful reminder and picture of the body of Christ coming together to advance the kingdom. We worked with neighborhood children who are unchurched, sharing with them the gospel. It was humbling and so encouraging to see the Holy Spirit at work in these young lives.”
“Unite Bham is specifically geared towards allowing JrHi students to participate in one of OMPC’s surprising measures of serving ‘over the mountain’! ”
CRATES FOR UKRAINE
Throughout the month of June, our congregation sent in supplies to fill crates for refugees from Ukraine. We were able to fill 35 crates and send them to Poland with our team, Bill & Will McKelvey and Juan Vasquez. These crates were worth over $35,000!
While in Poland, our team met others serving in the same capacity. They were also able to meet with and encourage believers who had been displaced from their home towns and churches.
Check out pictures below of the OMPC packing “party,” the transporting of the crates, and our team’s time in Ukraine.
This project was in partnership with Mission to the World, the PCA’s global missions agency. Click the button below to access an update from MTW on the impact of Crates for Ukraine!
HOPE HEALS LOCAL
On September 17, our Mustard Seeds Ministry (of Oak Kids) hosted Hope Heals Local, a one-day event to celebrate, encourage and honor individuals and families with disabilities and/or special needs. This ministry was founded by Jay & Katherine Wolf and exists to offer soul rest, community connection, and joyful celebration in the midst of the good/hard story of families affected by disability.
This year’s Global Missions Conference Theme was “On Your Mark,” inspired by the many sporting events taking place all around us! From the Summer and Winter Olympics to the World Games that was hosted in Birmingham last Summer, nations come together to compete for a prize. Throughout our Conference week, we spent time considering what it means to "run the race with endurance" alongside the "great cloud of witnesses" who have gone before us for the ultimate prize: fulfillment of the Great Commission by reaching the nations with the Gospel!
Our guest speaker was Mark Jackson from Inspire Church in London. He challenged us from our theme verse Hebrews 12:1-2 to “run the race” with inspiration from those who have gone before us and from Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. This conference week was full of time engaging with ministry partners and being inspired to Pray, Give, and Go in response to God’s call on us to make disciples of all nations!
US MINISTRIES WEEKENDS
Watch the video below for an update on what God is doing through our US Ministry Partner Urban Hope Community Church in Fairfield. This video was shown as a part of the inspiration for our congregation during the US Ministries Emphasis Weekends in October this year.
Westminster School at Oak Mountain
It all begins with an idea.
Vision: Building Christ’s Kingdom by equipping students with wisdom, virtue, and eloquence.
New Westminster School at Oak Mountain Head of School: Eric DeVries
Eric and his family joined the OMPC and Westminster community this fall after having spent the last 18 years living in Wenatchee, Washington where Eric served as the Head of School at a local classical Christian school. His wife, Jen, primarily managed the home-front, which was more than a full time job with their five children who also attended the Washington school. Jen now serves at OMPC as the church Accounts Payable and Benefits Manager.
The DeVries family is excited to become part of the OMPC and WSOM family and is eager to see all that God will do through these ministries in the years to come.
Once again, Westminster School at Oak Mountain saw God’s abundant hand of blessing out our school in 2022. From inception, Westmisnter has repeatedly been overwhelmed by God’s grace, and 2022 was no exception. As the Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church family, you will be pleased to know that the ministry housed under your roof and functioning in your hallways each day is bearing much fruit with all glory given to God. Thank you for your continued partnership with our school as we seek to raise young men and women who are “equipped for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12) in the kingdom of God through their education at our school. Here are a few highlights we think will be encouraging to you as you think about the way Oak Mountain is partnering with us to raise the next generation in the Lord at Westminster:
Academics by the Numbers:
We know not all academic fruit can be measured by numbers, but here are a few stats that show how your partnership with us in this Gospel ministry are bearing academic fruit:
From the standardized tests taken in 2022, 100% of our Fourth Grade students and 98% of our Eighth Grade students are reading at grade level benchmark in comparison with 33% (4th) and 31% (8th) nationally. (National Center for Education Statistics)
Our historical average ACT score is 28. Our current average is 29.5. The current national average is 19.8.
Our graduates (2022) received over $2.5M in college scholarships this past year and were accepted to 51 different universities
Athletics by the Numbers:
We are proud of the work our student athletes are accomplishing both on and off of the field:
We currently offer 25 different varsity and junior varsity athletic teams
81% of our upper school students participate in athletics (2022)
Cross Country - Varsity, JV, Middle School (Boys and Girls)
Volleyball - Varsity, JV, Middle School (Girls)
Swim and Dive - Varsity (Boys and Girls)
Basketball - Varsity, JV, Middle School (Boys and Girls)
Indoor Track and Field - Varsity, JV (Boys and Girls)
Soccer - Varsity (Boys and Girls)
Tennis - Varsity, Middle School (Boys and Girls)
Baseball - Varsity, JV (Boys)
Outdoor Track and Field - Varsity, Middle School (Boys and Girls)
Golf - Varsity, Middle School (Boys and Girls)
And while we are proud of what our students are accomplishing, we are most grateful for the ways in which they are being encouraged to grow in the faith in Jesus Christ. As a church family you can be encouraged by the way in which your partnership with us in the ministry is bearing long-term fruit in the Kingdom of God.
Vision for 2023
It all begins with an idea.
As we look ahead to 2023, we anticipate the transition and changes that will take place toward the end of the year surrounding Bob’s replacement as Lead Pastor. While this is a big adjustment on the horizon for OMPC, the Lord is in control and knows exactly who should fill his shoes as well as how this process will take place for our church. We encourage you to continue to pray for OMPC and this transition and to trust the Lord who holds all things together!
As mentioned in our Vision Framework at the beginning of this review, our strategy for fulfilling our mission at OMPC is to: Seek grace from God, share grace in community, show grace to all.
Looking ahead at 2023, we desire for all OMPC members to engage in this strategy as members of this church! Seeking grace from God involves committing to regular, corporate worship. There is a supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit among believers worshipping together. Don’t forsake the gathering with others in the local church! Join us regularly on Sundays and invite others around you to do the same!
Sharing grace in community involves plugging in with a Life Group, Gospel Waltz or Battle Group, Adult Discipleship Class, or any of our ongoing ministry events and activities! The opportunities for connecting in community at OMPC are never lacking! We hope you read and experienced some of the powerful impact that engaging in community at OMPC has had on our membership through this review from 2022. And sharing grace in community is not meant to be inward-facing but rather propelling outward over the pew, over the fence, over the mountain and overseas!
This propelling outward leads us to show grace to all. How is God calling you to serve Him and His Kingdom in 2023? That could be right here within the walls of OMPC serving as a Sunday morning Greeter or Oak Kids Seed Planter. That could involve supporting adoptive and foster care parents within our congregation or community through Porch Light. It could also involve serving “Over the Mountain” alongside one of our many ministry partners. Our momentum in sending teams overseas in 2022 will continue in 2023, with trips already planned for youth through adults!
As Lead Pastor Bob Flayhart puts it, don’t get stuck in the “grace hot tub.” Rather, Waltz in your walk with Jesus, continuously repenting, believing and fighting as a part of OMPC, among other believers, for the sake of His Kingdom! Here’s to a grace-filled, impactful 2023!
