H. Henry Williams

Financial Peace U Results

Here's a note I received from Will Stanfest. Will taught the course with CarrieAnn, his wife.

Hey Henry,

Figured I'd give you a recap of this year's Financial Peace class. Palm Sunday was our graduation party and final lesson. This year we used the new 9 week class format, and it was a hit. The new videos are very well done, with interesting in-class 'case studies' that help apply the principles learned in real world situations.

FPU for January of 2013 by the numbers:
61 people signed up for the class
8 families attended (at least a few lessons) from outside our church

Over the 9 weeks of the class, the 17 families in attendance at graduation were able to pay off just over $165,000 in non-mortgage debt, and were able to put over $167,000 into savings! That's a total improvement of over $332,000!

Absolutely incredible!

These families were all amazing, and deserve a ton of credit for the hard work put in to make the changes needed to secure their financial future.

I really love this class because it teaches the tools each of us need to manage the money God has entrusted us with. With these tools we can use it in a way that honors Him, and blesses those around us.

Thanks again for supporting FPU at Five Oaks, and have a blessed week!

-Will

Congratulations to all who attended and made this kind of dent in their finances! Thank you Will and CarrieAnn.

Mid-Week Memo

Hi Five Oakers,

There are several things I want to share with you today.

#1 – Get a recap of the service with highlights of our prayers, readings and songs here.

#2 – Here are your comments from the Communication Cards:

• Loved the worship leader this week!
• Great worship – thanks! Thanks for sharing the story about your sister-in-law and Russ! Thanks be to God!
• Love the new worship program. Love the worship time. Awesome and powerful message Henry. 
• Love the bulletin format. User friendly for guests. [Thank you for your concern about guests! In fact, the feedback we received from member is to continue to explain the movements every week and use this only as a supplement for the sake of our guests. I love that. And that’s our plan. Also, we think there is value in driving home the movements to our regulars and mapping it on paper for reflection every week.]
• Enjoyed the teaching today. Music was good too! 
• Henry – thanks for sharing story of Russ. Thank God for people and our God who never gives up! 
• Awesome worship program revamp. Worship leader sounded great today. [Now we only have to train ourselves to use the new name: Worship Guide. I know I’m going to slip a million times.]
• Really enjoyed the energy and singing of today’s new worshiper. 
• Enjoyed worship leader’s voice. Great talent. Reached deep into my heart.
• Love the new worship program! I think it will help visitors.
• Music – great! I love the authentic passion! 
• Awesome, moving message today Henry. Thank you for blessing us!
• I’d like to hear a sermon addressing people who doubt that the Bible is true – vs. a lot of stories by humans (who aren’t God) and with a salvation message. Give warning if you do so, I can invite my friends. [You can get one in the archives on the Media link at our website. Go to 5/1/11, “What if…the Bible is Trustworthy.” Another suggestion is that you bring one of those friends to The Story of God small group. If they’re searching, it will appeal to them. In SOG we deal with the trustworthiness of the Bible and the strongest evidence is that it tells this one story from start to finish and the way it tells it. Other than that, I’ll try to remember to give a heads up when a message like that is coming up.]
• Thank you, Henry, for the story of Russ and Lynn! Such a true example of Lynn’s undying belief in the power of prayer, and one man’s humble surrender to the gift of grace.
• FYI – Pastor Henry, I love you to pieces. I work with lots of funny sounding syndromes, and to mention a funny one is funny, but to keep going kind of takes it too far and set an example for bullying to occur with kiddos. Just a thought to consider for future. I missed you while you were gone! I hope you and Lois came back refreshed. Love the new bulletin! Kind of miss (2^nd year in a row for me) Palm Sunday not focusing on the triumphal entry and preparation for Easter. We at least briefly mentioned it this year more than last year. [GREAT feedback on what I said about that syndrome. I agree. Thank you. And who can’t listen to correction that begins with “I love you to pieces”?!!!]
• I never before realized how important Barabbas and the other two criminals that were crucified with Jesus are to the Story of God. All three of those people represent me and what I deserve. Thank you for today’s message!
• Loved worship. Thank you.
• Awesome message. Awesome worship!
• Great worship – awesome energy! Great message. 
• Excellent worship leader – great energy! Very passionate. 
• Good sermon; thanks for sharing story about brother-in-law.
• Great singing worship time.
• Moved by our worship today. 
• Love the explanation pamphlet! Maps it all out – great for newbie’s. 
• Soon to be member, yeah! 
• Worship leader was awesome! Loved his prayer, could hear his heart. Love the fact he is a “little rough around the edge and comfortable in who he is in God. Great voice.
• Please hire Ryan! He’s great – lots of energy and feeling!
• Wow! Amazing teaching today, both intellectually and from you heart! Thank you. 
• I like the program layout. Also, can the worship leader ask people to stand as they are able? 
• Love the worship guide. Fantastic! Room was made for God’s simple truth. I can’t, he can. I think I will let Him. He is God, I’m not. Humility.
• Book title correction:  “Stories of Lost Israel in Folklore” by Rev. James B. Haggart (explains Brothers Grim stories). “Sea to Shining Sea” – Peter Marshells and David Manuel (Revival in USA).
• The screen is more frustrating then it is worth when there is such fast changes, you can’t write. You need to have the person in the booth write what is up there before they change the frame vs. pictures. [Email me. I need to know if you’re using the outlines or trying to write down the quotes that are in the outlines before we make any changes.]
• I’m concerned that the wording for the prayer station may be misunderstood – “trained ministers”, otherwise great worship folder! [Duly noted and changed.]

#3 – Congratulations to Five Oaker Brad Frost, head coach of the Gopher women’s hockey national championship team! What an amazing season.

#4 – We wrapped up our Story of God group on Sunday evening. Great and amazing group! We did a Bible content quiz at the first and last sessions. Quiz 1: Two-thirds of the folks got 3 or less questions right on a ten-question quiz. Quiz 2 (different but equivalent in difficulty): Nearly 90% got four or more questions right! It was an amazing reversal.

#5 – New Story of God session starts next Wednesday. Email me if you’re interested (you can do it from my blog site).

#6 – I will post the Financial Peace University results tomorrow on the blog. Prepare to be amazed.

#7 – One of the highlights of the year for me is the Good Friday service. It's at 7pm.

#8 – Three new small group leader teams have been trained for the start of our next trimester about three weeks after Easter. More have shown interest in receiving training.

#9 – One of the couples in Story of God were there for the second time and testified that it helps them immensely to do it a second time. Here’s an idea: Come again some time but bring a seeker with you. It’s a great evangelistic tool you can use.

#10 – Student ministry annual auction will take place the first two weekends of April. Four Disney park hopper tickets will be available, courtesy of Disney. Come and bid high and often.

#11 – The staff will be doing a taste test of City Kids Java coffee next week. It’s one of the companies/ministries we’re looking at for the Acorn Café.

#12 – The theme for the Woodbury Prayer Breakfast this year (May 7) is "Truth in Motion" and will feature keynote speaker, Chris Wright, President of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Five Oakers Caleb and Stephanie Brunz are chairing the planning committee this year. This is a consistently great event and wonderful opportunity to invite your seeking friends. Register here.

#13 - Here’s last weekend’s sermon is 10 Tweets, “Our Biggest Problem; God’s Only Solution” (Luke 23:26-49):

1. Everything the Bible says about our big problems is irrelevant until we accept what it says about the problem behind all problems: our sin.
2. Sin is your biggest problem and the cross is God’s only solution.
3. On the cross Jesus takes what only we deserve so that we can receive what only Jesus deserves.
4. Jesus is the only person in history who suffered and can say, “I don’t deserve to suffer. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
5. Like the first criminal we get focused on right here and now and demand relief right here and now.
6. Jesus' primary mission thru his 1^st Coming is to make sure you can enjoy the blessings of the New Creation at his 2^nd Coming.
7. Their biggest problem isn’t passing from this life; it’s perishing in the life to come.
8. The 2nd criminal faces same exact problem as the 1st but focuses on his eternity & the overwhelming love of God shown on the cross.
9. The second criminal simply repents and trusts Jesus. Religious Christians don’t like this
10. You apply God's only solution to your greatest problem the same way it's always been done in Scripture: repent and trust God.

See you this weekend as we celebrate the Resurrection!

God bless you, Pastor Henry

Mid-Week Memo

Hi Five Oakers,

There are several things I want to share with you today.

#1 – Get a recap of the service with highlights of our prayers, readings and songs here.

#2 – Here are your comments from the Communication Cards:

• Loved the songs after sermon. Heart on fire. 
• Thank you Dan Lukas for always choosing amazing songs and your awesome voice. Your words of praise and prayer are great.
• Really nice worship set. Dan you are doing such a great job with announcements and intro. Your story was so funny – great ice-breaker. Tim we are so blessed to have you here at our church. Thanks for letting God use you here. Tim your stories are hysterical. That was a great, great, great message and thanks for taking time in the closing prayer to let in sink in. beautiful closing song.
• POWERFUL message Tim, thank you! [I listened to it when I returned from vacation and I agree!]
  
• Great message Tim! Great worship leader, very nice tone! 
• God always speaks to me through the preaching here. Grace to you all, keep the faith!
• Thanks for the great message Tim – I honestly don’t think we can hear this message too often. 
• Music – slow. Tim – awesome! Thank you for breaking it down for us. I’m free because the judge said I am free.
• I really liked the worship director.
• Nice job by the young man leading worship!
• I’ve heard the story of Pilot and Jesus many times, yet never like that and I didn’t connect the dots. Thank you – I get it now. 
• Wow, Tim! This was an incredible sermon! The picture of Barabbas in shackles wailing down the hallway and coming out in the sunshine as shackles falling off was so vivid and personally touching to my heart. Thank you and thanks to God as he has worked through you.
• I met a woman named…during introductions who recently moved to Woodbury and is church shopping. She is searching and I feel led to suggest an in person contact for her, if she gives her contact info on these cards. 
• Happy St. Patty’s day! May the luck of the Irish and the love of the Lord be with you!
• Looking forward to summer and hope they’ll be dinner after the Saturday services again! [I guess you didn’t hear the announcement. No summer this year! No spring either. Winter will be followed by fall this year. We still need to discuss whether or not we will offer meals during the months formally known as summer.]

#3 – Our new Care Ministry is really taking shape. There are three branches to it. First is Befrienders, a ministry of people to come alongside others in times of transition or trouble. Our Befrienders have gone through 20 hours of training and are now doing an “internship” of sorts as part of their training. They will also participate continuing education and support meetings throughout the year. Second is the Help Fund. We’re working on the details of that right now, but this will be a team of people that do much more than hand out money to Five Oakers in need. Third is a up-to-date referral system for our folks, from counseling to recovery to financial assistance.

#4 – Speaking of Care Ministry, Jake Eyler has agreed to be our Care Ministry Director. Jake is a member of Five Oaks and a student at Bethel Seminary. His wife, Andrea, is a veterinarian. Some of you may remember Jake from his internship here at Five Oaks back in the summer 2006. Jake served on the staff of University Christian Church in Manhattan, KS, as College Minister and Facility Manager for three years before coming to Bethel.

#5 – The Kindle version of the Jesus Storybook Bible: Everywhere whispers his name by Sally Lloyd-Jones is on sale right now for $1.99. This is a great book for families. It tells the story of God so well, always pointing to Jesus. It’s enhanced to work really well with my Kindle iPad app.

#6 – We were in the Minneapolis Tribune recently. You can read the article here, "Eagle Brook Church is Just One of Woodbury's Megachurches." Here's the part about Five Oaks:

Five Oaks Church, also in south Woodbury, lies in the heart of a massive housing development that will start taking shape this spring. The board that runs the church is well aware of the challenge and opportunity, said the Rev. Henry Williams. “We’re trying to get ourselves ready.”

About 1,000 people worship weekly at Five Oaks, which has expanded its building in phases over the past decade. The church is right across the road from East Ridge High School. When Eagle Brook arrived, its officials discussed their plans with their church neighbors, Williams said. Like other pastors, he said Eagle Brook is a welcome addition to the worship community.

“With Eagle Brook coming, my feeling is it raises the water for everybody,” Williams said. “Eagle Brook is an amazing church that gets everybody talking, and our church very much has the same mind-set.”

#7 – This weekend, in our Commons, you can buy a voucher to a movie called Home Run that will be shown at Woodbury Theater. Part of the idea is to drum up enough sales to bring the movie to Woodbury. Here’s what one Christian leader has said about it: “What Courageous was for fatherhood, and Fireproof for marriages, Home Run is for battling addictions, bad habit, and hang-ups.  This story says that no hurt is beyond healing, no habit is beyond help, and no hang-up is beyond hope.” Go to the website here, or watch the movie trailer below.

#8 – Here’s a comment we received back from the cards we send first-time guests:

2/24 - Attended as a visitor with a family member who belongs – will return anytime as a visitor.  Contemporary, inviting, engaging service and friendly people at your church.  Coming from a more traditional background, I did miss not having The Lord’s Prayer as a part of the service.  I have and will continue to follow Five Oaks online, and shared my experience with my Pastor…

#9 – This weekend’s message is the last in our Killing Jesus series and focuses on the crucifixion. Hope to see you.

God bless you, Pastor Henry

Mid-Week Memo

Hi Five Oakers,

There are several things I want to share with you today.

#1 – Get a recap of the service with highlights of our prayers, readings and songs here.

#2 – Here are your comments from the Communication Cards:

• Loved the opening worship set.  Thanks folks for being led by God.  Henry, thank you for reminding us that God is good for us by remembering he empathized for our suffering by experiencing it himself on the cross.  Very intimate worship time.  Thanks.
• I really miss Justin and his upbeat music.  He really did a great job celebrating God.
• Can Dan be our Worship Leader?  Again it was great worship time.  Loved the message.
• Wanted to say thank you to Pastor Henry for being so available and willing to talk in between services. 
• Wow- great message.  So anointed.  Thank you Henry for preaching that truth.
• We are so happy to say we are having another baby!  Everything is going great.  So excited! [Congratulations!!!]
• Loved the worship today! 

#3 – Here’s the sermon in 10 tweets, Luke 22:63-23:12, “God on Trial”:

1. The great God is good and his good is great for you.
2. The only evidence produced in his trial was evidence of human brutality and hard hearts.
3. Pilate: "YOU are the king of the Jews." Jesus looks weak, beaten and pathetic.
4. This isn't a good man being victimized by powerful men. This is God being brutalized by human evil & he is allowing it for a greater purpose
5. As they hit him and rip him apart, they're fulfilling prophecy.
6. If Jesus is not God the Son (divinity), this would be a good moment to declare it.
7. We question God’s goodness, but the only reason we know what good and justice are is because of God.
8. He wants us to judge him. He's not interested in overpowering us…want us to find him good…to love him deeply.
9. His goodness is seen in his desire to empathize with our suffering by experiencing it firsthand.
10. McKinley: When a Christian thinks about Jesus…enduring taunts...we see proof that Jesus is the heroic King we've always wanted.

God bless you, Pastor Henry

Celebrate Impact!

Well you and many others joined in and the results were incredible. And here's Jerry Meras' report:

Sunday night, at just past 9:00 pm, Five Oaks Church achieved its goal of packing 500,000 meals for hungry kids world-wide through our Feed My Starving Children MobilePack Event.
 
This moment was significant because it was the culmination of nearly a year of planning, fundraising, gathering volunteers and hard work that even included a small group of us cycling 2,200 miles through the desert in August!
 
Through the generous giving of our congregation and community, we were able to keep packing until we used up every bit of the ingredients we had on location. In the end, we packed 520,992 meals. That is an impressive number, but what is more important to know is that we all came together to feed 1,427 starving children, every day, for a full year!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this event.  We could not have done it without you!