Middletown, Ohio is an interesting town, an old blue-collar community that owed its existence for years to AK Steel.  Throw in the mix of students and educators from nearby Miami (OH) college and the fact that it sits on the I-75 corridor between Cincinnati and Dayton, near enough to each city for a work commute or night on the town, and it makes for a diverse population and a blended culture.

The Oaks Community Church, a ten-month-old Acts 29 church plant, was birthed by a group of mostly 20-somethings who worshiped God together in a small group before they, led by pastor Kevin Jamison, held their public launch in rented facilities.  If this sounds familar to regular sojournmusic.com readers, it should: change the name of the city, church and lead pastor and you’ve got the story of Sojourn’s beginnings just eight years ago.

Sojourn worship arts pastor Mike Cosper has spoken highly of The Oaks to me on several occasions, and about their worship ministry, led by Kevin’s brother Kyle Jamison.  Last week I got the chance to see for myself what’s going on just a couple hours up the road from Louisville. Sojourn worship leader Lorie King and I spent a Sunday morning in worship at The Oaks and talking over lunch with the Jamison brothers and members of The Oaks worship team.

Worship Director Kyle Jamison and band lead the congregation in songs new and old

Stepping into their temporary digs in downtown Middletown was like stepping back in time in some ways, to the days before Sojourn bought The 930 building.  After less than a year The Oaks already averages over 100 per Sunday, mostly 20-somethings, although I talked with several worshipers in their 40s and beyond who told me how excited they were to be a part of this vibrant new community.  They have seven community groups, and will start several more this fall.

We felt at home right off the bat as the worship team kicked off with Jeremy Quillo’s “All of Creation,” from Sojourn’s worship CD With the Angels.  On this occasion their worship team was a five-person ensemble: two vocalists, guitar, bass and drums, and a whole assortment of instruments at the hands of Kyle, a versatile musician who particularly made me smile when he was busting out the jams on the mandolin, one of my favorite instruments.

Members, regular attenders and newcomers mix freely before the service at The Oaks

The Oaks’ worship sets include a mix of hymns, modern worship songs that would be recognized at many churches across the country, grass-roots songs from churches like Sojourn and Mars Hill (Seattle) and music created by their own worship leaders.  In fact, I look for them to produce more original music over the years, and can’t wait to hear what they come up with.

Pastor Kevin gave a sermon on “Redemtion, Renewal and Restoration” using Jonah 4 and Isaiah 61:1-4 as key texts.  His message resonated with me as he spoke about proclaiming redemption, practicing renewal and participating in restoration (hear Pastor Kevin Jamison’s sermons on the web). 

It was an appropriate theme for where they are as a community, too.  The Oaks is beginning to hold a vision campaign to purchase their own worship space.  Before the sermon, Pastor Kevin presented some details to his congregation.  I grew excited for them, realizing the wonderful opportunity God has set before them to own some very nice property that will provide a stable and attractive base of operations for their work in Middletown and along the Cincinatti-Dayton corridor for years to come.

Pastor and church planter Kevin Jamison preaches from Jonah and Isaiah

After the service the Jamisons were very hospitable in taking us and members of their worship team to dinner at La Rosa’s, a delicious local pizza chain.  We talked a lot about church planting and growth, the histories of The Oaks and Sojourn, the Acts 29 Network, their new building opportunity, the potential for a worship CD sometime in the not-too-distant future for The Oaks, their quest to minister the gospel to Middletown through social justice, the arts and business renewal, and the close relationship between the Jamison brothers and Sojourn pastors Daniel Montgomery and Mike Cosper.

The whole experience was a joy, as it’s always a pleasure to meet brothers and sisters in Christ for the first time and experience the unity that believers hold together, regardless of geography or past acquaintance.  If you’re ever near Middletown, Ohio on a Sunday around 10 am, stop in and worship with The Oaks Community.  Until then, check them out on the web — and trust me, when they eventually record a worship record, it’s going to be a keeper.

• description: A look at Sojourn\'s (Louisville) young sister church in The Acts 29 church-planting network, The Oaks Community Church in Middletown, Ohio.
• keywords: acts 29 network, the oaks church, church planting, sojourn church, dayton churches, cincinnati churches,
• title: New Acts 29 Network Church Plant: The Oaks Community Church

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