letter from the president
Perseverance is the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. (Merriam-Webster online) The production of perseverance typically involves some pain. It is one of the great paradoxes of life in a fallen world. We don’t like it very much, but our God is committed to our growth. The One who rescued us from sin is at work in refining our faith. He is getting us ready for heaven and invites us to respond with joy when our lives are jarred by trial. It’s counter-intuitive. It’s difficult. But it’s possible when we take our eyes off the difficulty and anticipate the end result! The prize is worth the process!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4 NIV84)
What is true of our individual lives as Christians is also true of our cooperative ministries. God is in the process of growing, refining, and maturing the four ministries of the Oak Hills Fellowship. And each of our ministries encounters trials and tests along the path to perseverance.
As a visual reminder of our Fellowship and an invitation to uphold all four ministries in prayer, I’m delighted to introduce to you our new Oak Hills Fellowship logo! It’s a circle signifying our unity in Christ. The circle encloses an Oak tree consisting of four branches in the signature colors of each ministry.
The letters OHF (Oak Hills Fellowship) appear in goldenrod. The turquoise branch represents Oak Hills Center for Indian Ministries. The burgundy branch represents Oak Hills Christian College. Forest green points us to Camp Oak Hills. Dark blue is the color for Oak Hills Church Ministries.
You can expect a small version of this logo to appear on all of the publications of our four ministries. I hope that when you see it you will take a moment to pray for each of the branches of our ministry – that God would bless us and continue the process of growing and refining our faith, that He would help us navigate the path to perseverance and make us mature in Him.
Thank you for partnering with us in ministry that matters forever!
Dr. Martin Giese
President OHF, Oak Hills Christian College