OASIS MISSION DEVELOPMENT
The expanded mission of Oasis is to create additional opportunities for outreach to marginalized youth and young adults. Eligible congregations include but are not limited to: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) churches of the Northeastern Ohio Synod (NEOS) and ELCA full communion partners in Northeastern Ohio. Recommendations come from the NEOS.
A. Goals for Oasis Mission Development
1. Increase additional outreach in the existing congregations across Northeastern Ohio who are willing to extend grace to marginalized youth and young adults. Marginalized groups include but are not limited to people facing hunger, housing and economic challenges, people of color, those whose primary language is other than English, LGBTQ+, and students experiencing stress.
2. Mobilize Diverse Oasis leadership teams to spend time with congregations to help to discern how they can add or expand community outreach to marginalized youth and young adults. Multi-cultural teams from Oasis will meet to prayerfully participate with congregational leaders in a spiritual discernment process for the addition of at least one small group ministry to marginalized youth and young adults. This model allows for relationship building among diverse people to lead the effort toward authentically diverse ministries.
3. Discern with congregations where they have the Grace, Space, and at least one enthusiastic Face (someone with the passion to work with youth and young adults) to take the next natural step toward adding outreach ministries to the marginalized youth and young adults in the community. Because God’s grace is continually flowing, people can catch on to the current of God’s presence at the points of need in a community and build relationships there with God and each other.
B. Oasis Mission Development Assistance
1. Funding
Oasis will provide financial funds to support the mission of each congregation willing to discern where the Holy Spirit and the energy of God’s people are leading them for outreach to marginalized youth and young adults in their communities. Churches participating in Oasis Mission Development are eligible to receive funding both for their outreach ministry and to help sustain their current staff and building expenses, if needed. Up to $30,000 of annual funding for the new outreach and/or the expansion of existing outreach may include:
a. Salary for someone who is passionate about the outreach
b. Supplies for outreach including food
c. Other general budget needs, for example, church staff salaries and utilities
d. At least 15% of total funding must go directly to the youth and young adults.
