Renew: About

“A life poured out in deeds of mercy is the inevitable sign of true faith.” – Tim Keller in Ministries of Mercy

What is Renew?  

Renew is our Mercy Initiative designed to demonstrate acts of love and service for the city of Middletown, OH.  It’s a way for the body of The Oaks Community Church to obey God’s command for us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  It’s also a vehicle through which we can see renewal, life, and restoration brought to our city.  At The Oaks, we believe that God has called us to love others both in word and in deed.  An integral part of our duty as Christians is to care for the broken, the hurting, the poor, and the marginalized.  Renew seeks out the areas of our city in need of restoration and connects those people and places to community within the body of Christ at The Oaks.

How does it work?

Mercy and renewal are needed in a broad spectrum of areas in Middletown. Thus, the scope and category of our projects is pretty broad and always changing.  In general, though, Renew seeks to build partnerships in the city with non-profits, business leaders, city officials, other ministries, and regular everyday folks.  We seek out needs that they have or that they see in Middletown, and then we work with them to coordinate projects to help alleviate those needs, no strings attached.  We have a team of Project Leaders in Renew who then take these projects to their respective community groups once a month, and we also try to plan one all-church project each month.  This serves multiple purposes: not only are we “doing” mercy, we are building community within our church and with the city.  

How can I get involved?

There are multiple ways to be involved in Renew.  First, since we are working as a church to cultivate a community of mercy, you can join a community group!   We currently have 9 community groups meeting weekly in a wide geographic region spanning as far north as Beavercreek, as far south as Monroe, and as far west as Oxford.  Each community group will be participating in a Renew service project once a month, and all of them are “open-door-policy” groups, constantly seeking to welcome new folks into their community.  Second, you can let us know ideas you have for projects or areas in the city where you see a need for restoration, beautification, compassion, or renewal.  We want to continually expand and improve our efforts to best serve this city, and the only way we can do that is to hear from people who care about Middletown and its residents! Third, if you are not currently part of a community group, you are always invited to join us on our monthly all-church projects.  There are no requirements for commitment and we can always use an extra set of hands.  Lastly, if mercy ministry is something that you feel a calling and a passion for and you’d like to know more about avenues for leadership roles within Renew, we’d love to talk to you.  As our church grows, so will our need for Project Leaders and other positions, so feel free to reach out to us.  

In view of God’s great mercy to us, let’s work together to love this city with compassion, humility, and grace.

For questions regarding these or any other issues pertaining to Renew, please feel free to contact David Binder, the Director of Renew, at (937) 620-6233 or via email at  “binderdw@theoakscommunitychurch.org” .