Oasis Church celebrates five years with continued growth and new church campus

For Oasis Church senior Pastor Steve Coad, God has always been a part of his life. The son of missionaries, Coad’s spiritual and educational journey led him to form Oasis in 2012 with his wife, Kristin. Their humble beginnings started with services at Braden River Elementary.

His calling comes from life experience, a real desire and heart for people disconnected from God and a special focus on foster care and orphaned children.

“That’s what influenced us for starting a church,” Coad said. “I really have a heart for community foster care and orphaned kids. It’s a big deal for us and it’s not just about talking about your faith, but walking it.”

Oasis, 5215 Lorraine Road, began with 75 members and has grown to over 300, with more than 100 children attending the kids church every Sunday. Services are held at 9:30 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. Oasis prides itself on greeting visitors and new members with open arms.

“God asked us to be a bridge, not a fortress keeping us out,” Coad said. “I believe it’s important to be a safe place to come and feel like they are loved. That’s part of our mission statement. It’s important for us to our faith to grow and to serve, helping people figure out who they are in Christ and walk that out. I feel like it’s our job to help them with that. I don’t feel like the people are there to serve the church, the church is there to serve them.”

In order to achieve that, Coad said he can’t just stand up in front of his congregation and read scripture.

“We keep it about Jesus and make sure people know why Jesus is behind things,” he said. “It’s important is to be as authentic as possible and not try to put up a facade. Just come in as you are and we’ll grow in Jesus together. We don’t just read scripture. We explain it in case you didn’t grow up in church and how it applies to life. You can walk away with something, even if you have never been to church.”

The church applies five values to all things Oasis. To be giving, to be biblical, to think like missionaries in their own community, to be generous, “and to have fun,” Coad said. “The foster and orphan care fits into our culture. There are over 800 kids in Manatee County that don’t have a home. But there are over 800 Evangelical churches in Manatee County. I think that’s really sad.”

Coad said if every church just got behind one family, there wouldn’t be a single child in the system.

“This is a commandment, to take care of the orphans and widows,” he said. “That’s something Jesus would do.”

It’s been a blessing to see his church grow in a time when a lot of churches are struggling. However, larger congregations aren’t for everyone, but Coad said relationships are a two-way street.

“For us, you will be as connected as you want to be,” he said. “We encourage people to have goals outside of Sunday. We have a lot of groups and encourage people to find a group that fits who you are and you’ll make some really good friends. Remember, when Jesus taught, it was conversations around the campfire. Relationships you build through service to others, that’s where you get your community.”

Coad certainly invites all to experience Oasis, but is just as happy to see others finding a church they love even if it isn’t there.

“You need to be involved in church,” he said. “It’s healthy and good for you. It’s important to stay connected. A relationship with Jesus doesn’t grow on its own. It takes working on it and it’s easy to get disconnected from that.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Oasis Church celebrates five years with continued growth and new church campus."