Sixteen years ago a small group of people followed God's direction to start up a church
on the growing west side of Springfield. From the very beginning, the focus has been
that we need to "be there for people."

Today, we express that same heart in our day-to-day lives by revealing and representing
Christ in all that we do. This means we try to always live out what we believe whether
we're running errands or volunteering at church; we know that truly following Christ
means choosing and committing each day to honor Him. And, sometimes that's harder
than other times. And, sometimes we mess up. But that doesn't keep us from coming back
to who we know we are in Christ and trying again.

We recognize and embrace that we are all unique and gifted in different ways. That's really
what it means to be a church. The church isn't a building or programs; it's the people. We
believe that God brings us together and that He has a plan for us to discover and use our
individual talents so that collectively we can make a difference.

If there is one word that most members and newcomers, alike, use to describe Western Oaks,
it is authentic. We really do enjoy being together. And, we really do enjoy sharing that with
everyone else.

When you get right down to it, we're just a group of imperfect people , trying to balance the
ups and downs of life while growing in our relationships with Christ. We're not perfect. We
don't expect you to be.

We're just "real people. real lives. real worship."

Sunday morning worship services at Western Oaks are powerful opportunities to celebrate
how amazing God is, to open up to God and really hear and feel His direction in a safe place
and to inspire one another to continue walking with Him.

On any given week, the services may include dramas, videos, worship choruses, hymns,
movie clips, personal life stories, and other artistic expressions of faith to enhance the always
present, relevant messages filled with Biblical basis.

You'll hear from our wonderful pastor, Ed Ingram, who has a great understanding of the Bible
and its history, trusts and follows God's lead, and cares about each person. You'll also be led
through the service by DJ Shultz, a creative guy who knows how to get us to the place God
wants us to be each week.

On top of that, you'll run into all kinds of people, some dressed in suits, others in jeans. Some
have been following Christ for decades, others for only a day. We like that about us. We don't
talk up or preach down. We just genuinely enjoy being together each week and praising God. 

We hope you enjoy your time with us. Most importantly though, we hope you
connect with God. After all, that's what this is all about. We don't see the point
in wasting time "playing" church by focusing on "rules". The way we see it, if
we're not helping one another experience God while we're together and when
we're apart, then we're not doing what He wants us to. We want to please Him
first, others second, and ourselves last. The awesome part is that when we do
it this way, God blesses us even more.

That's why we consider your being with us a blessing from God. We'd enjoy
being a part of your journey with Christ; and, we'd really like the chance to get
to know you more. But, if you don't feel that Western Oaks is the right fit for
you, we encourage you to find a church home where you can continue to grow
in your relationship with God. That's what really counts.

Our hope for you is that you are experiencing the nothing-compares-to-it
adventure we can each personally have when we choose to commit our lives
to following Christ instead of listening to the world. It's not a perfect life
according to the world's definition; but it's the perfect ride to the perfect
end according to God's will.

Even before you decide Western Oaks is the church family for you, you
may feel that you really need the support a church family typically provides.
And we understand that sometimes it's hard to share the personal stuff
going on in your life. But, at the same time, you'd really like to have others
lift your concerns up to God in prayer. That's why we invite you to contact
one of our pastors by calling the church office if you would like to have your
prayer needs added to our prayer list. You can even ask that we support
you in prayer anonymously...because God will know who you are when we
pray for you.

We do this because you are important to us. Prayer isn't just for "church
people." And answered prayer isn't just for "perfect people." What we do
have to realize though, is that sometimes answered prayer doesn't always
look like the "perfect answer" for us. Even when we think things don't work
out just right for us, God is busy building us into a better person.  Because,
you see, God is always working on the big picture, even when we get too
focused on a single issue.  Praise God for that!