God's Provision at Oak Hill

By Phil Mahan

The purchase of our building included contractual language to support Noah's Ark Preschool with no cost building space and utilities for at least five years.  In spite of the cost of that support, Oak Hill Fellowship Church still got a really good deal overall.  Nevertheless, I was and still am, all in on supporting Noah's Ark. Miss Cathy and I have each other on speed text and I enjoy working with her to help keep thing running smoothly.

Last week I got to participate in the annual Noah's Ark graduation ceremony right in our sanctuary. That really brought home for me the byproduct of the work that Cathy and her staff put into caring for those kids.  It also provides an opportunity to expose the gospel to unchurched parents and caretakers of these children.

We've been blessed with members who have taken initiative to maintain the lawn, weed and mulch. For this I am grateful. This really gives our church the lived-in, loved and active church look on the outside that accurately reflects what it really is on the inside.

Since we have been at this building, we've replaced and repaired tens of thousands of dollars' worth of lights, carpentry, plumbing, heating and A/C where the supplies were free or significantly discounted, and the majority of that labor has been provided free by our members.  If you had told me in 2023 all the things we would accomplish at this new location, I would have said it could only be done by the hand of God. It was.

During the planning of the 2026-2027 budget, I didn't budget for any major capital improvements. We still have some aging aspects of the building that will need updating as well as some functional improvements.  But I wanted to keep funds available for other ministries.  It was kind of a risky move.  But in hindsight of all the things God has provided for Oak Hill, was it really?

I always say it's the people, not the steeple.  But it's still pretty cool to see this building and all the evidence of God's work in it.

Continue to pray that the Oak Hill building will continue to be a tool for God's glory that is safe, secure and functional.