Team From Central Ohio Ministers to Las Vegas Church Plant
Members of the City of Refuge mission team staffed a block party as they worked with The Oasis Church in Las Vegas.
By Stephanie Heading
When Pastor Darryl Hammock, City of Refuge, Whitehall, called Pastor Dave Tatlock of The Oasis Church, Las Vegas, and asked if he could bring a mission team to assist the young church plant, Tatlock was utterly humbled and shocked that anyone would want to come to his little church in the hottest heat of the year to work with them.
The Oasis Church began recruiting a core group of ten to twelve believers in July 2021. Since then, the church has started meeting and worshipping together.
Back in Columbus, Angie Adkins and her daughter Kristyana decided to be part of the City of Refuge mission trip team to Las Vegas. However, Adkins was concerned about two things as they prepared for their first mission trip – the finances and the reactions of others.
An answer to part of the financial burden came when Adkins and her daughter applied for and received the Ohio WMU Joan White Scholarship. The scholarship is for women/girls who are going on a mission trip for the first time or on their first international mission trip. Applicants may request up to twenty-five percent of their required funds.
With finances supplied, Adkins faced the reactions of others head-on. “When I would tell people I was going on a mission trip to Las Vegas, the reaction was a bit of disbelief,” said Adkins. “This reaction made me slightly anxious of the unknown, but I felt like there was a reason that God had opened this door for my daughter and me to have this experience together.”
The group’s first day in Las Vegas meant being outside in 111-degree weather, passing out block party fliers and inviting people to the party at a local park on the northeast side of Las Vegas the next day.
After the block party, the team held VBS in an apartment complex’s pool house close to the block party location. They had twenty children in attendance the first day and thirty-five children the second day. “The kids were excited for us to be there, and they were very attentive,” said Adkins. “It was such a success that I feel like God revitalized the spirit of the people of The Oasis Church. There is need everywhere and I learned that people want to know God and His love. I am truly grateful for being blessed by this experience.”
The City of Refuge mission team also blessed The Oasis Church by introducing the church’s name to the community through VBS, block party and door to door invites. The mission team also encouraged and energized Pastor Dave and his wife Edie physically and spiritually during their time together. They were grateful for the time of ministry and fellowship.
Children in an apartment complex in Las Vegas enjoyed VBS led by City of Refuge mission team from Whitehall (A suburb of Columbus, Ohio.) The church helped The Oasis Church, a young church plant.
The team from City of Refuge in Whitehall partnered with The Oasis Church to minister in Las Vegas, Nevada.
To help more women and girls experience their first mission trip, give today to the Joan White Scholarship Fund. Make checks payable to SCBO. To apply for the Ohio WMU Joan White Scholarship, email Vernita Lambert, vlambert@scbo.org, to request an application form.
