"The Preachers’ Oasis" held on the campus of Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan

July 7-11, 2008

Led by Randy Bytwerk, Scott Hoezee, and Mary Hulst

The first full week of July featured the third annual meeting of "The Preachers’ Oasis." The seminar this year included fourteen pastors from the United States and Canada who spent a week expanding their horizons of thinking about the preaching task generally as well as focusing very specifically on their own preaching. For the third time the seminar was co-led by CEP Director Scott Hoezee along with Calvin Seminary Associate Professor of Preaching Mary Hulst and Calvin College Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences Randy Bytwerk.

Figure 7
Figure 7: Mary Hulst Makes Oasis Presentation

A hallmark of the Oasis seminar is the individualized feedback that each participant receives. Prior to arriving in Grand Rapids for the Oasis, each pastor sends in two recent sermons on video cassette or DVD. Additionally, the leadership and members of the congregation of each participant are also asked to fill in a confidential evaluation form on which they rate the strengths and weaknesses of each pastor. In the course of the Oasis event, each participant meets one-on-one with one of the three Oasis leaders. During these meetings, the Oasis leader discusses what he or she noticed on the video sermons that were submitted. What was particularly effective in terms of sermon delivery and sermon design? Where does this pastor need to focus his or her energies in order to become a better sermon writer as well as in terms of delivering the sermon with greater confidence? The Oasis leader presents such feedback to each participant and then gives also a summary of what the congregational evaluations revealed. By spending a couple of hours with each pastor, the Oasis leaders seek to make the seminar as practical, helpful, and encouraging for each pastor as possible.

But the bulk of the Oasis consists of a morning plenary that meets for five days from 8:45 until noon. Each day begins with devotions that include listening to an audio sermon preached by a well-known pastor. In addition to providing devotional content, listening to the sermons of those who have distinguished themselves as excellent preachers gives the Oasis participants an opportunity to note what works well in these sermons and to then discuss together how they might incorporate such techniques and ideas into their own preaching.

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Figures 8 and 9: Oasis Morning Session and Lunch

The plenary sessions are led by the team of Bytwerk, Hoezee, and Hulst. Oasis participants are led in discussions on how to build a database of sermon ideas and illustrations (and also where to find such ideas and illustrations in the first place). The Oasis pastors are encouraged to ponder the variety of sermon forms and structures that are available to them so as to add such variety to the preaching life of their own congregations. And tips are given on how to improve communication skills, on what websites to check regularly for new ideas on reading resources, on what works—and what does not work—in utilizing PowerPoint technology in preaching, and on how to create a preaching calendar. The week concludes by having the group study a biblical text together so as to put into practice the many skills and ideas that had been presented in the course of the week.

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Figures 8 and 9: Oasis Morning Session and Lunch

The Oasis participants stay at the Prince Conference Center on the Calvin College campus where they are able to enjoy breakfast together each day. The group also is provided with a plated noon meal each day and goes out to area restaurants in the evenings for further fellowship, fun, and conversation.

 


The 2008 "Preachers’ Oasis" group was once again a richly diverse group ecumenically. Below are a few of their comments on their Oasis experience:

The workshops were all very helpful. I really needed the PowerPoint workshop! Blessings to you on this important work.

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Figure 10: Oasis Leader Bytwerk (center) with Oasis Members at Coffee Time

Please accept my thanks for making the Oasis both a great learning environment and a refreshing week. Please also extend my thanks to Randy and Mary for the work that they did with us. I have already reviewed several times the notes that I took during that week and reflected on Randy's dissection of my sermons! It feels like the week will help me for a long time, not just be a temporary infusion of preaching ideas. I hope you will also share with the administration of Calvin Seminary and all who make the Oasis possible what a wonderful gift it was for me. Not only did I get to focus on preaching, but Calvin College provided a wonderful context to relax and reflect. The hospitality throughout the campus was terrific. I look forward to returning there at some future time for other events.

I very much enjoyed the conference and found it to be well planned and very helpful. The meals were wonderful! Also, the one-on-one sessions were so very useful to me.

I appreciated so very much all the morning sessions but also the "downtime," the true "Oasis" part of the week. I am headed back encouraged! Thank you very much!

Thanks for the incredible week you provided for the preachers at the Preacher's Oasis last week. I found it informative, inspiring, restful, and fun. It is one of the most useful and helpful continuing education opportunities I have had the opportunity to take advantage of. Tell Dr. Hulst that I was able to put to use her suggestions for sermon improvement on Sunday. Concluding each sermon by asking, "What is God doing here?" will now be a regular piece of finishing my sermon.

Thank you guys! It was such a refreshing week for me. I learned a TON! Great work!