Oasis Church Birmingham: Talks

In John 17, Jesus dedicates his final prayer before heading to the cross to praying for the UNITY of those who have centred their lives on him. This isn't random: the unity of God's people has been a core theme of the story of the Bible. The sad reality though is that across that story and across the history of the church, the call to unity is not one we have lived up to. In this short series, we'll be looking at the theme of unity, particularly focusing on John 17, and asking the question: "How do we build a community which reflects the unity that Jesus prays for?" This week, Sarah looks at how this unity leads to an extraordinary BELONGING for all those who are united to Jesus.

In John 17, Jesus dedicates his final prayer before heading to the cross to praying for the UNITY of those who have centred their lives on him. This isn't random: the unity of God's people has been a core theme of the story of the Bible. The sad reality though is that across that story and across the history of the church, the call to unity is not one we have lived up to. In this short series, we'll be looking at the theme of unity, particularly focusing on John 17, and asking the question: "How do we build a community which reflects the unity that Jesus prays for?" This week, Rich continues the series with the first of four weeks exploring John 17 - Jesus's prayer of unity as he heads to the cross. Together, we look at unity through the Bible (and before the Bible!), and how we are called to live expressing that unity in our particular context.

This week, we had the joy of welcoming Melanie Crane, from Real Life Church in Sutton Coldfield - also part of the Catalyst family of Churches - to share with us. Her message encourages us in how God's spirit rests on those who He calls 'beloved', and explores the following passage in Isaiah 11:1-5 to unpack what that means! Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.

In John 17, Jesus dedicates his final prayer before heading to the cross to praying for the UNITY of those who have centred their lives on him. This isn't random: the unity of God's people has been a core theme of the story of the Bible. The sad reality though is that across that story and across the history of the church, the call to unity is not one we have lived up to. In this short series, we'll be looking at the theme of unity, particularly focusing on John 17, and asking the question: "How do we build a community which reflects the unity that Jesus prays for?" This week, Adrian kicks off the series by exploring Psalm 133 - a Psalm which describes the blessing which rests on those who give themselves to pursuing unity.

The Oasis theme for 2026 is "Being Present" - an invitation to embrace life in full with God and one another. In the 'Living Present' series, the team unpack this more - looking at what it really means to enjoy the reality of the Father's love, union with the Son, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. This week, Alice wraps up the series by looking at HOW we live present, and we do that together.