HISTORY

Oasis Church began with a small group of families who were new to the Rochester area in 1960. They wanted to create a church that would meet the needs of young families in the area as well as support the worldwide spread of the Christian faith. The first Sunday morning service was held in August of that year, but September 13,1961 marked the official organization of the church named Elim Baptist Church, with twenty-two charter members.The founding membership of the church decided to voluntarily affiliate with the Minnesota Iowa Baptist Conference, a subsidiary of Converge Worldwide (formerly the Baptist General Conference).

The church met in a variety of locations the first few years until our current property was secured in 1963. Construction began that spring, and the building was dedicated in November of the same year. Continued growth led to the construction of our current sanctuary in 1979. Several renovations have been made to meet changing needs but we believe the church is much more than a building. We don't meet to simply support a mortgage (the building is paid for); rather, we are here to impact the lives of our friends, families, community and world.

Since our inception, we have been motivated by our belief that Jesus Christ has called us to share the story of his death and resurrection with those people who are far from God and to help Christ's followers mature in their faith. It is this passion that drives us as a church.

In October 2004 we felt led to change our name to Oasis Church. Having found that there was confusion about the meaning of the word "Elim" and its proper pronunciation, the congregation decided to translate the church's name from its Hebrew origins to its English equivalent, "Oasis" -- a place of refuge and restoration. We wished to convey our Baptist heritage through a shared set of positive beliefs rather than the perception of many in the world who associate the name "Baptist" with a list of do's and don'ts.

As Baptists we are committed to the following convictions:

• The Bible is the sole basis for theological truth.
• The primary purpose of the church is to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• Christians are responsible to grow in their faith through Bible reading, prayer and the cultivation of the Holy Spirit's presence in their lives.
• Each person is responsible to God alone in matter of faith and conduct, and the church and state must be kept separate.

We fully align ourselves with these convictions, and as a result, partner with an organization that shares these beliefs and enables us to accomplish some things that we would not be able to do on our own; we want to be part of a team. Thus we continue to retain our voluntary affiliation with the Converge North Central (formerly the Minnesota Iowa Baptist Conference) and Converge Worldwide.