In an effort to keep our members and friends safe, all onsite services and activities are cancelled until further notice. We will update you as we receive new information regarding the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Please feel free to call the church for prayer or the pastor for spiritual counsel. We will get back to you as soon as we are able.
Also, Pastor Barbara has asked us to recite The Lord's Prayer at 10:00am each day during this difficult period.
Pastor Barbara's Facebook Page:
Live Streaming Service, Sunday 8/2, 9:30am ET
Request for Email Addresses
Jimmy Elison is looking to create an email list for the Church, in order to send out notifications and offer services via email. Your email address will only be used for Church activities and NOT be sold or shared with ANY third party. If you'd like to join the mailing list, please go to the link below to sign up.
Welcome to Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church
At Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church, we support people as they seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are an American Baptist Church in partnerships with American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island and American Baptist Churches, USA. We are ecumenically minded and seek opportunities for
worship and service with other community churches.
Our church welcomes diverse families. We provide for Christian Education (Sunday School) for school aged children, as well as a nursery for pre-school children during worship services.
A very important part of our worship at Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church is our music program. We have been blessed with a strong music ministry consisting of a Sanctuary Choir, Hand bell Choir, two
organists, and many musically talented members who readily share their gifts during the worship services throughout the year.
At the conclusion of worship every Sunday all are invited to the fellowship hall to join in conversation and refreshments.
Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church is located at 229 Wilbur Avenue in Cranston. We warmly invite you to worship with us on a Sunday morning at 9:30 am. Until then, may our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ richly bless you!
From The Pastor
Summer 2020
Dear Oak Lawn Family,
I want to take a moment to let you know how much I miss meeting together as a church family during this time of battling the Coronavirus. While I realize the “church” is not a building, but the people who make up the body of Christ, there's little doubt this is not the way any of us envision what church will be going forward.
Someone once said, “You don't know what you have until it's gone.” Of course, the church is not “gone” in a literal sense but not meeting together sure does make me appreciate what we had!
The thing that keeps me going is the awareness that this is not a situation that will last forever. There is such an odd feeling walking through the various empty rooms in the church, especially the sanctuary that in the past has been filled with people worshiping God and hearing God’s Word, but it's all very quiet now.
Many of the Psalms are quite encouraging, and my mind goes to Psalm 27:13-14: (NIV)
“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
While many of us might feel that our patience is wearing thin, I encourage you to keep your confidence in the Lord as you navigate these uncertain times. Use these days to draw close to the Lord, and trust that as we draw near to God, God will draw near to us! Remember Psalm 65:4 –
“How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.”
I suppose one of the reasons the Psalms are so powerful is because often, there is such a desire to enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and praise. So often, the Psalmist expresses his love for the place of meeting with God. Have faith, we will meet again soon!
If there is anything we can do to minister to you in the interim, please do reach out to us.
Gracefully yours,
Pastor Barbara
A Note From The Moderator
Summer is here!
A very special thank you to those of you who have been helping your children with their distance learning. Well done, good and faithful servants! I hope you enjoy your summer vacation. I hope you all are enjoying our live streaming services. Technology is wonderful, but sometimes I think it tries to show us who’s boss by creating glitches. Try as it may, we shall overcome!
Your Boards are continuing to plan for the reopening of our church building. That date, at this moment, is unknown. We all want to gather in person to worship together. And we all want to be able to do so safely. How we accomplish that is complicated. So many things must be thought through. I just want you to be aware that our sanctuary and fellowship hall will look differently. And our worship service most likely will not be much different than what we are live streaming. I will keep you updated on the particulars as we move forward. We all will have a part to play in our reopening. We would love to come back together and have everything the way it used to be. But, we need to be creative in our planning for meaningful worship and a safe environment. We need your help in this process. What can we do for you to feel safe enough to return? How can we help you have a meaningful worship experience? Please call, email, or text me with any of your ideas.
We do have four givens: wearing face masks, physical distancing, use of hand sanitizers, and use of disinfectants. We have donations of face masks (man, woman, child sizes) for those who may forget theirs. We have also been purchasing other supplies needed for our reopening.
Thank you all for keeping up with your pledges and donations to the Deacons Fund and the Children’s Mission Fund. We have been able to pay our bills, obtain needed supplies, and continue to help the food pantry at Calvary Baptist Church. I cannot tell you enough how proud and honored I am to be a part of this faith community and to be your Moderator. Pastor, Congregation, and Boards just don’t come any better! This community/family we call Oak Lawn Church, has been blessed and is a blessing to others. So, I thank God and I thank each of you.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Judy
A Note from Milly Smith
I am an essential worker in a nursing home. I have been employed there for 25 years. I am a member of Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church, Pastor Barbara has asked me to say a few words about what it has been like to be an essential worker in a nursing home.
It has been a very challenging time. We have faced many obstacles in implementing the directives from Governor Raimondo, Dept of Health and CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services). These directives affected all of us – the residents, the families and the staff. We were all affected on different levels.
The residents were isolated from their families early on. Residents have felt secluded, alone and scared. Their daily routine has been turned upside down. They have not been able to have group activities or spend in person time with their families. Activity staff has been able to provide face time so that there has been some connection with their families.
Several residents were infected with the coronavirus, scared and uncertain as to what was to happen. Even after recovery it has affected them both mentally and physically. And some of the residents have lost their friends to this virus. Families have been shut off from their loved ones. Although they have been able to see their loved ones on a computer screen, they long to see them in person, to give them a hug, to give them a kiss, just to see for themselves that they really are okay. Family members wait patiently until they are allowed once again to visit their loved ones.
Staff has been devastated by the coronavirus – caring for sick residents, holding their hands to comfort them, reassuring them things will be okay. Staff also worked short as employees were afraid and scared to work, and some tested positive with the virus and were unable to work.
Several employees worked double shifts to help out their coworkers, causing exhaustion both physically and mentally. Prior to the major outbreak, there was an uncertainty as to how this virus would impact the residents and the staff, fear of the unknown. Many expressed concern about how to protect themselves and the residents from this virus.
I was infected with the coronavirus. I had to isolate myself from my family for 14 days. I was fortunate that the virus did not affect my respiratory system, however caused extreme fatigue. I was able to work from home when I was not sleeping which was most of the day. However, I missed the residents as they are part of my extended family. Working from home I had no contact with the residents – it was difficult as I was not able to talk with them, not able to see how they were doing during all of this.
It was also difficult because I was not there physically to help support my co-workers. My prayers and thoughts were with both my co workers and the residents, praying for their strength and well being during this time.
Many people have been supportive of the essential workers in nursing homes through prayer and fellowship, staying connected with each other through phone calls and texts . As a community many have pulled together to provide meals for the workers, provide necessary PPE and other items. God does not give us more than we can handle. Through His strength and our faith we will weather the storm.
Annual Church Life Report
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Report is available to download here:
2017-2018 Annual Church Life Report full[...]
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Worship Service
Sundays, 9:30am ET
Contact Us
Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church
229 Wilbur Avenue
Cranston, RI 02921-1016
Phone: 401 944-0864
Pastor: The Rev. Barbara DaCosta
Or use our contact form.
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