About Oasis

Started in 2021, Oasis began at The Lime Box Cafe on the South-Eastern outskirts of metro Melbourne, as an idea to gather likeminded people in a really relaxed, friendly format to experience a type of fellowship where all contribute, all are important, and each person has significance.

We wanted to experience something like the simplicity and sincerity of the first century Church describes in the New Testament (NT).

The group started with customers from the cafe who liked the idea of this type of gathering. The group has grown organically by the invitation of guests inviting others. Initially we began meeting at the cafe, but soon we started moving the meetings from “House to House” like in the pages of the the Book of Acts. When in someone’s home, the home owners would lead the gathering, and we experienced amazing evenings with worship, food, revelations, teachings, songs, poetry, stories, prayer, amazing testimonies and more. The tangible presence of the Holy Spirit could be felt as Jesus kept transforming us all, from gathering to gathering.

Since many of the people lived locally, they would often connect during the week, and meet each other for deep Kingdom conversations and coffee. This has become a lifestyle for many in the group.

Originally we would meet at 6pm Friday nights, but due to our marketplace workloads and other pragmatic reasons we moved the gatherings to 6pm Saturday nights which actually seems to work better for everyone, then later to 3pm Saturday afternoon with tea, coffee and cakes !! We were not really married to a particular day of the week.

After the first 2 years, the group grew to 8 different houses, and invitations were 4 generations deep. It’s still very humble and the focus of each meeting is to enjoy each others company, and dedicate each gathering to honor Jesus.

After 3 years one of our group. Edward, returned to Abu Ahabi and plans to start a new group there based on the same simple New Testament values.

Today, our Oasis gatherings include people with a wide variety of faith backgrounds including Baptists, Anglicans, Catholics, Uniting Church, Pentecostals, Un-Churched, Ex-Churched and many more . Everyone gets along. It’s lovely. All humans have a longing to touch eternity and experience a deeper spiritual faith-walk. Oasis plays a simple role in that experience.

We like to say that House Church is messy, beautiful and mysterious.

Oasis is based on friendships and relationships, not membership or attendance. We don’t “measure” or judge people. We love our Oasis friends who have become very special and dear to us, and each other. Our love of Jesus is the one simple thing that unites us all.

When someone volunteers to host an Oasis meeting at their own house, we let them LEAD and RUN the meeting and meal however they see fit. This means each gathering is different in it’s expression, but always God-honoring, fun and deeply satisfying. Usually someone will speak and bring a personal story, a testimony, a teaching, a revelation, a poem or a song. All share, all contribute.

We cannot predict what any gathering will look like. Yes we have a “liturgy” – we call it the “Simple Wedding Format”, with speeches, food and celebration. This makes Oasis very unique in the western-mind as a spiritual gathering, but quite natural and native to the story of the original Church that Paul wrote about in his time moving around the Middle-East and the Mediterranean. You can read more about the first century church format in the section “Good Story (click here)“.

We find that people trust the group and feel really comfortable inviting workmates, neighbors and friends, in the knowledge that as a visitor they will be honored and respected and have an enjoyable time.

We called the group “Oasis” based on the accidental purchase of a plastic palm tree. Our vision was to give people “spiritual shade” and a glass of “refreshing spiritual water” in a dry and barren land. The plastic palm tree became the inspiration for a “spiritual Oasis”.

We went on to dig from various Bible translations, and uncovered references to the word “Oasis” that neatly fit our vision.

These are the five (5) core scriptures that inspired us to initiate, define and influence healthy, safe and enjoyable Oasis gatherings.

The “Oasis” name came from The Passion Bible Translation (TPT) as you will see below.

1. “He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an OASIS of peace near the quiet brook of bliss.” Psalm 23:2 (TPT).
   
2. “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your OASIS.” Matt 11:28 (TPT)

3. “Each will be a hiding place from the stormy wind and a SECRET SHELTER from the tempest. Life will flow from each one, like streams of WATER in the desert, like the refreshing SHADE of a massive rock in a weary, thirsty land.” Isaiah 32:2 (TPT).

4. “It will be a tabernacle as a SHADE from the scorching heat of the day and a SAFE shelter to protect them from the storm and rain.” Isaiah 4:6 (TPT)

5. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (TPT)