The Oasis Annual Conference

What is the Oasis Conference? The Oasis Conference is an emerging annual conference in Africa serving the persecuted church.  Operating in a number of ‘closed nations,’ the Oasis Conference is following the Spirit to reach people in Muslim majority countries where conversion and baptism are often illegal, resources are limited, and church leaders can face jail time or violence for their actions.   Yet despite these hardships, Christian leaders continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ with great fruitfulness. 

What work will our proposed partnership with the Oasis Conference support?  The GMC of SC’s partnership with the Oasis Conference will support three project areas. 

• Clergy Training: Conference leaders identify and train gifted men and women to serve as pastors in their local context.  Clergy training includes education in Bible, theology, Methodism, and practical ministry.  The Oasis Conference offers clergy training within an African context to minimize the cost of education, lower travel burdens, and limit time away from pastors’ home context. Educating pastors in their local context is highly effective and a fraction of the cost of sending students to Western seminaries.

• Oasis Conference Leaders: The Oasis Conference is led by three gifted leaders who function as missionaries, trainers, and conference leaders.  As a persecuted church, funds are not locally available to support the work of these missionary conference leaders, yet their work is vitally important to building this multi-nation network and multiplying leaders across Africa. A list of missionary-leader profiles will be available on GMCofSC.org if approved at the 2025 Behold Annual Conference.

• Special Projects: The Oasis Conference identifies one-time projects that support the advancement of the gospel in their region.  These may include support to a local orphanage, resources for an evangelistic radio broadcast in local languages to bypass government censorship, or in securing a safe house for pastors who must flee immediate danger. A list of active projects that your church may support will be available on GMCofSC.org if this project is approved at the 2025 Behold Annual Conference.

Are there ways to visit the Oasis Conference? Partnership with the Oasis Conference will primarily be financial, but not exclusively.  The GMC of SC will send a small team of leaders to participate in the annual clergy training event.  We are also exploring sending small teams of church members to share expertise.  For example, there may be an opportunity for a small cross-cultural / cross-church women’s conference.  There is a vocational school teaching job skills to students and there may be a need for a team of woodworkers and craftsmen to visit the school.  Personal visits will be topic specific and in small groups. Oasis Conference leaders will be present at our 2025 Behold Annual Conference.

How will the GMC of SC support the Oasis Conference?  The Conference is seeking to commit 10% of our budget to international missions.  The majority of our 10% offering to international missions will go to the Oasis Conference. Local churches will have the opportunity to directly support a missionary or to take on a one-time project. The Missions Collective will also explore fundraisers to support international missions, such as a golf tournament.