Oak Springs Community Church, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, exists to make a difference in the lives of people and their families; to experience God in worship, to equip one another with the life-changing truths of God’s Word, to encourage one another through small supportive care groups, and to empower one another to make a difference in the lives of others.
Living together as a healthy, biblically functioning, and reproducing community that makes an eternal difference in the lives of people through: empowering leadership & gift based ministry, passionate spirituality & functional structures, inspiring worship & need oriented evangelism, holistic small groups & loving relationships.About Pastor Mike Patton
Born and raised a “buckeye,” my hometown of Lima, Ohio will always remind me of my mid-western values of kindness and decency on which I am founded and for which I am grateful. Most of that is due to my grandmother (now deceased) and my mother who is in Carlsbad, and prays for me daily. I feel like a true “Timothy.”
My training for ministry began in the Christian Church/Church of Christ and what is now Hope International University (Pacific Christian College). After graduating with my BA in Diversified Ministry (’85) and while acquiring my MA in Church Ministry (’89), I served in the Christian Church/Church of Christ for 12 years. I was recruited and hired by an RCA church in Moreno Valley, CA and went to Fuller Theological Seminary to get my MDiv (’04). My two units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) remain at the top of my ministry training experiences.
My partner in life and family is Lisa who said she’d hang with me until one of us died. We were married in June of 1985, and she still lets me hang around! We have three grown daughters who occupy the heart of our prayers together every night. We think highly of each one and have high expectations of what God is doing in each of their lives. We’ve been blessed with our first grandchild!
My mission in life is to inspire people by communicating truth with humor. This has led me to the preaching/teaching ministry of Oak Springs, a hospice chaplaincy and volunteer service with every group of people to whom I’m connected, most recently the board of our community Pickleball club.
My vision for ministry in Murrieta includes an equestrian therapy center, a hospice facility and a school of the arts, all on a single campus. The vision is way out of reach for me, so I know it must have God’s fingerprints on it. I am excited by the subtle and not so subtle hints God has provided to keep my vision in focus. To Him be all glory!