From the Director of the Oaks
Jamie Shepherd, MA, LMFT
The Oaks, an International Christian ministry to missionaries will bring emotional support to missionaries on furlough and abroad in the field, through healing prayer and practical resources provided by trained pastoral counselors and lay leaders, and psychotherapy provided by licensed psychologists and MFTs. It is my desire to see His people abundantly supported in the mission field to continue the call on them to minister the Gospel to unreached people groups and nations.
On a personal note, my longing to minister to missionaries has come out of a season of revival and refreshment in my walk with Christ these last few years, and years of short-term mission excursions where I've observed undiagnosed and/or untreated psychopathologies in missionaries as well as their complete emotional exhaustion without sufficient International resources. As a Christian professional, I have become grieved that as a result of limited resources many missionaries return home defeated, near emotional desperation and burnout. I look forward to the ways the Lord will use us to make a difference in many missional communities and individual missionary lives for His Kingdom. I also look forward to connecting with many other professionals who might feel led to provide care for missionaries in this way.
It is our daily prayer at the Oaks that the Lord would use us to richly bless and bring about true healing to those "oaks of righteousness" that the Lord has anointed to bring good news (Isaiah 61).
May our Lord richly bless you!
From the Director of CIFT
Dr. Jim Masteller
It is a privilege to serve those who serve! God has called the Oaks into existence for just that purpose. Missionaries around the world have answered God's call upon their lives to serve faithfully where ever God would place them in His Kingdom. The Oaks, under the leadership of Jamie Shepherd, is committed to supporting, encouraging and serving these missionaries, their families and their sending agencies in as many ways as possible. Our primary focus is offering support in dealing with emotional, psychological and relational needs from a Biblical perspective. As you read the website, you will see that we can offer counseling in many formats, training and educational experiences and other forms of support. The Oaks is closely aligned with the Center for Individual and Family Therapy (CIFT), a Christian counseling center in southern California with a shared vision. Together our goal is to collaborate with others who are like-minded and serve the missionary community as faithfully and fully as possible for God's glory and the building of His Kingdom. I am honored to be involved in the leadership of both CIFT and the Oaks. I am looking forward to the future God has for us.