A New Vertical Update

Creating a two-way bridge between the Church and the Marketplace

A brief update on the Oaks family including prayer request.   View this email in your browser Letting the Gospel redefine our measures of success.  How will they hear? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  Romans 10:14-15  newvertical.org   Learn More Spring Forward Launching a network of marketplace chaplains is a process of trial and error. So as Spring ends and Summer comes into focus, it is times to recalibrate some aspects of New Vertical. While many functions of New Vertical have performed as good (if not better) than expected, some are in need of adjustment. Summertime is the perfect season to make these changes.   The biggest challenge (opportunity) we are trying to solve is with our discipleship process. How can we invite people into a deeper engagement with Jesus in the context of their work, community, etc.? More on this in the next section. P.A.T.H. The P.A.T.H. process connects our faith story into the variant themes of life. It is a discipleship process combining resources from my MDIV, MBA, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Pastoring. I am excited about this for several reasons. It incorporates the gospel as a "through line" in all areas of life.    It fosters stewardship and creativity.  It is measurable.    It is transferable so other chaplains can use it. But most of all... It is flexible so those unsure of their belief system and those who follow Jesus can use it.   Please pray for this work as the process is being finalized. By faith we will begin using P.A.T.H. by Mid-Summer.  Get Away! Through the years I have learned that "Getting Away" brings together two essential resources.  An outside perspective Personal reflection   When we apply the outside perspective with our personal reflection amazing things happen. Solutions clarify Change is expedited  The fruits of the spirit take deeper root You will recall that last month we took a group of men to North Georgia for a mini "Get Away". In April I was grateful for another "Get Away" that combined multiple groups. Each night we gathered around the table for an open discussion on Faith. Summer Tour As mentioned above, this Summer will be a season of recalibration. Another important step in this process is raising financial support. The goal is to leverage the summer travel season as an opportunity to visit and increase our financial partners. Please pray for us as we ask God for the resources to build and maintain a network of marketplace chaplains.      Prayer needs None of this can happen without God's blessing. We ask for you to join us in prayer for these needs. P.A.T.H. for our first group to be full for our first group to be like minded Wisdom as we finalize the details Support 4 new Church partners 8 new families as monthly partners  Praise  Participants on the West Trip and from our luncheons have shared a desire to follow Jesus.   Join the Team Our ability to proclaim Christ in unreached areas of the Marketplace depends on the support of others.  Your one-time or monthly support equips New Vertical to proclaim Christ to community leaders beyond the reach of the local Church.  The goal is to build a network of chaplains that engage a broad range of communities. Grateful We know support comes in many forms. We cannot pioneer marketplace ministry without you. Thank you for your support. You are loved and we are grateful. His Grace is enough. Copyright © 2026 Brian and Heather Oaks, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you either subscribed or were added by us. Our mailing address is: Brian and Heather Oaks 340 Silver Oaks Court Roswell, Georgia 30075 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

A New Vertical Update

Creating a two-way bridge between the Church and the Marketplace

A brief update on the Oaks family including prayer request.   View this email in your browser Letting the Gospel redefine our measures of success.  How will they hear? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  Romans 10:14-15  newvertical.org   Learn More A Full March The past month has been FULL! While not everything went as planned, there is cause for celebration. The Gospel reach of New Vertical has increased beyond our expectation. This is a broad overview of recent events with highlights listed below  Roswell - Nexus Coworking Luncheon Birmingham - Thrive Coworking Luncheon North Georgia - Retreat West Trip - Retreat Alpharetta - Thrive Coworking Luncheon (fully independent) Each event has its own unique prayer request listed at the end of this update.  Roswell 3/12 We had a full house! There is rising engagement in this gathering, especially amongst those disconnected from Christian community. While this gathering does not yet have a third-party leader, it is beginning to generate new relationships amongst participants. IN OTHER WORDS, friendships are forming with the gospel as the foundation. THAT'S COOL! BHAM 3/18 Great news / Not so great news: The day before the event we were sold out and needed a larger room. (Temper your excitement as the rooms are modest to begin with :)) Unfortunately, through a series of illnesses and tech glitches a large portion of those registered missed the event.  Our previous gatherings in BHAM did great, so we are trying to discern several questions. For example: Was this the consequence of not having a local sponsor? Gaining this insight is especially important as another Co-Working space in Birmingham has expressed interest in offering something similar. Answering this question will be important before expanding within the region.  MMMM 3/20 MMMM: (Men's March Madness Meeting) is an overnight retreat for rest, community and dedicated time to study God's word. We gathered in North Georgia to explore Leviticus and how to trust God as a father, husband, leader, etc...  West Trip - End of March Sanctification is often catalyzed by stepping away. It can grant us an outside view of our life (what others see plainly) with the intimate knowledge no one else has. People call this a "mountain top" experience. Lasting life change can occur if there is intentional follow up.     Alpharetta 3/4 This group is fully independent. We are still participating in the process, but our role is to support. One cool note: I was in BHAM and heard people talking about the benefits of this (Alpharetta) group. So while they have their own highs and lows, it is encouraging to experience the ripple effects from a long distance.   Peer Coaching?  We are seeking a process to further shepherd individuals from unconnected to connected spaces. One strategy we are exploring is developing peer coaching groups. While the marketplace has many existing peer coaching models, New Vertical is seeking to offer a gospel centered approach that is engaging for those unfamiliar with Jesus as well as those who call him Lord. This approach appears to be gaining momentum as several individuals have independently expressed interest. at this point we are prayerfully considering how our gathered resources, timing, and network properly align with the vision of New Vertical. By faith we will gain clarity on this in the near future.   If successful, then we will foster a group that objectively benefits the local economy in the spirit of Jeremiah 29.  Prayer needs None of this can happen without God's blessing. We ask for you to join us in prayer for these needs. Roswell Praise and pray for continued growth and engagement amongst participants and for a leader to emerge.  BHAM Pray for a local leader who can provide regular sustained engagement.  MMMM Praise for a successful retreat! Pray for continued gospel conversations amongst participants.  West Trip Pray for all participants to experience Christ in an undistracted environment and for that experience to become a deeper pursuit of Jesus.   Alpharetta Pray for encouragement and wisdom for those who lead this important gathering at Thrive Alpharetta. Peer Coaching Pray for wisdom, courage and creativity as we explore this strategic step.  Join the Team Our ability to proclaim Christ in unreached areas of the Marketplace depends on the support of others.  Your one-time or monthly support equips New Vertical to proclaim Christ to community leaders beyond the reach of the local Church.  The goal is to build a network of chaplains that engage a broad range of communities. Personal Update: Heather and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. While paddle boarding (in very calm water) I struck a pile of discarded oyster shells. I received over 30 cuts and one severe laceration on my wrist. The danger was in the cut location (see photo #3 below). Below are the non-gross photos. Thank you for the prayers. Photo 1: In an instant everything changed. Heather hauled me a half mile in the lagoon. I received a bandage, then she drove me to the hospital.   Photo 2: If you want to skip the waiting room line... Go in, drop to your knees and say, "I'm about to pass out". Magically the doors open up. Photo 3: stiches removed with a new scar. Grateful We know support comes in many forms. We cannot pioneer marketplace ministry without you. Thank you for your support. You are loved and we are grateful. His Grace is enough. Copyright © 2026 Brian and Heather Oaks, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you either subscribed or were added by us. Our mailing address is: Brian and Heather Oaks 340 Silver Oaks Court Roswell, Georgia 30075 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

A New Vertical Update

Creating a two-way bridge between the Church and the Marketplace

A brief update on the Oaks family including prayer request.   View this email in your browser Letting the Gospel redefine our measures of success.  How will they hear? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  Romans 10:14-15  newvertical.org   Learn More Ambition:  It's not "IF" we have ambitions, but "WHAT" are we ambitious for All ambitions orient to deeper desires that are often veiled to us. For example: A desire to win the 5K might be rooted in a destructive sibling rivalry. A desire for organization might be connected to a fear of loss.  Like the summit of a mountain, the object of an ambition is obscured (by distance, time, knowledge etc.) to those in pursuit. This "obscuring" can be helpful when it fosters innovation, problem solving, and leadership. It is part of our God given passion to create. We see a rainbow and wonder where it lands. As we approach success; the obscured goal progressively clarifies. When success is achieved, we experience truth. Ex: A hunger for tacos brings you to the moment of "crunch", the result is either pleasure or disappointment. Ironically, our expectations and the results always vary. Even in ideal situations the final moment is short lived. It's the law of "Diminishing Returns". Life is full of these micro-goals. Mundane moments reflecting our deeper desires for beauty, order, love, peace, joy, etc. Problems arise when we mistake a micro-goal for something sustainable. Ex: thinking the taco will solve hunger forever. It will feel real for a moment, but the benefits will dissolve. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. - Isaiah 40:8 When God slips beyond preeminent in life, then good things (food, family, work, money, health, etc.) prove to be unsustainable substitutes to our deeper desires. Their capacity to satisfy eventually fades and we can feel lost or abandoned. The result is an endless pursuit of untethered ambitions. We have two choices: Self-Governance or Submission In self-governance: our experiences (feelings) dictate the narrative. Much like navigating a ship by clouds. This feels good in the moment and success is subjective (temporary). In submission: we align ambition with external truth. This often includes delayed gratification and success is objective (eternal). Either way loss is baked in. We can experience loss of expectations when reality bites... OR experience loss as we practice submission. In theological circles this is practicing the "Already and Not Yet". Living by what has not yet arrived. Kinda like smiling cause you know what is under the Christmas tree :). GOOD NEWS - you can have your cake and eat too: When we submit our ambitions to an eternal truth, we can experience joy at the beginning and end of our ambitions. This requires a surrender of our daily endeavors to God's story. Consider Jesus' teachings on prayer: "Father, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10 "Seek God, He will tune your heart's desire to his heart" (Psalm 37). Submitting to a gospel narrative does two things. It gives us assurance that change is not greater that hope. We are freed to embrace risk. Freed to win, fail, love, suffer, and repent. CHANGE IS COMING It's a choice between the illusion of control or submission. "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12 Birmingham - March 18th We will host another lunch in Birmingham on March 18th at Thrive Coworking. This is another step forward in our strategic goal to build a two-way bridge between Christian community and the Marketplace. Here is a pic from our last luncheon.  We will post registration information in next month's update.  Roswell - February 19th We will host another lunch in Roswell on February 19th at Nexus Coworking. This is connected to a larger system of luncheons ranging from Alpharetta to Duluth. By faith we can build a community that extends the gospel into unreached sections of the marketplace. Here is a link to the event.  Next steps - Prayer needed Please pray as we explore creative paths for discipleship in the marketplace. Our recent engagements in the Coworking environment have fostered new opportunities to go deeper with the gospel. By faith we will have a strategic path to these opportunities within the next 90 days.  Join the Team Our ability to proclaim Christ in unreached areas of the Marketplace depends on the support of others.  Your one-time or monthly support equips Marketplace Ministry to proclaim Christ to community leaders beyond the reach of the local Church.  The goal is to build a network of chaplains that engage a broad range of communities. Prayer Request As mentioned above, we are designing a system of groups that could engage the marketplace beyond our existing endeavors and open the door for other chaplains. This is part of our larger desire to foster a network of chaplains who can proclaim Christ in a broad range of communities nationwide.   We are grateful to the PRCC (The multi-denominational chaplaincy arm of the PCA), our AMAZING Board of Directors, and the many friends who support us. We cannot do it without you. Grateful We know support comes in many forms. We cannot pioneer marketplace ministry without you. Thank you for your support. You are loved and we are grateful. His Grace is enough. Copyright © 2026 Brian and Heather Oaks, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you either subscribed or were added by us. Our mailing address is: Brian and Heather Oaks 340 Silver Oaks Court Roswell, Georgia 30075 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences