Heroes: Andrew Oates

When I was told that a guy younger than myself was going to come and oversee the ministries that I was involved with, I thought I could teach him some things. I mean, I have been serving in different capacities of ministry for several years at that time. Little did I know my world was about to be rocked. Andrew became the student and young adults pastor at my church and we instantly hit it off. In a very short period of time I realized that he would become the mentor and I the mentee because of the spiritual maturity and surrender displayed in his life. I will never forget the time Andrew spent with me reading valuable Christian classics, sharing his method and philosophy of ministry and most importantly his teaching of the Word. Andrew was very dedicated to reproducing himself in me, making a disciple. To this day I still communicate pretty often with him. It's so cool to see that the Lord has blessed Andrew with an amazing family and now a future work in the metro Orlando area as a church planter. Andrew taught me the importance of vision, clarity and total surrender. He is one of the most committed Christ followers I have known and I thank the Lord that he has been a part of my life.