ST. LOUIS – During “No-Shave” November, bearded evangelicals take pleasure in citing the words of renowned Baptist preacher C.H. Spurgeon, who reportedly said that growing a beard “is a habit most natural, scriptural, manly and beneficial.” But one Missouri Baptist church planter here recognized this month that, for the growth of God’s kingdom, a good beard-trimming is also worthwhile.
Noah Oldham, an elder at August Gate Church and North American Mission Board SEND City coordinator for St. Louis, trimmed his beard in mid-November as part of a church campaign that ultimately raised $11,420.75 for missions. The money went to support a family from within August Gate church that recently traveled overseas to serve as missionaries among the unreached in Southeastern Europe.
Oldham had grown his beard for roughly three years. Before being trimmed, the beard was 11 inches long.
“It was worth it,” Oldham said. “Anything is worth it to see people who don’t know Christ come to know Christ.
“We’re a 7-year-old church plant, and these are our first missionaries from within our church that we’ve been able to send and support internationally. So its a big deal for us. We wanted to set the tone really well and prove that any size church can do this and any age church can do this. This is what it’s all about—not just planting churches in St. Louis, but taking the gospel to the end of the earth.”
But, of course, this extreme beard-trimming was a serious ordeal—perhaps, more so than any clean-shaven person would expect.
“Everybody thinks (the now short beard) is weird,” Oldham said, then describing his kids’ reactions: “My oldest daughter wept half an hour. My oldest son thought it was funny. My third child, my youngest daughter, just keeps asking me every time she sees me, ‘What happened to your face?’ And my baby still doesn’t recognize me from time to time.”
Even before the “beard-off” campaign, however, Oldham used his interest in facial hair to grow God’s kingdom. To keep their beards in good shape, men must condition their hair and skin with special beard oils. So, after reading a massive handbook on essential oils and doing other research online, Oldham began his own line of beard oils. He sells his product and splits the proceeds, giving half to the international missionary family from his church and the other half to a NAMB church planting intern.
“This became my hobby,” Oldham said. “I make every bottle by hand. I mix it individually.
“As pastors, we tell people all the time, ‘Use whatever gifts and passions you have for the glory of God. And even hobbies can do that.’”
He has a special beard oil for each season – each one named after a characteristics from a family motto that he learned from his dad while growing up: “Honest (the winter oil), brave (spring), strong (summer) and tough (fall). We are Oldham boys.”
Oldham said that he charges less for his beard oil than most people could find online, and people can buy it through his Facebook page or by emailing him at noaholdham@gmail.com.