Hello, Crossroads Family!

I look forward to seeing and hearing what God will do in our lives during the rest of this week!   I have an opportunity each morning to pray for the little group of kids that gather below my bedroom window to wait on their school bus to summer school.  I wonder how God might answer my prayers either today or some day far in the future.  Are there people around you that you can pray for regularly?  It’s an opportunity to serve in a small unseen way.

This Sunday morning we’ll finish our sermon series on “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs.”  I hope you’ll join us and bring a friend with you if you’re able.  A few people from our congregation will share their musical gifts and a story about how God used a particular song in their life.  We’ll finish our journey through the history of music in the American Church.

Don’t forget that this Thursday night, June 12, is Gospel Night on the square in Nevada.  If you’ve signed up to help at the concession stand, I look forward to seeing you there!  If you need a reminder about your time slot or have any questions, please reach out to Julie Kemper.  

Our Sunday night home group is on a roll now.  We had a good discussion last Sunday tracing the development of the people of Israel through the Old Testament.  We’ll meet again this Sunday at the church building from 6:00 – 7:15pm or so.  We’ll talk about what happened in Israel between the Old Testament and the New Testament — also how things looked for the Jews after the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70, the beginning of a long period of dispersion around the world.  

On our calendar for next week are our famous trio of monthly activities :

• Thursday, June 19 :  Men’s Recharge, 6:30-8:00pm, at the church.
• Friday, June 20 :  Women’s “Drive-In” movie at Erin Reedy’s home beginning at 7 pm.
• Saturday, June 21 :  Women’s Fellowship Breakfast, 8 am, at 54 Cafe in Nevada.

I’m also excited about our 24-hour prayer vigil which starts Monday, June 30, at 6 am, and continues until Tuesday, July 1, at 6 am.  If you haven’t signed up for an hour time slot, please do.  You can reach out to Catherine Moss if you have questions or need help signing up.  

Don’t forget that there are prayer cards in the “Prayer Room” at the church.  You can put a praise or prayer request on a small card and attach it to the bulletin board there.  Stop by the Prayer Room and learn about some ways you can pray for people.

A church picnic on Sunday, June 29, following the worship service will be a fun way to get together and celebrate the end of a busy month of growing deeper in relationship with God and each other.  We’ve reserved the pavilion at the upper Radio Springs park (near the playground equipment), and more details will be coming soon about what you can bring.  

My Summer

Some have asked what my summer looks like.  I wouldn’t say I have a lot going on beyond the weekly responsibilities we discussed a few weeks ago in my sermon on “working the angles” — study, prayer, and giving spiritual direction — but maybe I do.  The sermon series on music has been a lot of fun for me and some extra work.  There’s a lot of history there; paring it down to a digestible amount has required some time and thought.  It has been a personal question of mine:  How did we get where we are today in terms of the music we use in our churches?  There has to be a story there, I’ve thought, and as we’ve seen, there is!  I love the story of Israel, too — what God’s faithfulness to the Jews teaches us as Christians.  I’m enjoying the preparation and study required to put that Home Group series together.  I hope you won’t miss out — keeping an eye on what’s happening in Israel gives us clues to what God’s doing in the world.  I look forward to leading the discussion at Recharge next week on the fifth commandment:  Honor your father and mother — our struggle with authority.  I’m also hopeful we can have a New Members Class at the church soon, possibly in July or August.  I look forward to the McCallister family joining us on a Sunday in August to share about the work they’re part of in Berlin.  The summer will fly by, won’t it!  

Here’s a little more going on in my life during the next couple of months :

• I have plans to attend EFCA One (the biennial national conference of the Evangelical Free Church of America) June 24-26 in Des Moines.  It has been a long time since I’ve been able to make it to a district or national conference of the EFCA.  I appreciate the church making it possible for me to go, and I look forward to bringing some ideas and inspiration back from the conference.  I’ll be rooming with my son-in-law, Jason Harms, pastor at Westview Church in Albert City, Iowa, while there.

• I have five sermons to prepare for Kamp Keirsey high school camp in July.  Imagine preaching to a roomful of high school students!  You all at Crossroads put up with me in ways high school students may not!  Please pray for me as I seek God’s leading for the right daily sermon during an important week in these kids’ lives. (Btw, Crossroads is scheduled to prepare and serve dinner on the first night of camp, July 20.  I hope you can be part of that!  It’s a blessing to the students and to the camp staff.)

• I’ll likely be helping my daughter Esther move at the end of June.  She has accepted a new position as Event Coordinator with the Herzog Foundation in Smithville and will be moving into a new apartment.  She’ll be one of four Event Coordinators at Herzog, responsibile primarily for events they hold in Kansas City and in Santa Barbara, California.

• I’m enjoying doing some pre-marital counseling and some personal discipleship with a handful of people in our church.  I enjoy the freedom in the summer to interact with many of you in ways I’m less able to do during the school year.  I continue to meet on Thursday mornings with two other local pastors for encouragement and accountability.  I believe we all three benefit from our time together which has been a weekly occurrence for 3-4 years now.  

• I look forward to a short trip to see my daughter Annie and my granddaughter Fiona at the end of July.  Mark Tice will preach for me on Sunday, August 3.  I’m also way overdue to see some of my church family in Hermann, Missouri.  It’s hard to fit it all in!  I’m grateful for many good friendships and for a large biological and spiritual family.  I look forward to connecting with my good friend Dale Losch for lunch in Kansas City in July.  Two 60-something men eating lunch at Cracker Barrel.  Can you envision that?  (Yes, probably.)  Our families’ friendship goes back to our first days in France, over 35 years ago!  Our EFCA Central District Associate Superintendent (and good friend), Mark Farran, will be passing through Nevada this week, and we’ll have lunch together.  Mark is an encourager and prays for all of us!

• I’m particularly excited about our upcoming prayer vigil at Crossroads, and I’m grateful to play a small part in organizing it.  I can’t emphasize how important this extended time of prayer and renewal will be to the well-being and future of our church!  Thanks to those who have signed up, and I hope others of you will as well.  If you feel like an hour of prayer is more than you can bite off, let Catherine know you’ll take a half-hour.  We can make it work.  The word “vigil” has to do with keeping awake to watch or to pray — something Jesus asks us to do.  We need to be praying for the future of Crossroads — despite quite a few being absent this past Sunday, there were 68 in attendance.  This is a blessing and is quickly going to present new needs to us!  

A Final Word

More than once this year someone in our church has received a text message or email that appears to be from me asking them to give money to, or purchase a gift card for, someone in need.  Please don’t ever act on a message like that without contacting me first.  I wouldn’t ever ask you to do something like that through an email or text message.  This is a scam going around that has popped up in other churches, too!  Thank you!  I think we all understand the need to be careful in this area.

An encouraging word from the story of Ruth:  “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today.” (Ruth 4:14)

I look forward to seeing you soon!

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family!

We had a special and busy day last Sunday.  I hope you feel refreshed as you’ve started the new week.  I hope you have a growing sense of God’s presence and power in your life!

Below are three paragraphs summarizing different parts of our day on Sunday:  (1) a summary of the elders meeting; (2) a summary of Sunday evening’s home group study; and (3) a brief summary of Sunday’s sermon.  May God continue to lead us as a church!

Elders Meeting Summary

• We reviewed the church calendar for June and July.

• We discussed and added precision to the proposed changes to the church by-laws.  There are two changes:  One is a one-word correction in the Statement of Faith; the other is a provision for absentee voting at congregational meetings.  We’ll need to vote on these changes at a future congregational meeting (probably this fall).

• We had further discussion on the need for ministry to families with children.

• We discussed what should be the church’s approach to use of our meeting space and chairs or tables for non-church-related activities.  We are looking for someone who can help oversee those sorts of requests and help us establish some guidelines.

• We made a decision to contribute funds to support Gospel Night at Bushwhacker Days, as we’ve done in the past.

• We discussed updating the church phone directory (hard copies and/or a digital version).  

• We concluded the meeting with a time of prayer together.

Sunday Evening Home Group

We would love to have you join us this Sunday evening as we continue our study of “Israel : Past, Present, and Future.”  We’ll start at 6:00 and finish around 7:15 or so at the home of KJ and Alexandra Nelson.  If you need a ride, let me know and we’ll arrange some carpooling.  We had a small group last Sunday night but good discussion!  

• We took a look at God’s covenant with Abraham and Abraham’s descendants.  This covenant is established in Genesis 12, then repeated in Genesis 15, then passed down to Isaac, Jacob, and beyond.  It was an unconditional covenant on God’s part, promising three things to Abraham and his descendants:  (1) the land of Canaan (and beyond); (2) numerous descendants; and (3) a blessing.  Through Abraham’s people, the whole world would be blessed.  (This is true, of course — today the world has the Bible, a book written by Jews, and our Savior is a Jew.)

• Later, we saw the land covenant God made with the Israelites in the book of Deuteronomy.  This covenant was a conditional covenant:  If the Israelites obeyed God, they would dwell in the land and prosper both spiritually and materially.  If they strayed from following God (which they did), they would be driven from the land and scattered among all the nations (which they were).

• We talked about why the land of Israel (sometimes called Canaan or Palestine) has been, and still is, so important to all the nations of the world.  It’s a piece of property that has been ruled by fourteen or more groups of people over the course of the past 4000 years.  Why?  God placed Israel there because He intended them to be a light to the world, and much of the world traveled through this little strip of land which forms a bridge between three continents.

• We reviewed some other important Old Testament events in the history of Israel, and we had discussion on the relationship between Israel and the Church.

Hope to see you this Sunday evening at 6!

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (Part 1)

Thanks for going along with me in an exploration of music in the American Church!  I had a lot of fun, and I hope you did too.  I’ve been encouraged and challenged by this material, much of which comes from an online course by Robert J. Morgan.  (You can find out more about Rob’s course at http://www.robertjmorgan.com.)

Below are the four takeaways from Sunday’s sermon:  

1.  Except for the meditation of Scripture itself, meditating on great songs of worship and faith is perhaps the best source of life-encouragement we have access to.

2.  Every culture, every people group, and every generation of people will have a collection of songs that express in their own heart language what’s important to them about their relationship with God.  (It’s one of the reasons why church music has always been changing.  We shouldn’t discard the old, but we shouldn’t complain about and reject the new, either.)

3.  We are products of the worship music we grew up with.  (Many people did not grow up with the worship music you and I grew up with.  Jesus didn’t.  Neither did Paul and Silas who sang worship songs one night while in jail!  Whatever we grew up with is only one tiny slice of a wonderful music repertoire that goes back at least to the Song of Moses in Exodus 15, some 3,500 years ago!)

4.  Our worship, and our worship music, should not be based on stylistic preferences but on God’s Word and on our growing relationship with Him.

Thanks for your willingness to be open to God teaching us about worship and the wonderful gift of music.  If you have a musical offering you would like to share with the congregation on June 15 or 22 — or if you have a story about how God has used a particular song in your life — please let me know so you can bless the church family musically on one of those two Sundays.  Thank you!

Don’t forget these upcoming dates :

• Thursday, June 12:  Gospel Night at Bushwhacker Days on the square in Nevada.  If you would like to serve but haven’t signed up, please contact Julie Kemper.
• Thursday, June 19:  Men’s Recharge at the church starting at 6:30 pm.
• Friday, June 20:  Women’s “Drive-In” Movie at Erin Reedy’s home.  If you would like to carpool from the church, please let Erin Townsend know.  Departure from the church at 6:30 ; fun begins at Erin Reedy’s at 7:00. 
• Saturday, June 21 :  Women’s Breakfast, 8 am, at 54 Cafe.
• Sunday, June 29 :  Church Picnic at the upper park of Radio Springs Park following worship.
• Monday, June 30 :  Our 24-Hour Prayer Vigil begins at 6 am and continues through Tuesday, July 1, at 6 am.  Many of you have already signed up to pray for one hour!  There are times remaining if you haven’t yet signed up!  Let’s make an effort to have as many people as possible take an hour of prayer that day.  There will be helps available to aid you in how to spend an hour in prayer.

Some praise reports and prayer requests :

• Elena Rodriguez will be married to Drew North this weekend.  Prayers for all the Rodriguez family and especially for Elena and Drew.
• Prayers for those in new jobs — Heather Hall, Micah Lyons, teachers with new summer schedules.
• Praise for healing, and prayers for those with physical needs: Forrest, Cris, Mark Tice (sciatic nerve pain), Catherine (foot), Angi, Billy Rea (back).
• We’re glad to have Grace Smotrilla safely back from New Hampshire!
• There are many family needs in our congregation, both in immediate and extended families.  Thank you for praying.
• Praise and thanks to God for our wonderful 8-13 year-old Bible class that meets once a month during the sermon.  Thanks to Emily for teaching!
• Thanks for God’s provision for church finances, and continued prayers for the growing needs and growing budget at Crossroads.  Many thanks to Donna for her hard work on finances.
• Let’s be in prayer as preparations are made for Kamp Keirsey high school camp, July 20-24.
• For Kourtnee as she finishes her week of training and prepares for a summer-long season of ministry with CentriKid camps.

Psalm 121 is a ready-made prayer that allows you to pray for anyone you know.  Here’s how you could pray this psalm for a friend or family member named Jim!  

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; 

From where shall Jim’s help come?

Jim’s help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow Jim’s foot to slip;

He who keeps Jim will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Jim

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is Jim’s keeper;

The Lord is Jim’s shade on his right hand.

The sun will not smite Jim by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The Lord will protect Jim from all evil ;

He will keep Jim’s soul.

The Lord will guard Jim’s going out and coming in

From this time forth and forever.

Or you can re-word the Psalm to make it more specifically a series of requests:  

• “Lord, be Jim’s keeper.”
• “Lord, be Jim’s shade both day and night.”
•  etc

Have a wonderful rest of the week !

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family!

I’m looking forward to the month of June with you!  God is doing some exciting things among us!

I’m especially looking forward to this Sunday’s sermon (Hope you’ll be there!) and to Sunday night’s home group at the home of KJ and Alexandra Nelson and their children. 

I’m calling our 5-week Home Group study “Israel : Past, Present, and Future.”  Here’s an outline of what I hope we’ll have time to explore and discuss:

June 1  —  The Old Testament and Between the Testaments

The Biblical Story of the Jews

    The Promised Land and the Temple

    Exile & Return

    What Happened Between the Old and the New ?

June 8 —  In the Days of Jesus and After

Israel in the Time of Jesus

    The Diaspora Jews:  Scattered to all the Nations

    Roots of Antisemitism

June 15  —  The Founding of Modern Israel

Holocaust & Rebirth

    Hanging on by a Thread

June 22  —  Israel Today

The Miracle of Israel

    Understanding the Middle East Conflict

    Israel & the U.S.

    Christianity & Modern Israel

June 29  —  Israel’s Future

Is Peace Possible in the Middle East?

    The Future of Israel in Bible Prophecy

Come when you’re able!  It will be a good time of getting to know each other.  I hope we’ll have time to share and pray for each other and — maybe — time to sing a bit together.  We’ll see.  Overly ambitious, as usual!

Below is a calendar which is hopefully more/less correct and complete.  I apologize if I’ve left something off.  I do hope you’ll be with us for worship this Sunday at 10:00.  We’re going to have a good time!  

I’ll be out of town this Friday and Saturday to pick up my grandsons from camp in Texas and bring them part-way back to their home in Iowa.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Calendar

This Sunday, June 1

• Worship at 10:00
• Children’s Church through age 7 during the sermon.
• 8-13 year-old Bible Class during the sermon.
• Elders Meeting following the worship service.
• Home Group, 6:00 – 7:15 pm.

Coming Up :

• Thursday, June 12   —   Gospel Night at Bushwhacker Days, on the square in Nevada
• Thursday, June 19   —    Men’s Recharge, 6:30 pm
• Friday, June 20   —    Women’s “Drive-In” Movie, 7 pm, at Erin Reedy’s home.  (Meet at the church at 6:30 if you would like to ride with others.)
• Saturday, June 21   —    Women’s Breakfast, 8 am, at 54 Cafe.
• Sunday, June 29  —   Church Picnic at Radio Springs Park  
• Monday, June 30  —    24 Hours of Prayer beginning at 6 am, through 6 am on Tuesday, July 1

We’ll have sign-ups this Sunday so you can take a time slot during the 24 hours of prayer.  Catherine will have helps and prayer requests to guide you through your part in this time of continuous prayer offered up from our church family for 24 hours.  This will be an important way by which God guides and provides for us going forward.  

There will be sign-ups this Sunday for food you would like to bring to the picnic on the 29th.

If you need more information about the women’s movie night, be sure to contact Erin Reedy or Erin Townsend.  

Prayer Requests & Praise

• Praise for continued improvement for Forrest and for Cris.
• God’s timing in surgery for Catherine.
• Continued prayer for Julie Forkner’s mom and dad, recovering from the loss of their longtime home.
• God’s guidance and provision for our church family.  Wisdom and guidance for the Elder Board meeting this Sunday.
• Prayers and praise for Heather Hall starting her new job June 2.
• Prayers for Kourtnee Vestal serving in ministry starting this weekend with CentriKid camps.
• Prayers for those preparing for marriage :  Elena & Drew ; Kylee & Dominick ; Jaci & Konner.

“Paul and Barnabas … were urging them to continue in the grace of God.”  — Acts 13:43

May God lead us in His grace through the rest of today and this week !
— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family!

I appreciate your open hearts and minds to last Sunday’s sermon as we discussed plans for the future at Crossroads and how those plans might be funded.  If you missed the sermon, I hope you’ll take time to listen on the Crossroads Facebook page.  Also, there was a good response to some additional “connecting” ideas for this summer.  Thank you.  I look forward to sharing more in this TMG.  

Some good passages to read about tithing in the Old Testament are these:

• Leviticus 27:30-34
• Numbers 18
• Deuteronomy 14:22-29
• Deuteronomy 15:19-23
• Deuteronomy 26:1-15

There are more than these, and sometimes it can seem difficult to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together concerning Old Testament giving.  Some of the specifics are open to interpretation, but one reliable Bible teacher has calculated that all of the required giving to God, over a 7-year period (since the Jewish calendar was built around 7-year periods of time), was probably about 25% of a person’s annual income.  That’s more than we customarily think about when we think of tithing (10%).  

In addition, of course, sacrifices of animals and crops were offered for sins; the debts people owed to you were to be forgiven every seven years; and you were not to harvest your fields all the way to the corners so the poor could glean around the edges.  On top of all that, you could also offer to God freewill, or thank, offerings simply as a demonstration of your love for, and commitment to, the Lord. 

The New Testament seems to speak more of our attitude in giving and reasons why we give to God rather than specific amounts.  We give to God for these reasons, among others : out of thanks for His great giving to us; out of thanks for those who brought the Good News to us; and out of a desire to fulfill our mission in the world.  Thank you for your thoughtful and generous giving to Crossroads over these past years!  It is part of why God is blessing and growing us and giving us a vision for the future!

Reminders & Calendar

Worship this Sunday, May 25, at 10:00.  Come early and join a few others for prayer!

Sunday, June 1:

• Worship at 10:00.
• 8-13 year-olds Bible study during the sermon.
• Elders meeting following worship.
• Sunday night home group, 6 pm, at the home of KJ and Alexandra Nelson.

Thursday, June 12:  Gospel Night at Bushwhacker Days.  Sign up if you can help serve in the concession stand.  We hope to rub shoulders with many in the community by serving in this way.

Thursday, June 19:  Men’s Recharge, 6:30-8:00 pm.

Friday, June 20:  Summer of Sisterhood — all women invited to a “Drive-In Movie” at Erin Reedy’s home.

Saturday, June 21:  Women’s Breakfast at 54 Cafe, 8 am.

Sunday, June 29:  Church picnic at Radio Springs Park following worship.  (More details coming along with sign-ups for food.)

Monday, June 30:  24 Hours of Prayer, beginning at 6 am.  More information coming along with the opportunity for all of us to sign up for one or more slots of time as we pray as a church for 24 hours straight.  

Sunday Night Home Group

During the month of June, I’ll lead a home group for those needing or wanting some extra connection with the church family.  It will be an informal time of sharing & prayer, hopefully some singing, and also a 5-week study on Israel and the Jews :  their history ; their place in God’s plan for the world ; the issue of antisemitism ; the 400 “silent” years between the Old and New Testaments.  In Psalm 122 we’re told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Let’s find out why !  We’ll meet on June 1 at the home of KJ and Alexandra Nelson.  Many of you are starting to get to know the Nelsons and their four kids !  I hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to grow in relationship with God and with each other.

24 Hours of Prayer

I’m really excited about our upcoming 24 Hours of Prayer!  You may remember that we had a day of Fasting & Prayer back in January ; this will be another opportunity to bring our needs and the needs of those around us to the Lord in prayer.  Prayer is an act of faith.  Jesus sometimes told people it would be done “according to their faith.”  Let’s put faith in action by engaging in a 24-hour continuous offering of prayer by the entire church.  Catherine Moss will be providing some helps and subjects for prayer.  We’ll make available a sign-up sheet where you can take one or more time slots during those 24 hours from 6 am on June 30 ’til 6 am on July 1.  Thanks for being willing!

I hope to see you this Sunday morning!  Have a good rest of the week!  Please pray for Grace Smotrilla as she is flying out of KCI tomorrow to spend the weekend with her family in New Hampshire!  She would appreciate your prayers!  Please continue to pray for Julie Forkner’s parents, LJ and Judy, recovering from the loss of their home due to the recent tornado and a fire.  Thank you!

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family!

There were a lot of highlights in our worship and fellowship yesterday, in addition to the warm, sunny day we were given.  Here are a few of the highlights:

• We enjoyed having several guests and family members with us to celebrate Mothers Day.  Others who are regularly part of our Sunday mornings were away worshiping with their mothers which was a blessing for them.  We also celebrated the upcoming graduation of Blaiz Pace from Nevada High School.  We were blessed to have many from Blaiz’s family with us.  I know we’re all thrilled to have many new people attending at Crossroads.  Thanks for reaching out to get to know them and for making a place for new relationships in your life!

• A beautiful table of refreshments was a treat for the eyes and taste buds yesterday!  Thanks to everyone who decorated and provided food and drink for our celebrations!  Several poignant stories were shared about mothers; we were reminded to give thanks for mothers and to honor those who are still with us in life.

• We finished our sermon series in Ephesians.  Three ways God helps us stand firm (Eph 6:10-24) are … (1)  Put on the armor of God ; (2) Pray ; (3) Be an encourager of others (as Tychicus was to the Ephesians).  Yesterday’s sermon is available on the Crossroads Facebook page in case you missed it.

• There was a sweet time of prayer prior to the service.  I’m grateful for the encouragement given and received during that hour.  

• Our Worship Team provided uplifting worship music as always.  Our Children’s Church leaders led a special activity for the children in Children’s Church.  Thank you!

• Donna Rodriguez was able, on her way home from church, to help a family in a fairly serious car accident in Happy Hollow.

• It’s great to see Cris Rodriguez and Forrest Drury experience some healing from their surgeries.  Catherine Moss will undergo foot surgery at the beginning of June and will need some transportation help for a few weeks following her surgery.  

—————————————

I was encouraged this morning by Proverbs 10:28 — “The hope of the righteous is gladness.”  One of the blessings of living according to God’s ways is that hope develops — a glad hope.  Have you found that to be true?  I hope so.  Let’s strive to love God and His ways and see if, as a result, there isn’t, indeed, a growing sense of glad hope in our lives.  

This is a fun, full week at Crossroads with several opportunities to connect and be encouraged:

• Thursday night is our Recharge group for men from 6:30-8:00 pm at the church.  Mark Tice will lead the discussion on the 4th commandment, “Your Struggle with Time.”  All men are invited, plus any friend you would like to bring with you.

• On Friday night there will be a “Bond Fire” for all women and your friends beginning at 6:30 pm at Jessica Baker’s home, 320 N. Olive Street.  Bring a lawn chair and a snack to share.  I believe s’mores are also on the menu!

• Some fun and connection are waiting for women interested in starting their Saturday morning with breakfast at 54 Cafe at 8:00.  Come join some other women from Crossroads this Saturday!

• Worship this coming Sunday at 10:00.  I want to preach a sermon that will follow up on discussion at last Sunday’s congregational meeting concerning our vision for the future, for the pastor’s role, and for the growing financial needs of a growing church.  (By the way, we recently received word that our church insurance premium is increasing significantly next month, as seems to be the case across the board for insurance rates).

Don’t forget there are sign-ups at the church for weekly cleaning at the church.  Thanks to those who have served in this way.  If you or your family would like to help, please sign up or contact Diane Ray.  Also, if you would like to provide some refreshments on Sundays, please sign up on the same calendar or speak to Diane.  Thank you!

There are sign-ups at the church for those interested in serving the Nevada community at the concession stand on Gospel Night at Bushwhacker Days.  Gospel Night is Thursday, June 12.  Sign up or contact Julie Kemper for more information.

Our next elders meeting will be Sunday, June 1, following the worship service.  Thank you for praying for our elders.

More …

The Nevada Griffons’ Church Night at the Ballpark is Sunday, June 1, 7 pm, at Lyons Stadium in Nevada.  Admission is free for everyone (no church bulletins needed).  Church affiliation will be tallied at the gate ; the church with the most attendees will receive a $75 donation to their church’s youth ministry.

I have information on the annual Latino Family Camp held at Hidden Acres, the camp belonging to our Evangelical Free Church Central District, located near Dayton, Iowa.  The dates are August 15-17.  If you’re interested or know someone who would be, let me know.  Or you may contact Pastor Renato Jimenez at renato.jiminez@summitefc.com for any information needed.  There are all kinds of events, conferences, and camp opportunities coming up at Hidden Acres.  You can read more here.  

Jesse and Erica McCallister and their family, our missionaries with Greater Europe Mission in Berlin, will be on a year-long home assignment in the U.S. July 2025-July 2026.  This return to the U.S. is required by a visa and tax agreement between the U.S. and Germany.  Please pray for them as they seek wisdom in handing over ministry responsibilities in Berlin to others to fulfill in their absence.  Pray for Jesse and Erica’s three young children who have a big change coming up in their lives.  

More prayer & praise :

• Angi’s daughter Blaine (Kansas City area) has friends who recently learned their newborn baby boy has a mass on his liver.  In addition, other friends of Blaine and Shelby recently lost twin babies at birth.  Please pray for God’s presence, and peace for all those impacted by these events.  Thank you.

• Let’s continue to pray for those preparing to be married :  Elena Rodriguez & Drew North (June) ; Kylee Vestal and Dominick Goodwin (November) ; Konner Sisseck and Jaci Servos.

• Good news that Micah Lyons has received an apprenticeship assignment starting in about week !  Let’s pray for Micah as he begins a new stage in his work life.

• Kourtnee Vestal will be serving again this summer with CentriKid camp ministry.  Let’s ask God to bless Kourtnee and the young people she will be serving!

• Phill and Judi Edwards’ pastor in the Macks Creek area has been intubated and on a feeding tube at one of the hospitals in Columbia since earlier this spring following a major health event in his life.  Would you remember Phill and Judi, their pastor and his wife, and the members of their church family.  Thank you.

Congratulations to all students, teachers, administrators, and staff who have finished, or will be finishing, the school year!  We are blessed to have many at Crossroads involved in the public schools and homeschools!  We’re blessed to have students and staff on the college level as well.  Let’s pray for Grace as she studies at the Missouri Welding Institute and makes plans for her future!

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“Nothing is outside of prayer.  Prayer has in it the possibility to affect everything which affects us.  Every thing, as well as every place and every hour, should be ordered by prayer.  How little is the bitterness in the life that is sweetened by prayer!  How the feeble are made strong by prayer!  Doubts, misgivings and tremblings retire before prayer.  Wisdom, knowledge, holiness, and heaven are within the reach of prayer.”  (E.M. Bounds, 1835-1913)