Hello, Crossroads Family !
I’m happy to connect with you this week and to say again that there are some really positive things happening at Crossroads, … thanks to God’s work in and through you !
Thank you for the positive ways you’ve responded to the recent teaching on hospitality. Building strong relationships, both among those we’ve known for a long time and among those who are new in our lives, is so important in any church and really happens best outside the walls and regular activities of the church. Good things happen inside the walls of the church, too, but the binding of hearts and experiences take place, over the long run, at times and places outside church.
I hope you’ll plan to help us reach out to residents and staff at Nathan Richard this Sunday afternoon ! The plan is this : (1) Meet at the church at 3:30. (2) Walk or drive over to Nathan Richard for caroling and to pass out gifts. (3) Return to the church for refreshments and something to drink. If you have any questions or want to help in some way, check with Jenny Rives. Thanks, Jenny, for helping us get all this organized !
Our 8-13 year-old Bible Class will meet during the sermon this Sunday. Also, the young people from that group will light the Advent wreath this Sunday morning. Parents, the plan is for the kids to do some painting during their class time, so we want them to wear clothing appropriate for painting ! Thanks to Emily for her good leadership of this group every month !
Below is an update from last Sunday’s elders meeting along with information about the upcoming congregational meeting. Thanks for your involvement in the life of Crossroads Church !
Nominations for Elder Board
I’m grateful for our current Elder Team. We had a lengthy meeting this past Sunday. These men are working hard for the Lord and for the church while carrying weighty responsibilities in their personal lives as well. We came to the conclusion that one of the challenges of shepherding a small, growing church is trying to handle both the organizational / financial / practical needs of the church and trying to handle people needs at the same time ! Consider this list of some of the things that are on the mind of our church elders :
- how to welcome and assimilate new people into the church
- how to help ministry teams develop vision, reach their goals, and stay healthy
- understanding with some degree of specificity what’s taking place at church (sometimes communication can get hampered unintentionally) ; providing good oversight
- helping meet needs of young people and integrating them into the life of the church
- helping meet the needs of young families and children
- maintaining a healthy and realistic calendar of activities
- facilitating development of relationships
- overseeing finances and practical needs inside and outside the building
- understanding how to handle the space needs in our current meeting place
- understanding how we should approach the need for a future, more permanent, home for Crossroads
- spiritual growth among our church family members
- facilitating contact information : sounds simple, but it’s not easy these days to keep up with best ways of communicating with everyone
- managing conflict and misunderstandings
- caring for the many ordinary and unexpected physical needs among members of the congregation
- being faithful in prayer
- growing in the Word and being able, as a team, to give unified answers to theological and church-related questions ; addressing difficult issues and questions within the church.
Our recent Nominating Committee brought the names of three men to us as candidates for next year’s Elder Board. We have decided to accept all three and submit them to you for your approval at the congregational meeting on December 14. They are Forrest Drury (nominated for a second 3-year term) ; Tommie Ray (nominated for a first 3-year term) ; and Bryan Townsend (nominated for a first 3-year term).
This would mean enlarging our Elder Board by two positions. In other words, next year we would have an Elder Board of seven rather than five. We believe this will add good, new perspectives to our elder team ; it will allow us to share the load of responsibilities listed above ; and by adding two new men, we will grow the number of men at Crossroads who have had experience in this particular leadership role.
Each of the nominees needs to receive approval by at least 75% of those voting at the meeting on the 14th. It’s important to understand that they are not running against each other ! 
Each one will be voted on separately and needs to receive 75% approval. Thank you for your willingness to pray over this decision. I look forward to our meeting and look forward to a great Elder Board moving forward ! Thanks very much again to our Nominating Committee : Mark Tice, Catherine Moss, Diane Ray, Tommie Ray, and Heather Vestal.
More Congregational Meeting
We have a good-looking church budget proposal for next year to present to you. We will vote on it at the meeting on December 14. A copy will be available this coming Sunday for you to take and look over prior to the meeting. Thanks especially to Donna Rodriguez, our current Church Treasurer, and to Diane Knoche, Cris, and Marvin who were helps in this process. The budget will reflect our desire to move to a full-time pastor’s salary beginning in September 2026.
Finally, we need to vote on two changes to our church by-laws. These two changes need to be voted on separately, and each needs a 2/3 approval by those voting.
- The first is to change the wording on voting to allow for the possibility of members voting when they are not able to physically attend a congregational meeting. This would involve changing wording that currently reads “members present and voting” to simply “members voting” in five places in the by-laws, then adding a paragraph that reads as follows : “A member may vote in abstention at congregational meetings. A paper or digital absentee vote must be submitted to one of the elders 24 hours prior to the congregational meeting.”
- Second, our church by-laws currently include the 2008 version of the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America. That Statement of Faith was changed in 2015 in the paragraph on Christ’s return to say, “We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2015), instead of, “We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2008). The proposal at our meeting on the 14th is to bring our church by-laws up-to-date and in line with the current Statement of Faith of the EFCA.
Thank you for your willingness to be in prayer for the meeting on December 14th. I hope everyone will plan to stay. You are welcome to attend the meeting even if you’re not currently a voting member of the church. We’re happy this coming Sunday to receive Mark Scheib as a new voting member at Crossroads ! We’re grateful for Mark and Elizabeth and the blessing they are to our church family !
Finally …
As you know, we have a wonderful opportunity for women to celebrate God’s love, and their love for each other, at a Christmas party December 14th at 5 pm. Here are the details :
Come join us for a wonderful time of fellowship and gratitude as we celebrate the Christmas season together. If you’re interested in bringing a soup or dessert, please sign up on the back table at church. In addition, if you’re interested in participating in the gift exchange, please bring a gift that you think might be a blessing to someone else in this season. You are welcome to bring things from home, and if you are buying something, we ask that you not spend over $10. Anything goes that you think would extend grace and love to someone at church during this holiday season. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Emily Lewis or Erin Townsend.
Also, we have new updates from the McCallister and Shoemaker families, two of our church’s missionaries. We’ll make those available at the church. I hope you’ll take time to read and pray !
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
Thanks for all you do ! Thanks for patiently abiding in Christ and following Him as a family.
— Tom
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