TMG
Tom’s Midweek Greeting
Crossroads Community Church
Nevada, MO
Hello, Crossroads Family!
I hope your week is off to a good start! I enjoyed our worship service last Sunday very much. I felt that the Lord was present through His Spirit and in His Word in a special way. I hope you will continue to be challenged by His command to “Be filled with the Spirit.” What a joy-filled experience it is when we come under the influence of the Spirit of Jesus, rather than being under the influence of other things!
Our Monday Night Bible Study last night was also a time of encouragement and help for us in the “highs and lows” of life. Psalms 31 and 77 were our focus. I hope you’ll go on the Crossroads Facebook page and watch the study if you missed it last night. It runs about 45 minutes or so.
Here’s what’s going on at Crossroads!
Communion. We will worship the Lord around the Communion meal this Sunday. You are welcome to…
(1) … receive the bread and cup that will have been prepared. We will have individual cups of juice and individual cups each containing a piece of bread. You will be invited to come forward and take your own cup of bread and cup of juice.
(2) … or partake using bread and drink you’ve brought from home. If you are more comfortable bringing drink and bread from home, please do that this Sunday.
(3) … or refrain from participating. We respect your choice and want you to do what you’re most comfortable with.
The Communion meal is for those who have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. You do not have to be a member of Crossroads Church or of the Evangelical Free Church of America to participate. I look forward to our worship service this Sunday, including a final sermon from the book of Ephesians, “The Christian Life is a Life That Stands Firm,” Ephesians 6:10-24.
Building Visit. You are invited to visit the building for sale at 1409 N. Washington Street this Sunday evening at 5:00. Come early so we can have a chance to interact and pray at the end of our visit.
Saturday Night Worship Music. Thanks to Jessica who has provided us with uplifting worship music on Saturday evenings on Facebook. Jessica will be taking a break from Saturday night worship music in order to fulfill some other ministry opportunities.
Monday Night Bible Study. The “Summertime Psalms” series continues next Monday on Facebook Live at 7 pm. We’ll consider Psalms 36 and 37 which speak to an important area of life: “Do not fret.” Join us on the Crossroads Facebook page live.
Nevada Summer Meals. As was announced Sunday, Crossroads has been given the job of distributing meals for the rest of the summer on Fridays at Pine Street Baptist Church for those in our community who receive them. We need two people each Friday in July and August who can help from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., or at least for a part of that time. Could you let Heather know if there are one or more Fridays coming up when you could help serve in this way? Thank you! It’s an opportunity to bless people in our community and to become acquainted with some too!
Mark your calendar. We are invited to a disciplemaking seminar, based on the “Four Chairs” discipleship method, on Saturday, October 17, at The Springs Church in Springfield from 8:30 am til 12:30 pm. The seminar will be led by Larry Austin, EFCA Central District Director of Church Health. Cost is $20 / person. This will be a great opportunity to enlarge our vision, individually and as a church, for making disciples! I plan to attend, and I highly encourage you to join me there! We can drive down together if you’d like!
Tom and family on vacation. My kids and I will take some time off July 20-29. Please pray for physical, spiritual, and emotional renewal for us all. Our friend to Crossroads Church, Shane McCasslin, will preach in my place on Sunday, July 26. Pastor Jerry Carlin, recently retired from The Springs Church in Springfield and now on staff with the EFCA Central District, will preach for me after my return from vacation on Sunday, August 2. What a blessing for us to hear from these two godly leaders!
An Encouraging Testimony
One of my favorite Christian singers over the years has been Damaris Carbaugh. I first heard her sing at a pastors conference at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago quite a number of years ago ; then, not long after that, our family heard her sing at a small church in Rolla, Missouri ! Two distinctly different venues! She has often sung in the past with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. I came across a video of her personal testimony recorded at a service at Times Square Church in New York City in 2012. I thought you might be refreshed and encouraged by it, as I was. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/PWqDON9glz8. It’s about 8 minutes long. What ministered most to me in her story was a point in her life where she seemed to understand the Lord saying to her, “Damaris, you believe in Me; you even revere Me; but you do not love Me.” I hope you’ll take a look for some midweek encouragement!
I look forward to seeing you Sunday at the Y (indoors) at 10:00! Thanks to everyone who has been a part of setting up and tearing down these past Sunday mornings!
–Tom
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