TMG
Hello, Crossroads Family!
Thanks for your patience and attentiveness yesterday through worship and the sermon on divorce and remarriage. I’m grateful for your willingness to reflect on God’s Word and to seek ways to apply it to your life now. Wherever we are currently at in our lives, our hope is to move forward in fresh ways toward greater love and likeness to Christ.
Thanks to Donna and to Kylee who helped out in the nursery yesterday! Having a nursery/children’s area available every Sunday seems like a small thing but is really a very important thing … to the kids, their parents, and to visitors who may come with children that wouldn’t necessarily be able to sit through the entire worship service. If you’re willing to be part of the nursery rotation, please let Michaela know (contact us for her number). Thank you!
Updates on Crossroads Life from Yesterday’s Elders Meeting
I appreciate the patient, steady hand of our current church Elder Board. Here are some important items that were discussed at our meeting yesterday:
Future Women’s Fellowship & Study Group
Discussion took place about a women’s fellowship & study group to begin in September for women who are looking for ways to connect with other women. Michelle is developing ideas for that; more information to come later this summer!
Decision to Stay On As Pastor Another Year
After considerable prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to stay on as pastor at Crossroads for at least the next school year. God continues to bless us and to grow us spiritually in ways that make it seem right to stay on for at least another year as your pastor. Being “on my own” during the next school year may also free me up to serve in new ways I’ll enjoy. There are other specifics that have entered into my decision, but let’s just say that God has done a work in my heart and has knitted us together closely as a church family. The elders kindly accepted my decision. Thank you for your prayers and love, and for allowing me to serve with you.
This summer I’ll be taking time off from July 25 – August 7. Pastor Jerry Carlin will speak in my place on July 31, and we’re looking for a replacement for August 7.
Looking For a Church Home
We discussed rental possibilities as well as property availabilities for a future home for Crossroads. For the time being, it seems the best things we can do are … (1) Pray. God has been faithful to provide for all our needs over the course of these years together. …(2) Give,as you’re able, to our growing church Building Fund. You can give any time and any amount to the Building Fund. Just indicate that that’s what your gift is for, and put it in the Regular Giving basket at church. Thank you! There are some church home possibilities we’re keeping our eyes on; pray for God to lead us all and to open the right window at the right time.
Church Membership & Leadership
We discussed the reality of needing to keep our Elder Board fresh. Elections for elder will happen again this fall. We also discussed the need to continue to grow our church membership. (See below.)
Signage
Discussion took place on the need to have some signage up at the Community Center on Sunday mornings so people can more easily find the doors to enter by. We currently have one large sign and will look into purchasing some smaller yard signs with the Crossroads logo. We’ll look for volunteers who would be willing to be in charge of putting up and taking down each Sunday.
Congregational Meeting
We set Sunday, June 26, following the worship service for a Congregational Meeting. Everyone is welcome to stay for the meeting that Sunday.
Record-Keeping
We discussed our need to be better at some of the church record-keeping, other than finances. We discussed ways to improve that and who might be able to help in that area.
Needs at Crossroads
God continues, little by little, to meet the needs we have as a church. In particular, a well-organized, willing Worship Team is a wonderful blessing to our church; a regular, fun, and meaningful Youth Group is also a blessing; a functioning nursery is a special help and blessing. In addition, I can think of about ten adults at Crossroads who are currently involved in personal discipleship. That, too, is key to a healthy church that grows in number, faith, and service. Discipleship has happened, also, at a small-group for young people at Heather Hall’s home for quite some time. Small-group Bible studies for adults — such as we’ve had on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and at other times — are another key. Would you please pray for those involved in these ministries and consider ways you can either participate in, or help support, these ministries ? Each one of these areas is a blessing to the church and is used by God to reach others.
Membership at Crossroads kind of falls into two categories. First, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and consider Crossroads to be your church home, we consider you to be a member of the church. The more “formal” membership you may be used to (and which is written about in our church by-laws) really has to do with trying to answer the question, “Who wants to make decisions in this church?” Not everyone does, as you may realize, but the opportunity (and responsibility) is there for everyone. We don’t want important decisions (finances, property, call of a pastor) to be made by people who have only been at Crossroads a short time, like, maybe only a few weeks! So we have to define who is ready to be part of important decisions that must be made. That’s why we ask those who are regularly a part of the church to consider this kind of membership, too. While we might not find in the Bible explicit instructions about church membership, we do see (quite often, especially in Acts) lists of people’s names ; lists of places where they met ; lists of what they did ; examples of how decisions were made. So church life in New Testament days was not unorganized, and it should be organized today as well.
If Crossroads is your church home and you would like to be a member (in the sense of saying, “I’ll help carry the responsibility of decision-making”), we would love that! Just let me or one of the other elders know. The requirements are that you have personal faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, that you be at least 18 years old, and that you have been through the Crossroads membership course.
Calendar
Monday Night Prayer
We’ll pray together on Monday nights in June and part of July. Come to my house, 628 W. Arch Street, and join some others for an informal time of prayer. 5:00-5:45 pm. If you can’t come but have a prayer request, please email me. (I would be happy to include, or not include, your name with the request you send me.) We’ll have Monday night prayer June 6, 13, 20, & 27, and July 11 & 18. I would love it if everyone could come to at least one Monday Night Prayer!
Gospel Night at Bushwhackers this week on Thursday
Invite a friend to join you for a good night of Gospel music by Jason Crabb, formerly with the Gaither Vocal Band!
Congregational Meeting, June 26
Everyone is welcome to stay after worship on the 26th for ministry updates, a financial report, and prayer.
Youth Group, June 29
A nacho party at the Vestals, *contact us for location*, on the 29th at 6:30 ! Bring a friend!
“A Long, Circuitous Route”
In a book I’m reading about growing older, the author makes the interesting observation that God may lead us through life by a long, circuitous route, just as He did the Israelites when He brought them out of Egypt and took them to the Promised Land. He didn’t take them straight up the coastline (which, apparently, would have taken only a matter of days); rather, He purposefully led them eastward through the wilderness. (See Exodus 13:17.) We should not be surprised — nor should we complain or lose hope — when God leads us by a long, circuitous route through life. He has definite purposes for it, and He will guide us safely to our destination as we trust and obey Him!
I hope you have a wonderful week wherever you’re at on the route!
— Tom
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