TMG
Hello, Crossroads Family!
I look forward to celebrating the Lord’s resurrection with you this coming Sunday morning! Everyone is invited to Easter breakfast at 9:00 followed by worship at 10:00. Your family members, friends, and co-workers are welcome to join us, of course! Our address is 621 E. Highland Avenue.
Don’t forget Immerse this week on Wednesday at 7 pm. Everyone is welcome!
I was struck today in Mark 11 by the mention that, on the day after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he became hungry. That’s one of several times in the Gospels that some reference is made to Jesus’ physical, bodily condition. Here he is described as hungry ; elsewhere, we read he was tired ; and, of course, we know that on the cross he became thirsty.
When we think about our own physical needs and desires — as well as the weakening condition of our bodies as we grow older — it’s helpful to know that Jesus dealt with the same issues. In rising from the dead, He also broke the curse of sin which is ultimately the cause of the breaking down of our bodies!
The Bible gives us great hope: “For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies” (1 Cor 15:53, NLT). If you’re struggling today with fatigue or physical limitations of some kind, be encouraged to know that Christ has suffered, died, risen from the dead, and is able to help !
Happening at Crossroads:
Immerse
This Wednesday night, 7:00 – 8:00. Childcare available for those who need it.
Easter Breakfast
This Sunday morning at 9:00. If you weren’t able to sign up to bring food but would still like to, feel free to contact Heather Vestal.
Easter Worship
Sunday morning at 10:00. Our service will include singing, a testimony of God’s faithfulness, Communion, and the receiving of two new members to Crossroads, Bryan and Erin Townsend! It will be a special time for everyone!
Fellowship Events
Don’t forget that if you would like to help us organize a church fellowship event this coming summer or fall, you can sign up at the back table on Sundays. We have three events already on the schedule, but there’s room for more. It can be as simple as organizing a carry-in meal after worship, or something more creative than that! Thanks for your help!
Good Friday Service
I’ll be at the Good Friday service sponsored by the Vernon County Ministerial Alliance. I hope you’ll think about joining me. The service will begin at 7 pm at the United Methodist Church in Nevada. Eric England, coordinator for Athletes in Action in Southwest Missouri, will be the speaker.
Looking Back & Looking Ahead
It’s really amazing to me to think that just two months ago we were still meeting as a church at the Community Center. So much has happened in such a short time!
- We signed a lease on the new location.
- We painted the walls and washed the carpets in our new space.
- We purchased and installed new audio-visual and worship equipment.
- We moved all the church chairs and other belongings out of storage into the new building.
- We have now washed all the chairs, and they’re ready for a wonderful turnout of people this coming Sunday.
- We’ve purchased new round tables for meals such as this coming Sunday’s Easter breakfast.
- We’ve furnished an attractive and practical children’s church / nursery area.
- We have a completely new Greeter Team.
- We have volunteers for mowing the yard around the new building, part of our lease commitment — and the mowing just happened for the first time last week !
- We have a quote for a sign to put on Highland Avenue, and we’re finishing details on that.
- We’ve updated our church Facebook pages.
- Earlier this month, we had our first-ever Ministry Teams meeting.
- We have two new members joining the church this coming Sunday.
- And on top of all that, we started a brand-new Wednesday evening Bible-reading experience which is helping us to connect with God, build community, and grow faith beyond Sunday mornings only.
Looking ahead, we’re currently working on some additional projects:
- The elders have asked a new Decorating Team to give coordination and vision for brightening up the bare walls of our new location. That team is made up of Donna Rodriguez, Erin Reedy, Emily Lewis, and Jenny Rives. Please pray for them and support them as they try to help us make the space attractive to the church family and to visitors.
- In coordination with the new Decorating Team, we’re looking into plans for an “Information Station” where we can regularly post church ministry information and community information.
- We’re looking to purchase (or find) at least two doors with windows in them that we can use to replace doors on a couple of the classrooms that are currently without windows.
- We still have plans to build a ramp at the main entrance to our location so we can be wheelchair accessible.
- We would like to buy or find a small refrigerator of our own.
- Our elders have an extended Prayer & Planning time scheduled for themselves on Sunday, April 14, following the worship service.
All of that represents a tremendous investment of time and energy! Thank you to everyone who has helped, and thanks to all who help fund the life and ministry of Crossroads Church! God has been so faithful to us!
Please be patient with the progress and with our church elders. One of my fears going into this stage of the life of our church was that the Elder Board would end up becoming simply a Building Committee. Because of the small size of our church, it’s necessary that the elders take a strong lead in this transition. At the same time, we need elders who have time and energy to devote to prayer and spiritual matters. And we don’t want every encounter of the church family to become a kind of “business meeting” where we discuss needs of the building. Please forgive me if that has been the case these past several weeks! It’s the people in the building (i.e., relationships) that need always to be our priority.
The forward motion of a local church usually happens at a relatively slow pace … and that’s probably a good thing since people from so many backgrounds and experiences are involved. Proverbs 16:10 says, “A divine decision is in the lips of the king; his mouth should not err in judgment.” While our church elders are certainly not kings (!), they nevertheless want to be careful to make good decisions while we try, at the same time, to maximize the time and resources God has given us.
What a great God we serve! His power, grace and wisdom are without limits! We have many reasons to celebrate this Sunday! I look forward to seeing you then!
— Tom
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