TMG
Tom’s Midweek Greeting
Crossroads Community Church
Nevada, MO
November 1, 2018
Hello, Crossroads Family! I hope you are well.
A favorite Bible verse of mine, and one that is probably familiar to you, is Hebrews 10:25 —
“… not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near ….”
This verse reminded me today that one of the main reasons Christians come together to meet regularly is for the encouragement we find in each other. It’s not just that I need to listen to a “preacher” once a week, or that I need to attend a Sunday School class, or that I need to sing some hymns or other worship songs (although all of those things are good and necessary!), but one of the best blessings about going to church is the encouragement I find in other people who are following the Lord and getting to know him more.
There is a kind of encouragement in the church that can be found nowhere else — imperfect people who can let down their guard with each other because the wall of fear and guilt and separation from God has been broken down. We are able to share grace, forgiveness, support, wisdom, and practical care with each other, … along with not a few laughs!
We have three exciting Sundays of worship and encouragement coming up:
— This Sunday, the 4th, we’ll worship as a family around the Communion Table. Our message will be from Malachi 3:7-12, “Discovering a Supreme Act of Worship.”
— On Sunday, November 11th, Dale Losch, President of Crossworld Mission, will be a guest speaker for us. Dale and his wife Jerusha are friends of mine from our years spent in France. I can’t wait for you to meet them! Find out more about Crossworld atwww.crossworld.org.
— On Sunday, November 18th, we’re excited to share with the entire church family two of the ministry “gates” God has laid on the heart of our church leadership as we’ve been working through the “Walking the Walls” material from the book of Nehemiah. These two ministry gates (goals) are going to be important for the entire church, so I hope you’ll make an effort to be part of that special Sunday.
In addition, we’ll continue our Adult Bible Study in Leviticus this Sunday at 9:00 a.m., and the Youth Group Bible Study will also meet at that time.
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday!
Other Church Notes
Welcome, Erlinda Reichard, as a new member at Crossroads! What a blessing it is to have Erlinda and Chosen in the Crossroads family, and we’re also blessed by our connection to Erlinda’s daughters, Glory, Grace, and Melody! Thanks to God for the passion, joy, and life-experience Erlinda brings to our congregation!
Please pray for our elders who will be meeting this Sunday after the worship service. According to 1 Thessalonians 2, a church leader must be … (1) faithful (first responsibility is faithfulness to God) ; (2) loving and gentle, like a nursing mother ; and (3) hard-working and encouraging, like a father. Pray that God will continually fill up our church leaders with these qualities.
The recent women’s retreat was a special time of fellowship and spiritual growth shared by nine women associated with Crossroads. What a wonderful time! And now an invitation to all ladies at Crossroads to join women from The Springs (our sister Evangelical Free Church in Springfield) for a weekend together in Branson, February 1-3, 2019. Let me know if you need more information, or watch the video at https://youtu.be/F_KzM-YadYg.
Several in our church are going through personal and family challenges. Let’s remember each other in prayer. Continue to pray for Marie, and for her daughter Allie, while Marie is with Allie in California. Allie continues to weaken physically, so let’s pray for the Lord’s closeness to each one there, and to Richard here.
We will have a congregational “family” meeting coming up soon (date to be determined). Our financial records show that giving is up during the second half of this year. Thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord and his work. Meeting our budget and being a financially self-sustaining church are two small but critical steps toward a healthy ministry for Crossroads. Thanks to the Lord for giving so many a heart of obedience and generosity! Thanks for your positive response to last Sunday’s sermon on “Money as a Matter of Trust.” We’ll continue this month with our series on 2Ms – Money and Missions.
Personal Notes
Evan and I were happy to be able to hear Samuel’s college chorale perform a German Requiem by Johannes Brahms last Friday night at the College of the Ozarks. It was an impressive performance – all of it Scripture (though in German with English translations available in the program).
It was a thrill to watch Esther and her escort be crowned Queen and King at the Nevada High School Antivan Follies last night. She made her old dad proud.
My iron levels continue to be low, causing me to be right on the borderline of anemia. I will return to Nevada Regional Medical Center this month for two more iron transfusions. Thanks for praying. I would love not to have this additional concern on my mind, and appointments on the calendar! Trusting the Lord’s direction and care.
I enjoyed lunch this week with Al Frank, our Associate Superintendent for the Evangelical Free Church Central District. Many of you have met Al, and he is a tremendous encourager of mine as well as a support to all of us at Crossroads. I invite some of you to consider attending the Central District Annual Conference in West Des Moines, next March 4-5. Take a look athttp://efcacentral.org/.
— Tom
Leave a Reply