TMG
Tom’s Midweek Greeting
Crossroads Community Church
Nevada MO
Dear Crossroads Family,
We’re all rejoicing that Angi has been released from the hospital! Thank you for praying for Angi and Shane! Let’s not let up in our praying; Angi still has plenty of recovery and healing needed ahead. And special care will need to be taken during these upcoming winter months to avoid respiratory illness! We’re grateful for answered prayers in many of our lives. L.J. and Judy’s grandson, Nathan, is healing from surgery, and God has again be faithful.
These are busy days for all of us. Let’s not forget our commitment to the Lord and to the church:
- Our service in big and small ways to each other and to our community, is not just a “good thing” but is an offering to God and a witness for Christ that makes a difference in the lives of spiritually needy people.
- We should be in prayer for God’s provision for the financial needs of our church as we approach the end of the year.
- We’ll have a “Crossroads Connection” at Iguana Azul on Sunday, November 1, following worship. During that time we’ll do some planning and updating for everyone on things going on at Crossroads. I hope you’ll join us. The church will help cover food expenses.
Crossroads help needed this Saturday and Sunday at the Y for the Grocery Grab program.
Please consider giving a couple of hours on both Saturday and Sunday if possible. We’ve committed to having six people from Crossroads on each of those two days. So far we have only two from Crossroads signed up for Saturday and five for Sunday. Send Heather a text and let her know you can help (417-321-0303). Feel free to bring a friend. The work starts Saturday at 1 pm; Sunday will begin immediately following our worship service. If you could let Heather know, it would help us to know how many to count on. Thanks again.
Nominating Committee
Our Nominating Committee is made up of Forrest Drury, Julie Kemper, Uriah Lentz, Erin Reedy, and Donna Rodriguez. The committee has one candidate for the open Elder Board position and is looking for your prayerful input if you have another candidate for them to consider. Thank you for praying as the Lord leads the Nominating Committee and all of us.
Worship this Sunday, 10:00
I’m looking forward to a great time together Sunday morning at the Y! This will be the last in our “Your Asked For It” sermons. We’ll consider the subject of the Tribulation. What is it? What are its purposes ? What will happen during the Tribulation? Will I be there during this time of worldwide judgment?
Thank you!
Thanks to Dave, Kim, Erin, Michaela, and Ryan for organizing a great time at the hayride last Saturday!
Home Group this Wednesday, 6:30 pm.
Everyone is invited to Home Group this coming Wednesday evening at the Rodriguez home, 12536 E. Quail Road. Food, fellowship, study, prayer, and support. All ages are welcome!
Go and make disciples
This was the Lord’s last command to His disciples before He returned to heaven (Matthew 28:18-20). Many of you have experienced the joy of growing as a disciple and of making (helping others to grow as) disciples. In some respects, while Crossroads hasn’t grown greatly in numbers over the past few years, it has been a season of growing as disciples.
One of our members, Heather, has been especially impacted by the call to make disciples. As you read her story below, consider how you fit in to the Lord’s call to be, and to grow, disciples.
Throughout my life, I have always had a kind of general interest in discipleship and missions. I majored in Missions in college, as I simply found it interesting, but I had no desire to serve as a traditional missionary. I believed everyone, everywhere, who is a believer, should be supporting those who are full-time missionaries and doing missions themselves, as the Lord leads, wherever they are.
Through the years I’ve never lost my zeal for missions but was uncertain how to do it myself. About seven years ago, I read again the verse in Matthew 28 where Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
It said make disciples. Not a suggestion. A command. I wondered, “How do you do that?” I know Jesus had disciples, but I felt like what I needed was a plan; a way for me to disciple in more of a bite-size way. I asked my pastor (pre-Crossroads) how one could disciple others, and he just said Sunday School. Sunday School is okay, but it’s not really something I could do by myself. I was disappointed in the answer and let it drop for a while, but it remained in my mind and I would continue to think about it. I think I tried to research it a bit, as that’s kind of my thing (lol), but I just couldn’t find anything that really seemed to be on point for what I desired.
On my very first Sunday at Crossroads, Al Frank, a guest speaker, was leading the service. Several of you invited me to join you for lunch where Al was going to speak some more. I remember the topic well, as it was on DISCIPLESHIP!! I remember him speaking about the Four Chairs and musing over which chair was I in, or more importantly, SHOULD be in. I did begin coming to Crossroads regularly a little after that. Tom convinced me to attend the 101 member’s course – I was hesitant as I didn’t think I was quite ready for membership yet (lol). He assured me I would not have to join just because I went, so I did attend. As I had already done my homework on the denomination, and the major beliefs lined up, there weren’t really any surprises…till the end He said they had a discipleship program – I about jumped out of my chair, I was so excited I told him I was interested in it that day. It wasn’t long before Tom found me some buddies and we were soon doing the discipleship program. I learned a lot about God, myself, my buddies, my leader and about how to lead. It’s a time I would not trade for all the money in the world. I cannot stress enough how much you will change just in going through it as a disciple.
I now lead others in discipleship. This longing I had had to disciple is now being fulfilled as I lead others. The earthly rewards have no parallel. As a disciple-maker, you are privileged to help others experience what I did – to see the lights of learning go on in their eyes. You give them tools to continue to do it with others; you also learn even more while leading it. Then the spiritual rewards, though similar, result in a life forever changed — yours and theirs!
If you have ever felt this pull/need/interest in discipleship or are intrigued now, I would love to talk to you more about it! You will not regret following this command.
I hope to see you this Sunday!
— Tom
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