TMG
Tom’s Midweek Greeting
Crossroads Community Church
Nevada MO
Hello, Crossroads Family!
First of all, thanks to everyone who helped out Sunday after church with the food distribution at the Y! I spoke with the person coordinating this effort, and she was very appreciative of the help from Crossroads!
We are scheduled to help again, once in October, and once in November. This time we’ve been asked to send 6-7 people from Crossroads on both Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday, October 24 packing grocery bags from 1 – 4 pm
Sunday, October 25 passing out groceries from 11 am until 1 pm, or until supplies gone
Saturday, November 14 packing grocery bags from 1 – 4 pm
Sunday, November 15 passing out groceries from 11 am on …
If you can help on one or more of those days, please let Heather know so we can make sure we have the number of people needed. Thank you!
This Sunday
I’m looking forward this Sunday to the second sermon in our series, “You Asked For It!” Someone has asked for a sermon that I’m calling “Understanding God & the Trinity.” Who is God? What is the Trinity? What does “Son of God” mean? What does it mean to call God (or Jesus) “Lord”? The Bible says the best thing we can experience in all of life is to know God: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might; let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me ….’” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
The Y has asked us not to park in the section of the parking lot nearest the building, as they are hoping this Sunday to open up two lanes of traffic through the parking lot for those picking up food. For our worship service, please park either on the east side of the grassy median, or in the parking area further north. Feel free to drop someone off at the building if you need to before parking.
Discipleship Training
On Saturday, October 17, The Springs Church in Springfield (one of our sister E-Free churches) will be hosting a 4-Chair Discipling Workshop. 4-Chair Discipling takes us back to the model, mission, and method of Jesus. His method was relational, missional, and intentional. He did not teach simply teach his disciples and then hope for the best. He issued four key challenges to his disciples for the purpose of helping them make spiritual progress. 4-Chair Discipling helps leaders think clearly about what they need to provide to help other people grow into the disciple Jesus longs for them to be. A church attender of any level of spiritual maturity can walk away from 4 Chairs with a clear sense of progress as a disciple, and an understanding of what their next step will be.
The workshop at The Springs will take place on October 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Check-in is from 8-8:30 a.m.) Two members of our EFCA Central District staff, Jerry Carlin and Larry Austin, will serve as equippers for the morning. The cost is $20/person and includes a manual. The deadline for registration is October 15. Covid-19 precautions will be taken. Registration can be found at https://wp.me/PaTugt-Wb.
Also on the 17th … Hayride & Cookout !
Mark your calendar now for a fall cookout and hayride at the Reedy farm in Moundville on the evening of October 17th! More details to come. We always have a great time at the fall hayride!
Elder Notes
Our elders met this past Sunday following worship. Here are a few notes from that meeting :
- We’re putting together a Nominating Committee whose job this fall will be to nominate someone to serve on the Elder Board. Shane Dahmer is finishing his first term as an Elder and is eligible to be nominated for a second term.
- We discussed Crossroads’ participation in the food program at the Y.
- We have tentatively scheduled a “Crossroads Connection” Sunday for Sunday, November 1.
- The next Home Group is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, at the Rodriguez home, 6:30 – 8:30.
- Jessica Baker met with the elders for membership. She will be received as a new member this Sunday. We thank the Lord for the blessing Jessica is to our Crossroads family!
Why become a “member” of a church? What is church membership, anyway?
If you consider Crossroads to be your church home, you are part of the family! We’re glad Crossroads is a place where you feel like you belong and are growing spiritually!
To formally include your name on the membership list of a church may seem unnecessary, or just a formality. It may even seem that there’s no biblical precedent for it.
Yet, some interesting details are recorded in the Book of Acts concerning the early Christians. These details help us to see that there was structure and order in the early churches. For example,…
They had stated places of meeting:
Acts 1:13 – in the upper room of a house
Acts 5:12 – in a part of the Temple at Jerusalem
Acts 2:46 – in the Temple and in homes
Acts 12:12 – at the home of John, also called Mark
They had stated times of meeting:
Acts 2:46 – every day
Acts 20:7 – on the first day of the week
They had stated purposes for meeting:
Acts 2:42 – to receive teaching, to fellowship, to break bread, and to pray
The church was growing,… and someone was keeping track!
Acts 1:15 – about 120
Acts 2:41 – about 3000
Acts 4:4 – about 5000
Acts 2:47 – “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Membership is important as a means for decision-making in the church. Financial and property decisions, and the selection of leaders in the church, are important decisions that should be made by those who have declared their attachment to the church. It’s also from the membership that key leaders are chosen. The membership process helps us to function according to a principle mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14:40 — “Let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner.”
Here are some other areas of church life membership helps with:
- identification & ownership: Membership is a public statement of one’s commitment to the church, its people, and its ministry. It’s a way of saying, “I take ownership of (responsibility for) this church.”
- fulfillment of legal requirements: In order to be legally recognized by the State of Missouri, there must be elected officers who are responsible for the property and operations of the church. It’s the membership who elect people to these roles.
- a voice in the denomination: By becoming a member of Crossroads, you gain opportunities to give input into decisions and ministries of the Evangelical Free Church of America, the denomination we’re part of (efca.org).
There are two simple requirements for membership at Crossroads. One is very important; the second is also important, but much less so!
- personal faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior
- attend the Crossroads 101 membership course
I’m grateful for everyone who calls Crossroads home! It’s good to have a vibrant, authentic church life where we can know the Lord, serve each other, and stay fresh spiritually! I hope that’s happening in your life!
See you Sunday at 10:00 at the Y!
Dress warmly!
Remember to park on the east side (across the median) of the parking lot, or in the north parking lot. Thank you!
— Tom
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