Miracle On Easter

Most of you have already heard about MOE, or more accurately our "Miracle On Easter" campaign. The Leadership is challenging the congregation to pray and work toward accomplishing goals in three key areas.

The first area is that of finances. You are all well aware of the financial difficulties through which our community is going right now. Layoffs have hit several members in our congregation, and this has impacted the church. The leadership team has been proactive and has made a number of difficult decisions to address the situation.

We believe God is bigger that the current economic situation. We believe that He is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine. Therefore, we are praying and believing that He is going to provide through His people a $10,000 plus offering on Easter Sunday.

These funds will be put to good use. Primarily, a $5,000 emergency fund would be provided to be held in reserve in the event the church would need to make a quick repair or deal with a financial emergency. For example, just this week, we discovered that someone had stolen two of our air conditioning units; they cut the lines and took them away. While we do have insurance coverage, there is still a deductable. There will be other such expenses in the future. Our original building is in its 18th year under a 15-year-old roof. The original furnaces are also 18-years-old, with blower motors that could go out at any time. Our water needs are served by a well with a pump that could fail at anytime. It is wise to prepare for such "emergencies" with a reserve fund.

The rest of the offering would be used in our general fund, so that we can begin to accumulate resources toward our ministries. There are programs that need to be funded, such as VBS and our children's ministries. However, we will be very cautious in our expenditures to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar given.

Some might think such a goal is too ambitious, given the current circumstances. As I said, that is why we call it a miracle – because it exceeds our human potential. Yet some of our current offerings have caused me to question whether I set the goal too low. God is truly blessing us through your generosity.

I want to encourage everyone to think about ways of sacrificing something until Easter in order to give that little bit extra. Everyone's participation is critical in order for us to achieve our goal for God's glory. Do not let the devil convince you that your gift will not make a difference. Every dollar given can be multiplied by God.

The second goal is to welcome ten (10) new members into our congregation on Easter Sunday, whether through transfer or baptism. We have many folks who worship with us on a regular basis but, as of yet, have not become members. We are having our membership class "Discovering Crossroads" on Saturday, April 4th at 10:00 a.m., to answer any questions you may have. Those considering membership are encouraged to attend.

Our final goal for Easter is to have over two hundred (200) people in attendance. This is not a difficult goal to accomplish. It only requires that EVERY member of Crossroads commit to being here that day, and to inviting as many others as possible. Easter is a great time to invite friends and family to visit our services.

The key to realizing these goals is praying for God's intervention. Miracles still happen if believers will be unified in prayer and commit to being used of God. Pray for MOE every day, several times a day if you can. Ask God to show you want you can do to be an instrument of His will to make this miracle on Easter happen.

See You Sunday,
Mike