Student Ministry Sunday

This week we will have the pleasure of the Student ministry taking over the worship service.  They will be serving in every aspect of the service. It will be a reminder to all of us that these young people are not the church of the future, but of the present.

Over the last decade, Crossroads has continually invested in both Student and Children’s ministry.  This has been done because we understand that our window of opportunity to reach their souls is greatest before they reach the age of eighteen (18). It is also a very critical time in their lives.  Often, a single mistake in judgment can lead to a lifetime of consequences.

Consider these statistics from the CDC about high school students:

●       47.4% have had sexual intercourse

●       33.7% had sex during the previous 3 months.

●       15.3% have had sex with four or more people.

Of course, we want to believe that these numbers do not represent our youth.  The reality is that not every young person in our student ministry is from a Christian home and not every student lives out their parent’s values.  Our youth live with tremendous cultural and peer pressure to compromise their godly morals and values.

This only adds to the other pressures they deal with.  They are constantly trying to balance school, work, social life, sports, and still find time to be involved in the Church.  Just recently, a couple young person in our community have been so overwhelmed, they have taken their own lives.  Nearly 1 in 6 high school students has seriously considered suicide, and 1 in 12 has attempted it according to the CDC.

While Student ministry is critical, it can only supplement the parenting a young person receives at home.  There is no replacement for godly parents walking with God and teaching their own family to do the same.  However, having a quality Student ministry and individuals of character and spiritual maturity serving in it does provide additional support.

I hope you will join me in praying for and encouraging Guy Louks, our student minister, and his staff of volunteers.  Maybe God has laid it on your heart to pour your life into the lives of students. If so, contact Guy, and I am sure he can use you in some capacity.  With everyone’s support, we can insure that our students will be lights in their schools for the Son of God.

See You Sunday,

Mike

Back to Basics

Vince Lombardi said, “Excellence is achieved by the mastery of the fundamentals”.  Last Sunday I began a short two sermon series on the two fundamental ordinances of the Lord’s Church.  We looked at what constituted Biblical baptism.  It has to be done in the way, for the right reason, to the right person, at the right time.  If you missed, the sermon is available on the website.  If you have any friends or family members who have questions about baptism, it would be a great resource to share with them.

In my message I stressed that those who wanted to accept Jesus Christ did it by being immersed into Him immediately upon making their confession of faith.  To my delight, immediately after the service, Ray and Janet Hassan came to me desiring to be immersed immediately.  I grabbed Guy Louks and Fred Townsend.  They did the baptisms.  It was a great event to witness.

This next Sunday, I am going to be preaching on communion.   While there is not as much confusion with the Lord’s Supper as there is with baptism, it is important for us to really understand it. I have decided that we will change up the service order a little bit and do communion AFTER my sermon.  It would both sermon and communion meditation in one.

I want to highlight one of our many ministries here, My Brother’s Keeper.  This is our benevolence ministry that helps to meet the needs of those in our community.  MBK pays for things like counseling, utilities, car repairs, food, rent, and medicine.  The funding comes from a few different sources.  One of our two annual special offerings is devoted solely MBK.  We also utilize a PayLess card program where we leverage our spending.  Through a special gift card, 3% of every dollar we spend is donated back to MBK.  The final funding stream for MBK is the two garage sales we do where all the profits go to the ministry.

Saturday, April 27^th is the date for the next garage sale.  Stacy Tilton is the person who organizing these sales for us.  She does a wonderful job, but needs lots of help.  On Sunday, April 21^st, we will need to rearrange the foyer so that the items can be laid out on tables and priced.  All that week, volunteers are needed to make sure everything is ready.  Trust me, the folks in our community will be lined up waiting for the doors to open on Saturday. More volunteers are needed to actual work the day of the sale.  We will need folks to run the register, restock the tables, and especially to clean up afterwards.  Whatever we do not sell, we will pack up and donate to Goodwill.

The great thing is that this ministry has become known in the community and our sales bring folks into our building.  It is an opportunity to show them who we are and what we are about.  Through this ministry, you are making a difference in the lives of those in need.  Thank you for caring as Jesus cares.

See You Sunday,

Mike