Genuine Community

Long, long ago, when my children were little, family trips were a constant refrain of “Are we there yet?” No matter what I would say, one of my daring children invariable would ask every five minutes this same question. It could have been the impatience of youth or the fact that we were packed tight in a car designed for less than five people.

Often I ask myself this question in regards to Crossroads and our progress towards making our vision a reality. Have we become a place of transforming grace in genuine community? Are we seeing lives being changed and transformed? What are the relationships that exist? Are we there yet?

I want to focus on the second half of that vision statement. Do we have “genuine community” at Crossroads? Keep in mind that community, in this sense, is not a geographical location. It is a relationship, and not just any relationship. It involves several critical aspects in order to be real community. Things like belonging, caring, and accountability are what make community unique and genuine.

Do members at Crossroads experience a real sense of belonging? I know when I visit our guests I hear about how they felt welcome and at home. The question is does this feeling continue and grow at they become a part of our congregation. I wonder if we let them know that they were missed when they are unable to attend. I also wonder if they miss us when they are not able to attend. Sometimes when I review the attendance of some of our members, I have my doubts.

On the other hand, I think we do very well on caring for each other. When there is a need within the congregation, it is encouraging to see how the Body cares for those who are hurting. From meals for those after surgery to counseling for those going through difficult times, we look after each very well. I am very pleased that much of this caring is being done by the small groups themselves. This is what we have been working toward. We are not there yet, but we are getting real close.

On the issue of accountability, I believe we still have lots of room for improvement. With our updated membership policy, the leadership team is working through contacting all of those who are “on the books” as members. Some of these individuals no longer come to church, so we will be removing them from the membership. We will be more intentional about helping our members work through the steps of our discipleship strategy. We need to be seeing movement from step one (attendance) to step four (active in mission and outreach). This is important because for us to grow as a community, we must grow in our individual relationships with the church.

When it comes to genuine community, are we there yet? No, but we are definitely moving in the right direction. We need to continue to pursue our mission and praying for our vision to become a reality.

See You Sunday,

Mike

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

Not Just Another Sunday!

This coming Sunday is important.  Actually every Sunday is important. This is Sunday is significant because it is a day when many people go to church because it is Easter Sunday. A day when we remember that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead.  It is not a concept that I think we tend to forget, but I am not sure we celebrate enough. We often fail to appreciate the historical significance of this event at well.

In our current series, “Who Is This Man?”, we have examine a lot of the impact that Jesus had on our world.  It is an impact that continues even today.  The driving force behind that growing impact, I believe, is the resurrection.  This is by the intentional effort Jesus made to base all of his credibility and promises on this fact that HE would rise from the grave.  His resurrection proved all that he said about who he was and what he did for us.

Easter Sunday is a time when we will have a great number of new faces in the service.  Many will be our guests for the very first time.  They made be attending our habit or seeking to fill a need or void in their lives.  Some will be members coming back because it is expected that they show up on Easter.  We need to do all we can to make them feel welcome and comfortable. I know you will do your part, but let me make a couple of suggestions.

• Park your car as far away from the front doors as possible.  This allows our guests to get the spaces nearest the door.  Try to minimize the number of cars you bring to church.  Our lot is not very big.  Better to make a couple of trips and/or fill up the vehicle so that we have more spaces available.

• Come early and be friendly.  I realize that we are a friendly congregation but it is good to be reminded.  Don't just talk to your friends at church, but circulate around and introduce yourself.  You might just be surprised who the Lord has lead to church.

• Be prepared for worship and to serve.  While we plan as best we can for the service, we cannot anticipate every situation.  Someone might be sick and cannot serve as schedule. We may have more children to care for than expected.  We may even need to set up some chairs in the foyer to make room in the auditorium.  One can never know so we must be flexible and willing to step in where needed.

Finally, I want to touch on the special offering.  Our goal is $20,000.  We have committed half to go directly on the principle of our mortgage.  Our current mortgage balance is $466,205.  With a $10,000 principle payment, we would save significantly in interest and shorten the length of our loan.  This is not just for this year, but as a part of our overall stewardship strategy.  Going forward, we are committing 50% of EVERY EASTER OFFERING to this goal of paying off our debt.

I realize these are tough financial times for everyone.  With the rising prices of gas, healthcare, and even basic necessities, your faithful stewardship each week is greatly appreciated.  However, this offering is an opportunity for God to give through you in an outrageous way over and above your normal giving.  Only what is given in the offering plates on Sunday will go towards this goal.  Online giving will NOT be included.  God is going to do something great this Sunday. Don't be left out!

See You Sunday,

Mike

Hard Reset

Do you know what a “hard reset” is?  If you have a smart phone, you have probably done at least one of these.  This is when you get so much stuff on phone that it starts doing weird things.  It gets glitchy and starts dropping calls and even will just shut down for no reason at all.   The only way to fix this condition is called a hard reset. When you do it, it will erase everything on your phone and strips back to the original condition.  This provides you an opportunity to add stuff back slowly and find out what was causing the problem.

With Spring Break coming, I find myself considering the thought that I may need to do a “hard reset” on my life.  Commitments are filling up my schedule and my life is feeling a bit glitchy.  It is not that my life is bad.  It is just not working at well as it should.  Some of my priorities are being dropped consistently.  I do not feel I am being as effective as can be and should be.  This may mean I need to eliminate something in favor of adding others things.  The process will be difficult but I think very necessary.

How about you?  Are you accomplishing the important things in your life?  Should you consider doing a hard reset as well?  Whether or not you are going away for Spring Break, you have an opportunity to make some changes in your life.  Has attending worship been neglected in your schedule?  Have been missing that daily time in God’s Word?  Is your prayer life on the verge of being non-existent?  Do you need to restore some balance between work, home, family, and church?

I am not suggesting that you need to consider doing MORE.  In fact, when I do my hard reset, I going to do a brutal evaluation of EVERYTHING I am doing and how I use my time.  Each week we are given 168 hours to invest.  There is such thing as “saving time”, like we can money. When this day is gone, it will be gone for eternity.

One tool I am going to use it a simple goal setting worksheet I found at http://dotconnectorblog.com/wp-content/uploads/Weekly-Planner-Template.pdf.   Of course, I am adapting to my situation.  However, it does provide an opportunity to examine our various roles in life.  Easter is all about new life and new directions.  Why not let the power of resurrection to fuel some great and positive changes in your life?

See You Sunday,Mike

Change a life...invite someone to worship with YOU!

If you missed “I Love My Church” Sunday, then you really missed a great time of celebration. Guy Louks and Dave Nance shared great testimonies of why they love Crossroads. Sue Huff did a wonderful job of coordinating the fellowship dinner. It was such a success that I am planning on making an annual Crossroads tradition for the last Sunday in February.


Another Crossroads tradition is our annual special offering on Easter Sunday. This year we are doing things a little different than the normal. As part of our stewardship strategy, the leadership team has committed that half of the offering will be used for debt reduction. With a goal of $20,000, that would mean that we would pay $10,000 directly on the principal of our mortgage. The impact of such a payment would be tremendous in terms of both saving us interest and shortening the length of the loan.

The other half of the offering is committed to several items. The first $5,000 would be used to replenish our emergency fund. Having such a fund is critical to our financial structure. We don’t want to come to the congregation for funds to deal with an unexpected breakdown or repair expense. We will use the remaining funds to catch up some commitments from last year as well as make some investments in the worship ministry.

Last year, God blessed us outrageously through you and provided the funds to purchase and install the new sign. We have already seen results from that investment. Please pray that God works through His people again and we are able celebrate another great outpouring of generosity. I hope you have already decided on what you will “sacrifice” in order to give to this offering. These gifts need to be over and above your regular tithing and giving to Crossroads. Remember we will be actually “passing the plate” to receive this offering so you cannot give through the online method.

Finally, now is a great time to invite your neighbors, family, and friends to join us for Easter Sunday. We are planning a great time of worship and honoring our resurrected Savior and Lord. Share an invitation with someone today. You might just change their life!

See You Sunday,

Mike

Church Membership Matters

The leadership team and I have been studying and discussing prayerfully the Biblical concept of church membership. There are some, I know, who do not believe that there is a Scriptural basis for church membership. There was a time early in the Church’s history that membership was not really an issue. When there was only ONE CHURCH, everyone who was a believer would have been assumed a member of the local body of believers.


Today, the situation is quite different. Denominations number in the hundreds and even within those are hundreds of small groups and divisions. The term, “Christian” can mean various things. Many young people are refusing the label completely. Some congregations have abandoned the whole idea of membership. They simply consider anyone who attends to be a member.

We have always considered church membership at Crossroads Christian Church to be a covenant relationship between the congregation, as whole, and the member, as an individual. Those seeking membership have been required to sign a written membership covenant. We do this because we want there to be clarity about what we expect from members and what they can expect from us, as a congregation. We also realize that we are all imperfect sinners living in an imperfect world.

However, since it is our vision to be a place of genuine community, we must have a recognized body of believers with whom we are building community. Community requires that we hold each other accountable, develop a sense of belonging, and provide care for one another. This cannot be done unless we know who is a member.

It is important for the body of Christ to be a light in the community through the individual congregations. In order to properly shepherd the members of Christ’s Church, and maintain a God-honoring witness in our neighborhood, the elders and I are completely reviewing and rewriting our membership policy. This is not an easy task because it requires balancing the tension between grace and accountability.

The elders have also developed shepherding structure that assigns every member of the church an elder-shepherd. They will be contacting you over the next few weeks to discuss any concerns or ideas you may have. I hope you are all making plans to attend “I love my Church” Sunday on February 24th. This is going to be a great celebration of our church.

See You Sunday!
Mike

I Love My Church!

At a recent meeting of our ministry coordinators, I passed out index cards and ask them to respond to a question. Why do you love Crossroads? As you can imagine there was a variety of responses ranging from the relationships to the focus on the Word of God. The reason I did this is that February 24th is “I Love My Church” Sunday. We are devoting that entire service to celebrating Crossroads Christian Church and why we love her. We will preach on what it means to be a member of the church. We will be asking all of our members to sign the latest version of our membership covenant.

This will also be a great occasion for those who have been thinking about becoming members. We will be providing opportunities for those who need to be immersed to do so, either privately or with others. It will also be a great time for those who have been “missing in action” as members to get back involved. The elders are currently fine tuning our membership policy which we will also share on the day.

After the service, we are going to be sharing in an old fashion fellowship dinner. Fried chicken will be provided by the church. Everyone is asked to bring something to share at the meal. Sue Huff has graciously agreed to coordinate the dinner for us. Contact her to let her know what you would like to bring or find out what you could bring. (765-412-2409/huffbasket@yahoo.com).

If you have any questions, or would like to arrange a time to be immersed, feel free to contact me anytime (765-532-3996/mikejduff@crossroadschristianchurch.net). You can also speak to one of the elders as well.
See You Sunday,
Mike

Important Updates

I ran into someone the other day and they asked me how the church was doing. Without giving it much thought, I answered “We are healthy”. For me, that was the best description I could give. That is not to say that we still do not face some serious challenges, and struggles. I believe, though, we are healthier than we have ever been and better equipped to deal with them. As a church, we have an overall sense that God is doing something special in our congregation to reach lost people in our community.

Not all churches share this view. In a recent survey of 1,000 church attenders, respondents were asked, “Why does the church exist?” According to 89 percent, the church’s purpose was “to take care of my family’s and my spiritual needs.” Only 11 percent said the purpose of the church is “to win the world for Jesus Christ.” I believe that most of our members understand that we are here to connect lost people with God through Jesus Christ.

We do have our share of challenges. Even those challenges have provided more evidence of how health we are as a congregation. For example, we are able to handle changes without experiencing a lot of the emotional upheaval we once did. We no longer see change as an enemy but the natural result of accomplishing our mission. Just recently we had a change in our staff with the departure of Raf Caudillo and Guy Louks taking over as our part-time student minister. I could not have asked for a more seamless transition in the ministry, with no loss of enthusiasm.

Another challenge we face today is keeping up-to-date with current law in regard to churches. We are working with StartChurch to bring us into compliance. We have already accomplished the first step of being incorporated. It will not actually affect you, as members, but it will provide us the proper framework legally. The next step is to do a complete rewrite of our constitution and by-laws. Most of the changes are needed in order for us to be in compliance with government requirements and to protect us from being targeted by the government.

Take the case of gay marriage. With the President making it a priority of his final term, the likelihood of it becoming a reality nationwide is quite possible. We need to include in our constitution the authority for us to refuse any use of the facilities to anyone if it violates our established doctrines and values. Without it, we could be sued for discrimination under federal law.

I realize that this is a BIG undertaking. Making changes in this document is a process that needs to be well thought out and carefully worded. We are still in the preliminary stages of this process. Dave Nance and I are working with StartChurch on a draft that we will be submitting to the Leadership team for review. Once we have the document completed, we will have a series of meetings with members to review, discuss, and revise as needed. The final draft will have to be approved by a vote of the entire congregation.

A parallel process is the leadership team considering a new membership policy. Not only is one needed as a companion to the new constitution and by-laws, but we need to update it to address some situations. For example, what role does one’s attendance play in being a member of this congregation? The elders have divided up the membership into shepherding groups. They will be contacting those in their group to introduce themselves and discuss any concerns.

In closing, I would ask you to begin praying for our Easter offering this year. Our goal is $20,000. Regardless of how much we receive, half will go immediately on our mortgage. The other half will be used to replenish our emergency fund and general fund. As you are well aware, the economy continues to struggle. This has impacted our finances as well. We are operating week to week, offering to offering. These funds will allow us to regain a positive cash-flow and stability.

See You Sunday,
Mike